Air Force One [Hardcover]

Robert F. Dorr (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 27, 2002

Climb aboard the president's office in the sky - Air Force One, the world's most recognizable airplane. This book features a detailed examination of what makes this airplane so special, including its sophisticated communications, navigation, and defensive systems. Learn about how today's 747 was built, and compare it to presidential aircraft of the past.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Aircraft historian Dorr has written numerous books detailing U.S. military aircraft. Here he directs his expertise to writing an objective overview of the planes and helicopters used to fly U.S. presidents and officials, tracing the history of presidential aircraft transportation from Theodore Roosevelt to George W. Bush. To a reference librarian's delight, Dorr highlights many presidential flying firsts. For instance, we learn here that Theodore Roosevelt, although the first president to fly, did so after he left office in October 1910, but Franklin Roosevelt was the first president to fly while in office, in January 1943. In addition, the Boeing 707-153 was the first jet used to fly a president in 1959. Numerous sidebars give technical details, and over 150 pictures of presidential planes and helicopters are included. Dorr provides the names of many former presidential pilots and staff and has interviewed many for their anecdotal accounts. Recommended for all public libraries; libraries may also want to purchase William D. Siuru's Presidential Cars & Transportation: From Horse and Carriage to Air Force One for information on other forms of transportation by presidents. Joyce M. Cox, Nevada State Lib. & Archives, Carson City
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 156 pages
• Publisher: Zenith Press; First Edition edition (July 27, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0760310556
• ISBN-13: 978-0760310557
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 10.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #366,195 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #98 in Books > Professional & Technical > Transportation > Aviation > Commercial

More About the Author

Robert F. Dorr, 71, is an author (1955- ); an Air Force veteran (1957-60); and a retired senior Foreign Service officer (a diplomat; 1964-89). He has three books currently in print. The newest is "MISSION TO BERLIN,":about the Americans who fought in one of the largest aerial battles of World War II.

He is the author of 70 books and thousands of magazine articles about the Air Force, aviation and military affairs. He writes a weekly opinion column for Air Force Times, monthly columns for Combat Aircraft, Air International and Aerospace America magazines, and a quarterly column for Air Power History, which he helped create. His first paid magazine article was in the November 1955 Air Force magazine when he was fifteen. He wrote 1,700 history columns for all four Military Times newspapers from 2000 to 2009.

Bob Dorr's other books in print are "HELL HAWKS,"" co-authored with Thomas D. Jones, a history of a P-47 Thunderbolt fighter group in World War II and "AIR FORCE ONE," a history of presidential aircraft.

He is a private pilot and parachutist and has flown aboard most current Air Force aircraft. Bob Dorr lives in Oakton, Virginia with his wife Young Soon, a career government worker, and their Labrador retriever, Autumn. They have two grown sons with families.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars As Close As We'll Get...., January 23, 2003

By 

T. Jones (Virginia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Air Force One (Hardcover)

Any student of aviation or U.S. history will enjoy this flight through sixty years of presidential transport. In an attractive package crammed with beautiful portraits of the world's most-recognized airplane, author Robert Dorr turns his encyclopedic knowledge of civil and military aviation to chronicling the evolution of this American flagship of the skies. From the converted military cargo planes used by FDR during World War II, to the gleaming prop-driven Constellation favored by Ike, to the historic Boeing 707 that carried JFK in life and death, Dorr shows how these airplanes came to embody American power and prestige in their global travels. While he covers the technical details of each aircraft and shows how the President's plane evolved with civil and military aviation advances, the book also provides glimpses into presidential character. Nixon, for example, was polite but reserved on his jet, and almost never ventured up to the cockpit. LBJ treated his fleet of aircraft like flying offices, wheeling and dealing with congressmen and politicians as he corralled them into flights to their districts or to his Texas ranch. President Reagan was a favorite of his flight crews, and returned their respect with casual visits to their communications and flight stations. Jimmy Carter, uncomfortable with the imperial aura of Air Force One, removed the "V" (for VIP) prefix from its official VC-137 designation. He also exasperated his radio operators on occasion by discussing classified information "in the clear" (as was his prerogative, of course). The changes in Air Force One parallel many of the advances in air transport technology since the late 1930's, and reflect the changing role of the presidency over six decades. Air Force One has served as private jet and potential doomsday command post. Today it's a global ambassador of American power. Robert Dorr does justice to his subject with clear writing and the behind-the-scenes access that take readers inside this fascinating aircraft. His book is almost as good as a ride on the 747 that now carries President George W. Bush.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Air Force One: The Secrets, September 12, 2002

By 

Fredric Neumann, Col. USAFR (Ret) (Dayton, Ohio) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Air Force One (Hardcover)

"Air Force One," by Robert F. Dorr has beautiful pictures, nice binding, and an attractive dust jacket.

But it's filled with facts, some current (post 9-11), some historical. The amazing thing is, it reveals the secret, secondary purpose of this aircraft. As a retired military officer, I was surprised to learn about "continuity of government" plans, C-20C war readiness plans, and the role of the president's Boeing 747 as a flying command post in time of war. The first chapter of the book deals with Air Force One on September 11, 2001.

I detected one or two minor typos in the book. The discussion about alternatives to the current 747 aircraft seemed a little strained. Still, this is a great account of what's going on today with presidential air travel and of what happened in the past.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful look at a great plane, December 31, 2002

By 

Robert F. Dorr (Oakton, Virginia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Air Force One (Hardcover)

There are a lot of words between these two covers, but I was especially taken by the photos --- especially those which show the special area at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland, where AIR FORCE ONE, the president's plane, lives.

This is really two books in one. It's partly what's going on today, including some inner secrets. It's also partly a history of presidential air travel. The author tells what happened to AIR FORCE ONE on September 11, 2001, and he also recounts the past experiences of presidents like Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was the first to fly while in office.