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Tag: air force one
September 17, 2025
NatSec

LISTEN: Air Traffic Controllers Lose It Over Spirit Airlines Flying Too Close to Air Force One.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: A Spirit Airlines flight drew criticism from air traffic control for flying too close to Air Force One.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Spirit Airlines Flight 1300 pilots, Air Force One, air traffic controllers, and President Donald J. Trump.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Over Long Island, New York, on Tuesday as Air Force One headed to the United Kingdom for a state visit.

💬KEY QUOTE: “Pay attention. Get off the iPad.” – Air traffic controller

🎯IMPACT: Air traffic control ensured the Spirit flight maintained safe distance, with no further incidents reported.

IN FULL

A Spirit Airlines flight drew the ire of air traffic controllers after it flew too close to Air Force One on Tuesday. The incident occurred as President Donald J. Trump was en route to the United Kingdom for a state visit.

The Air Force One, a VC-25A variant of the Boeing 747, had taken off from Joint Base Andrews and was flying over Long Island, New York. Spirit Airlines Flight 1300, an Airbus A321 traveling from Fort Lauderdale to Boston, was also in the area.

An air traffic controller instructed Spirit 1300 to adjust its course, saying, “Spirit 1300, turn 20 degrees right. Pay attention, Spirit 1300, turn 20 degrees right.” The controller repeated directives multiple times, expressing frustration when the pilots did not immediately respond. “Traffic’s off your left wing by six miles or eight miles. 747, I’m sure you can see who it is,” the controller added, emphasizing, “Keep an eye out for him, he’s white and blue.”

The planes crossed paths over Long Island Sound, with the Spirit Airlines flight 9,000 feet below Air Force One. The controller chastised the pilots further, saying, “I got to talk to you twice every time? Pay attention. Get off the iPad.”

Spirit Airlines later stated, “Spirit Airlines flight 1300 followed procedures and Air Traffic Control instructions while en route to Boston and landed uneventfully. Safety is always our top priority.”

Air Force One landed safely at London Stansted Airport, and President Trump proceeded with his state visit, which includes meetings with King Charles III and announcements of major tech investments.

Image by Dylan Agbagni.

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February 25, 2025
William Upton
Politics

‘The Winning Continues,’ WH Press Sec. Declares After Judge Rejects AP Lawsuit.

U.S. District Court Judge Trevor McFadden has rejected an Associated Press (AP) emergency motion to restore their access to the White House press briefing room and Air Force One. Following the ruling, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt declared, “The winning continues.”

The AP has been barred from White House and Air Force One access for nearly two weeks after the corporate media outlet refused to update its style guide to reflect President Donald J. Trump‘s order renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. Notably, major tech companies that provide map and direction apps, like Apple and Google, have made the change. The AP remains an outlier in refusing to make the name change even among their corporate media colleagues.

“The judge’s denial of the Associated Press’s request reinforces what I said from the podium last week and what President Trump has been saying, covering the American presidency—and the most intimate and limited spaces in this White House, in the Oval Office, on Air Force One—is a privilege,” Leavitt said following Judge McFadden’s ruling. “It is not a legal right.”

While Judge McFadden refused to grant temporary relief to the AP, he has set another hearing in the matter for March 20. The AP contends that the White House ban is an infringement on their First Amendment press rights and the requirement to use the Gulf of America is an infringement on their First Amendment speech rights.

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U.S. District Court Judge Trevor McFadden has rejected an Associated Press (AP) emergency motion to restore their access to the White House press briefing room and Air Force One. Following the ruling, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt declared, "The winning continues." show more
February 18, 2025
News

Boeing’s New Air Force One Faces Potential Delays Until 2029 or Later.

Boeing’s work to develop the new Air Force One presidential aircraft could be delayed until 2029 or even much later. A senior White House official says Boeing’s ongoing supply chain challenges are causing production delays. The updated aircraft was originally slated for completion last year.

The supply chain problems are, for the most part, caused by a number of manufacturers critical to component supply for the aircraft having ceased operations. Known as the VC-25B, the new Air Force One aircraft has already seen its delivery date postponed several times, being pushed to 2027, then 2028, and now 2029.

The Air Force One program is of significant national interest, as the aircraft is the primary mode of air transportation for the President of the United States. President Donald J. Trump has pushed for an expedited delivery schedule during his administration, urging faster program completion.

Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg has scheduled a meeting with Elon Musk, head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), to explore the possibility of accelerating the production timeline. Ortberg expressed the company’s commitment to meeting White House expectations, stating, “The President wants those planes sooner, so we’re working with Elon to see what we can do to pull up the schedule of those programs.”

The discussion between Boeing and Musk aims to identify potential strategies for overcoming the current supply chain setbacks. Musk, the CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, among other companies, has experience dealing with supply chain and component problems and may be able to help Boeing work out alternative solutions.

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Boeing's work to develop the new Air Force One presidential aircraft could be delayed until 2029 or even much later. A senior White House official says Boeing's ongoing supply chain challenges are causing production delays. The updated aircraft was originally slated for completion last year. show more
Air Force One by Gage Skidmore
March 31, 2024
Crime

Journalists Keep Stealing from Air Force One.

A White House staffer and a reporter recently rendezvoused to address a recurring issue of items being taken from Air Force One – the presidential plane, according to a report from POLITICO.

A problem was highlighted when the Office of the President noted that several branded items were missing from the press cabin following a trip in February. In response to the incident, an anonymous email was sent offering assistance for a “quiet return” of any items “accidentally” taken.

The individual, who took linens from the presidential plane, met with a White House representative near the Andrew Jackson statue in Lafayette Square, where the item was confidentially returned.

This petty theft seems not to be an isolated incident, as several sources have reportedly observed Air Force One being used as a source of souvenirs by the traveling press pack. Anonymous tips even identified a former major newspaper correspondent serving a dinner party on stolen Air Force One crockery.

Petty theft on official property doesn’t seem confined to the plane. The executive mansion also noted incidents in 2015 of disappearing items – some of significant value.

To discourage theft, the president of the White House Correspondents’ Association, Kelly O’Donnell, reminded reporters not to take items from the aircraft, adding that items with Air Force One logos could be purchased outside the plane. However, sources indicate that collectible items available for purchase are not comparable in quality to onboard counterparts.

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A White House staffer and a reporter recently rendezvoused to address a recurring issue of items being taken from Air Force One – the presidential plane, according to a report from POLITICO. show more