Executive One

President Richard Nixon surprises passengers aboard a UAL commercial flight 55 between DC and LA.

Executive One is the call sign designated[1] for any United States civil aircraft when the president of the United States is on board. Typically, the president flies in military aircraft that are under the command of the Presidential Airlift Group, which include Air Force One, Marine One, Army One, Navy One and Coast Guard One.

On December 26, 1973, President Richard Nixon became the only sitting president to travel on a regularly scheduled commercial airline flight when he flew on United Airlines flight 55 from Washington Dulles International Airport to Los Angeles International Airport, "to set an example for the rest of the nation during the current energy crisis" and to "demonstrate his confidence in the airlines". Nixon, first lady Pat, daughter Tricia, and 22 staffers, security, and pool purchased 13 first-class tickets at $217.64, and 12 coach tickets at $167.64 aboard the DC-10 on what is traditionally not a very busy flight, and, with an eye to security, quietly boarded the plane without fanfare to maintain secrecy prior to departure. A Nixon aide carried a suitcase-sized secure communication device on board the plane, so that the President could remain in contact with Washington in the event of an emergency.[2][3]

If the president's family members are aboard, but not the president himself, the flight can, at the discretion of the White House staff or Secret Service, use the callsign Executive One Foxtrot (EXEC1F[4]).[1] "Foxtrot" is the phonetic alphabet designation for the letter "F", with that being the first letter of "family".[5]

The military helicopter that normally has the call sign "Marine One" is assigned the "Executive One" call sign when it transports the outgoing president on their final flight from the Capitol, after the inauguration of their successor, as was done on January 20, 2009 for George W. Bush and on January 20, 2017 for Barack Obama.[6][7][8][9][10][11]

  1. ^ a b "Order 7110.65R (Air Traffic Control) §2-4-20 ¶7". Federal Aviation Administration. 2008-02-14. Retrieved 2009-09-15.
  2. ^ Hardesty, Von (2003). Air Force One: The Aircraft That Shaped The Modern Presidency. NorthWord Press. p. 100. ISBN 978-1559718943.
  3. ^ "The President Takes to the Friendly Skies". The Washington Post and Times-Herald. 1973-12-30. p. C6.
  4. ^ "Trump postpones Pelosi's overseas trip because of shutdown". www.cnbc.com. 17 January 2019. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
  5. ^ Bumiller, Elisabeth (1999-12-03). "Airport Delay Creates a Campaign Dispute". New York Times. pp. B3. Retrieved 2009-05-31.
  6. ^ "Bush's last day: Calls, candy and a flight to Midland". CNN. 2009-01-20. Retrieved 2009-01-23.
  7. ^ Dunham, Richard S. (2009-01-21). "Bush's final day uncharacteristically emotional". Houston Chronicle. Chron.com. Retrieved 2009-01-25.
  8. ^ Capehart, Jonathon (2009-01-20). "So Long..." Post Partisan. Washington Post. Archived from the original on March 23, 2012. Retrieved 2009-01-25.
  9. ^ Baker, Anne (2009-01-22). "Bush leaves infamous term behind". The Appalachian. Appalachian State University. Retrieved 2009-01-25.
  10. ^ Miles, Donna (2009-01-20). "Troops bid former President Bush farewell at Andrews". American Forces Press Service. Air Force Link (Official Website of the Air Force). Retrieved 2009-01-25.
  11. ^ "Obama departs White House with a promise: 'I'll be right there with you'". TheGuardian.com. 20 January 2017.