Wore this watch today whilst on a visit to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, just a few minutes away from our home.
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I debated whether I should post these next photos in The Aviators Thread but decided to post them here. The Air Force One aircraft utilized by Ronald Reagan is on display at the Museum, as is a Marine Corps One aircraft.
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Now that I'm learning to fly helicopters I found Marine Corps One to be particularly interesting.
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Getting back to Air Force One, I have an unusual and special connection to this aircraft
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Image credit: Wikipedia
It's a long story how this all came about, but in 1982 I was asked to drive a car in President Reagan's motorcade, as it traveled from the Salt Lake City Airport Executive Terminal to the downtown convention centre where Reagan would give a speech, and then back to the airport. Specifically, I was asked to transport members of the White House Press Corps to the speech venue from the airport. The day before the President's arrival, I was told to report to a certain room at a certain hotel at 5:00am on arrival day. There, I would be instructed by the Secret Service on how to drive in a presidential motorcade. The "instruction" probably took no more than 1/2 hour, and basically, it was to 'drive as fast as the car in front of you, without letting an appreciable gap form between cars'. And to never stop for
anything. When my instruction was completed I picked up my assigned car from the hotel - a big station wagon - and drove it out onto the tarmac at the Executive Terminal.
The official White House Press Corps was broken into two groups -- one group rode on Air Force One with the President, and the other group flew on a separate chartered aircraft. I was assigned to transport press members from the chartered aircraft. That aircraft arrived first (before Air Force One), a Boeing 727 that was painted vanilla white. The early arrival enabled these members of the Press Corps to cover the President's actual arrival on the ground. When both planes were on the ground, with Air Force One parked in front of the 727, my press people loaded up in the station wagon. Sitting on the open tailgate was the most sought-after position in my car. As directed by Secret Service people on the ground, I stopped the station wagon not far from the bottom of the mobile stairs that were set up at the front door of Air Force One. Thus, my press people were able to see and photograph the President as he emerged from the aircraft and did the traditional wave from the top of the stairs. Once the President was in his car, the rest of the motorcade was formed and we drove at a brisk and steady speed of about 80kph (50mph) through city streets. I remember it was pretty exciting blasting through street intersections at top speed, regardless of the colour of the traffic signal. When the President's speech was concluded, we repeated the same process but in reverse order.
I have made a few visits to the Presidential Library since it was constructed, and each time I walk into the room where Air Force One is displayed I say something like: "I'm willing to bet that I'm the only person in this room who actually saw President Reagan stand in the doorway of that plane". And then my wife would roll her eyes, again.
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