Site Report for Washington DC ARTCC (ZDC)

Apprx. Coords- (ADW Tower) -76.87747 38.80534
Apprx. Coords- (BWI Tower) -76.66946 39.17840
Apprx. Coords- (DCA Tower) -77.04414 38.85480
Apprx. Coords- (IAD Tower) -77.44791 38.95245
Apprx. Coords- (RDU Tower) -78.78580 35.88133

Date of USGS Urban Imagery for ADW is 4/7/2002. The imagery is quite good and readers should view if for themselves.
Date of USGS Imagery for BWI is 4/4/1994.
Date of USGS Urban Imagery for DCA is 4/26/2002. The imagery is quite good and readers should view if for themselves.
Date of USGS Urban Imagery for IAD is 4/7/2002. The imagery is quite good and readers should view if for themselves.
Date of USGS Urban Imagery for RDU is 3/28/2002. The imagery is quite good and readers should view if for themselves.

Airports within this ARTCC that stream audio on web:
RDU- http://audio.liveatc.net:8012/krdu.m3u

Good links:
http://www.thetracon.com
http://www.milaircomms.com/artcc_zab.html
http://www.natca.org
http://www.airnav.com
http://www.liveatc.net/feedindex.php

AF-1 information related to the following airports:

ADW- C'mon, if you can't figure out AF-1's relationship with this airport, then stop reading now. This is its home.

BWI- I can find no instances of AF-1 landing here, but read the information below. Apparently, the President will take a ride in anything, as long as it's flyable.

DCA- Although, I'm not sure if AF-1 has been here, I do know Bush is aware of it from this quote on Oct 3, 2001 (he's apparently the master of low expectations, too): "I am here to make an announcement that this Thursday, ticket counters and airplanes will fly out of Ronald Reagan Airport." OSIN- For some reason, when you do a Google search on "ronald reagan airport" and "air force one", the second most popular result comes up as politicalhumor.about.com/library/blbushdumbquotes.htm. How odd.

IAD- Although I haven't found any information on AF-1 visits, this airport can definitely support AF-1. Most internet searches refer to Flight 77, the aircraft that was crashed into the Pentagon on 9/11.

RDU- AF-1 has been at this airport.

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During my searches, I came across this tidbit of information:

"The FAA institutes temporary flight restrictions for hazards to aviation, such as forest fires smoke, volcano plumes, and air shows, as well as for security reasons. Most temporary flight restrictions (TFRs) are noted on the FAA home page, www.faa.gov, under "Graphic TFRs."

When the president or the vice president flies, their planes receive priority handling by air traffic control. However, Air Force One and Two receive standard en-route separation from other aircraft.

At the request of the U.S. Secret Service, the FAA can restrict airspace around locations where the president is visiting for TFRs of up to 30 nautical miles in radius and heights of 18,000 feet. Generally, all flights that have not received special security vetting by the Transportation Security Agency are prohibited within these TFRs."

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Okay, so I knew that any plane that the Prez is aboard is called "Air Force One", but this bit of information is revealing in that I didn't know the President will stoop to flying any old aircraft. This information comes from http://www.ainonline.com/issues/08_02/08_02_mdairportpg34.html:

"While many people may not be familiar with Maryland's Hagerstown Regional Airport (HGR), President Bush's pilots are. Air Force One has landed there so the White House entourage could be transported by helicopter to nearby Camp David.

When the President is aboard, any aircraft becomes Air Force One, and the version that lands at HGR is a Boeing 757, not the 747 that most people immediately think of. Although Hagerstown's 5,461-ft main runway can accommodate the 757, it is considered marginal for the new crop of regional jets, which airport officials would like to attract."

OSIN- Okay, so now my list of civilian airports to look at has grown exponentially. But, now that I know Bush may fly on a 757, I'll have to consider that in any scenario I come up with. Ah, just when I thought I had caught up, get a load of this information that comes from http://home.columbus.rr.com/lusch/aopa_article01.html:

"Imagine, then, the surprise of the Air Force pilots ferrying then-President Ronald Reagan from Andrews Air Force Base to Frederick, Maryland, on October 21, 1988. At 4,000 feet, they were told by approach controllers at Baltimore-Washington International Airport that the Air Force One Gulfstream III was cleared for the ILS 23 at Frederick, and by the way, radar service was being terminated. Radar service terminated? The presidential pilots, along with Air Force C-12A pilots who preceded them into Frederick, later told National Transportation Safety Board investigators they had expected radar vectors to the final approach course."

OSIN- And, later on in this article it says:

"In its final report on the accident, the NTSB noted that Baltimore's lack of radar coverage at Frederick affects all pilots who use the airport, including pilots of Air Force One. Frederick is designated as a reliever airport for the President when he is unable to helicopter to Camp David because of the kind of weather that was present on October 21, 1988. The safety board recommended that the FAA evaluate which ATC facility could provide the best radar service at Frederick and, if necessary, make a change."

OSIN- Okay, so now I know that the President has a Gulfstream III at his disposal. How many other fucking aircraft does he have? Is he a squardron in his own right? I see the potential savings of billions of dollars by just adopting what the old Crownheads of Europe figured out long ago- make everyone come to you. Then you can be picky who you shake hands with, and it helps the economy because travelers have to spend money on transportation, food, and lodging to just get there. But, from the above two paragraphs, this tells me that in times of inclement weather, the President may not use Hagerstown Regional Airport, so they fall back on this airport which has no radar coverage from BWI. Aside from that, this piece of information tells me that the Secret Service and Air Force would prefer the helicopter option rather than the Gulfstream III. Interesting, but very annoying.

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OSIN- And finally, when you get haven't gotten enough of 9-11, go read http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,174912,00.html. It gives a good insight into how the FAA and the ATC system responded on that day.