The air force is looking forward to flying President Chen Shui-bian (
"Transporting passengers safely is the only aim of the Air Force's charter flight fleet. We [our personnel and our aircraft] are always ready for all kinds of missions upon receiving orders from our superior officers," said Colonel Chen Du-yung (
The current "Air Force One," a Boeing 737-800, which the president will take today, was purchased in 2000 and a "C-check," the strictest safety check for jetliners, was performed and completed in April.
The aircraft was also repainted as a "C-check" requires the removal of paint for a complete examination of the aircraft's structure.
Two "winglets," which can be seen on Boeing 747-400s' wing tips, were also installed to help save fuel.
Prior to today's flight to Palau, the aircraft has never been on a mission to a foreign country.
The Presidential Office said that state-of-the-art navigation, radar and communication systems had been installed to enable the president to keep in contact with the country's national security and warfare systems and give orders whenever necessary.
There are a total of three cabins onboard. In addition to the presidential seats, there is also a business class area for the heads of government and an economy class section for members of the president's staff and presidential guards.
The Presidential Office said that there are only four seats in the presidential section, and that Chen usually sits in the left rear one. The aircraft carries 116 passengers in total, including six cabin crew.
Chen Du-yung said the aircraft is not actually called "Air Force One" but should be called an "administrative charter aircraft," and belongs to the Air Force's charter flight fleet. Its mission is to transport the president, the vice president and other heads of government.
The fleet was established in Nanjing, China, on Dec. 1, 1946 and was relocated to Taiwan in 1948 as the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Government were losing ground to the Chinese communist forces.
Former US president Harry S. Truman presented the late president and dictator Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) with a Douglas C-47 Skytrain and Chiang made it the first "Air Force One."
Chiang and his wife then used this aircraft for a visit to the Philippines in 1949. That was also the first time that "Air Force One" had flown abroad, but Chiang was not the president at the time.
At the time, the fleet belonged to the Presidential Office instead of the Air Force Command Headquarters. Whenever the fleet was carrying out a mission, the airport would be temporarily closed and secured by the military police and secret service agents.
On Dec. 5, 1971, the fleet purchased a Boeing 720, complete with a meeting room and a presidential bedroom, from Northwestern Airlines to replace the C-47, and it began service in 1972. The Boeing 720 was retired on Sept. 27, 1991 with an honorable "zero defect" record.
In 1981, in addition to the Boeing 720, the fleet also accepted a donation of four Boeing 727-100s from China Airlines. The fleet also purchased three Dutch Fokker-50 propeller aircraft, which are used mainly by the premier.
Chen Du-yung said that prior to the purchase of the 737-800, the Air Force once leased a Boeing 737-400 from China Airlines.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by