Military & Defense

These features make Air Force One an incomparable flying fortress

air force one
Larry Downing/Reuters
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WASHINGTON, DC — Embellished with the American flag, the presidential seal, and the words United States of America, the world's most famous plane is as tall as a six-story building and gives an undeniable authoritative presence wherever it flies.

The three-leveled "flying Oval Office" is a custom Boeing 747-200B that has 4,000 square feet of interior floor space, including a conference room, dining room, private quarters for the president, offices for senior staff members, a medical operating room (a doctor flies on every flight), press area, two food-preparation galleys that can provide 100 meals, and multifrequency radios for air-to-air and air-to-ground communication.

President Barack Obama's Air Force One is the most expensive to operate, costing taxpayers $206,337 every hour it is in flight, according to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) letter obtained by Judicial Watch.

Here are a few more security details:

air force one wings
Ricardo Brazziell/Getty
skitch air force one
The White House
air force one skitch
The White House
body of the plane
Jason Reed/Reuters
pilot fixed skitch
The White House
steps air force one skitch
The White House
obama plane
The White House
situation room skitch
The White House
flying oval office
The White House
skitch air force one
The White House
plane tv
The White House
air force one phones skitch
The White House
phones plane
The White House
seal air force one
The White House

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Amanda was formerly a correspondent for Business Insider's military and defense team. Before Business Insider, she worked as a field producer for Reuters in Brussels covering NATO and EU political institutions. Amanda grew up in the US Army and graduated from the University of Missouri-School of Journalism. She lives in Washington, DC, with her spoiled cat, Harlem.Disclosure: Amanda has family who work at Lockheed Martin, a company she regularly covers.