Former Air Force One director recalls life on 'flying White House'

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Not every UAE resident has had the opportunity to travel with a US president, but Sharief Fahmy did.

He was part of a team of mission directors on Air Force One in the 2000s during the George W Bush administration.

Mr Fahmy has been reflecting on his time on-board the “flying White House”, its “doomsday scenario”, how he narrowly avoided being in the Pentagon when it was hit by a plane on September 11, 2001, and his thoughts on US President Donald Trump’s visit to the Middle East.

He helped oversee preparations for many vital missions that took the first family across the US and world, such as Mr Bush’s high-profile trip to Africa in 2003.

“My role was to manage the guests and their needs,” Mr Fahmy told The National. “It was a 24/7 job.”

While there were only certain aspects of the role he could reveal, Mr Fahmy recalled the Africa trip as being a significant visit and “resource intensive” from an operations perspective. “Credit cards were not widely accepted so we were managing large quantities of cash and figuring out how to pay for things,” he said.

He also recalled a flight to the US state of Iowa where family members and a friend visited the aircraft on the tarmac. He made it back to Washington DC in less time than their return to their house because of the authority Air Force One has. “Other planes get directed around you,” he said with a chuckle. “It is like a flying White House.”

A potent symbol

Emblazoned with the words United States of America, Air Force One is a potent symbol of US power. The jet has bedrooms, offices, a gym and chefs from Michelin-starred kitchens. It can function as a mobile command centre and take defensive countermeasures.

There are three sections – the front is for the president and guests; the middle for members of Congress and others; and the third is usually for the media.

Mr Fahmy shared an insight into the level of detail that goes into maintaining an Air Force One plane. For example, at Maryland's Joint Base Andrews, where the planes are based, there is an environmentally controlled room that has the original cedar wood from California that the Cabinets are made from.

“If somebody has scratched a cabinet in the conference room, maintenance can identify which block of tree it comes from and it can be redesigned,” he said. “It is a timeless machine.”

Prepared for any eventuality

Technically, any aircraft the president flies on becomes Air Force One but the term is most associated with the two modified Boeing 747 jumbo jets.

The current planes were chosen in the Ronald Reagan administration of the 1980s during the Cold War when the threat of nuclear war was real and, Mr Fahmy notes cryptically, they are designed to handle this.

“The assets are built and designed to manage that … doomsday scenario. The weight is very different on this aircraft.”

And forget just handing in a basic application to become a pilot. First you have to be the best of the best, pass an in-depth security clearance, and undergo rigorous training. Those that do pass the rare secretive process are usually majors in the army.

Mr Fahmy is the son of Egyptian immigrants who moved to Iowa in the 1960s. He joined the US Air Force in the 1990s as an officer and would go on to spend about two decades in the force. He started as a medic before moving to the Pentagon and then to the military office at the White House as captain.

Just before he started as mission director on Air Force One he was working at the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, when he narrowly avoided being in the building when a hijacked plane hit during the infamous attacks. His office was in the Pentagon but he left for meetings nearby.

“We heard a sound, looked out and saw there was a huge billow of smoke coming out of the Pentagon. I know people who perished.”

His part of the building was not hit but the office was damaged by fire. He recalls a time in the days after 9/11 when his family in Iowa were reassured by the support they got in their hometown. It was an era before wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and when people were more unified, he said.

“They said the community had come together,” he said. “People brought flowers and left them at the steps of the [Islamic community centre]. There was a sense of unity.”

On Trump

Mr Fahmy came to Abu Dhabi in 2008 and spent five years as part of the mission in the US Embassy. He retired from the Air Force in 2013 as Lt Col. He then served as chief executive to the Dubai Air Show in 2013 and 2015 and now works as regional executive director for aerospace company Kaman. He is also a member of the American Chamber of Commerce in Abu Dhabi.

Ahead of Mr Trump's UAE visit, and his apparent acceptance of a luxury plane from Qatar, Mr Fahmy said it was an “amazing gesture of friendship” but there were many other considerations to factor in.

“Presidential flying is not just a desk and phone,” he said. “There are complex systems. It takes time to get up to standard.” He said that Mr Trump's visit generally was “history in the making”.

“I’m here as an Arab-American and it feels how I grew up in the US. People from all over the world are working together at the top of their game,” he said. “It has been an amazing, historic trip. I’m very optimistic to see more peace after this visit and opportunities from a business perspective.”

Looking back at his time on-board what is arguably the most famous aircraft in the world, he said he was so immersed in the work that it was only when he left that the enormity of the role dawned on him.

“You look back and wonder – did that ever really happen? It was surreal.”