This rather depicts the failure of government rather than any service to citizens. What is a governor/citizens doing pushing trailer(vehicles) when there should be towing vehicles to take care of occurences like this.

.....Guy you're bluntly so wicked o!

You don spoil show for His propagandists be dat

Can you count the bikes?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mazcrYX6Eeg

I hear say some time Jonathan self dey go buy shekpe (kaikain) for one under bridge for kubwa in kuul evening like that. (na hear I hear am o, I no use my eye see am). E se mí jéjé o!

Rochas did this tens of times even b4 obama.

imo is blessed.

naptu2: There has never been a coup 'de etat in the US, yet what happened to Murtala when he was on his way to work?

What happened to Dora Akunyili? What happened to Olusegun Osoba in 1992?

I already told you that I saw Obasanjo @ Mr Biggs and at the market. You've also seen on this thread a pic of Rochas buying corn. Remember Marwa and the akara/killer beans story?

Hmmmm what of all their presidents that were killed,Abe lincoln was killed while watching film! And if it's that nobody is actually safe in this country. If you're going on the streets and you don't get hit by stray bullet or get robbed or make motor we pass one way jam person or get picked up by the police or get beaten up by military men or better still get shot at by a policeman or any other military man then thank God for journey mercies. You know IT IS NOT OUR FAULT THIS COUNTRY IS THIS UNSAFE, in a country where over 80 milluon are jobless i think this country is still very safe you know what i mean.
And if u want to know y i think this country is safe in comparison to d level of unemployment, please visit any football viewing centre on saturday, when u see the boys ehn you just know they are unemployed and u wonder how all d houses in this country have not yet been burgled

Limaoscar:

.....Guy you're bluntly so wicked o!

You don spoil show for His propagandists be dat

Look d national embarrassment nah a gov pushing a trailer. Reminds me of a day like dat when one of d rooms in my uncle's house was burning, while some stayed home to kill d fire, d others dashed to the fire station to call d firemen since they don't av fone nos. On getting there d firemen told them there was water in d fire truck but d truck isn't starting so they'll av to push it to start. Now tell me can u push an empty fire truck, not to talk of a filled one.

obadiah777: dumb post. why should nigerian leaders order takeout ? what point will they be trying to prove ? obama is only doing this for publicity. publicity like this does not endear you to nigerians. if anything the typical nigerians response will be ' look at this fool. his mates in government have stolen enough money to eat in fancy restaurants he is ordering take outs like a poor wretched person mmtcheewwww' . Nigerians only respect ostentation

ha
o' boy,GOD BL££$$$H U

ifihearam: What's the big deal....I do it OFTEN

Who you be? Lol

Chegunn:
I agree with you, the brits life is conservative and boring but even d yanks we copy are lavish but not reckless. Most of their politicians may not use the bus or train but they still take the taxi even some of their richest men take the taxi to meetings, and if they are not you hardly see them in a convoy maybe with a driver n probably an orderly. It is in Ng you'll see a governor with almost 20 vehicles in his convoy with mopol, civil defence,sss,soldiers all following him. The day i saw Dimeji Bankole(when he was still speaker) ehn i thought the world was coming too an end, at first we were hearing siren then we saw two power bikes about three mins later we saw an empty 30 seater bus on which was written "the speaker federal house of reps abuja" after which different vehicles followed. So my point is even the usa we copy the president's convoy doesn't get followed by anybody else except the men of the secret service.

that is the word! we re simply reckless and wasteful!!!

Chegunn:
Hmmmm what of all their presidents that were killed,Abe lincoln was killed while watching film! And if it's that nobody is actually safe in this country. If you're going on the streets and you don't get hit by stray bullet or get robbed or make motor we pass one way jam person or get picked up by the police or get beaten up by military men or better still get shot at by a policeman or any other military man then thank God for journey mercies. You know IT IS NOT OUR FAULT THIS COUNTRY IS THIS UNSAFE, in a country where over 80 milluon are jobless i think this country is still very safe you know what i mean.
And if u want to know y i think this country is safe in comparison to d level of unemployment, please visit any football viewing centre on saturday, when u see the boys ehn you just know they are unemployed and u wonder how all d houses in this country have not yet been burgled

1) What was the level of security around Lincoln when he was killed and what was the level of security around Murtala when he was killed?

2) Are you saying that the threat level against the president is the same as the threat level against a regular citizen?

Government officials are protected to prevent unconstitutional change of policy (Akunyili = the ban on fake drugs, Osoba = provision of drinking water, Murtala = reduction in size of army & civil service, Lincoln = freedom of slaves). These threats arise because of their official position, therefore their office (government) provides security for them. If not we would have an Anna Lindh situation everyday.

3) Has any US President been assassinated by a foreigner?

4) Has any Nigerian head of state/government been assassinated by a hungry or jobless man?

see obama nw... I pray say our president BADLUCK sorry i mean Goodluck fit do this kind of thing.. Enter anambra the other day...flying frm one place to the other with helicopter. Can't even interact wit pple dat one na visit?

I hope I don't get banned (Pyguru stay away).

This article was written in 2009.

[size=14pt]THE BEAST AND ITS ESCORTS[/size]

This month we look at the wheels of the most powerful man in the world, The President of The United States, Barrack Hussein Obama.


Cadillac One

The current official car of the President of The United States is a Cadillac. It is the first presidential limousine not to have a specific model name (The previous presidential limousine, used by George W. Bush, was a modified Cadillac D.T.S). It has the call sign, Cadillac One (The presidential plane has the call sign Air-Force One and the presidential helicopter is known as Marine One). It looks so imposing that it has been nicknamed “The Beast” by the Secret Service. It first came into service on January 20th 2009. Like any presidential limousine, the security features are a closely guarded secret, but you can trust us, we’ve been able to unearth them for you.


The New (Obama) Cadillac One (in front) with George Bush’s Presidential Limousines (Behind) on inauguration day.


SECURITY FEATURES

Cadillac One has eight inches thick armour plated doors that are the weight of the cabin door on a Boeing 757. The door handles incorporate a special system, which can only be opened by trained personnel (secret service). The driver’s window can withstand armour piercing bullets. It is the only window that opens, by just 3 inches, so that the driver can pay tolls or talk with secret service agents. The chauffer is trained by the CIA to cope with the most demanding of circumstances. The driver’s compartment contains a standard steering wheel, but the dash board contains a communications centre and GPS tracking system.

The petrol tank in the beast is armour plated and filled with a specially designed foam that prevents it from exploding if hit. Its bodywork consists of a combination of dual hardness steel, aluminium, titanium and even ceramic to break up possible projectiles. A reinforced five inch steel plate runs under the car for protection in the unlikely event of a bomb being placed underneath. The car is built on the platform of a GMC truck. The tyres are reinforced with Kevlar (the material used in bullet-proof vests) and are shred and puncture resistant, with steel rims underneath, enabling the car to escape at speed, even if the tyres are blasted away. The boot holds oxygen supply and a fire-fighting system. The limousine, like the Cadillac DTS, is equipped with night vision cameras, but the location of the cameras have been moved & are a secret. It is also armed with pump-action shotguns and tear gas cannons. Bottles of blood (the president’s blood type) are kept on board, in case he needs an emergency transfusion. The limousine is environmentally sealed against chemical and biological weapons.



FLAGS AND SEALS

When the president is in the limousine, the presidential seal is affixed to its side and it flies two flags; the U.S flag on the right fender and the presidential flag on the left fender, for domestic trips and the U.S flag on the right fender and the flag of the host country on the left fender for trips abroad. The flags are ventilated and illuminated by High Intensity Discharge (H.I.D) directional flood lights, mounted on the hood.



The limousine is maintained by the Secret Service, which, on delivery, took it apart and swept it for bugs. Two dedicated mechanics travel with the limousine wherever it goes.


TRAVELS

When the president travels out of Washington, Cadillac One is transported by U.S Air-Force C-17 Globemaster III or C-5 Galaxy transport planes to wherever the president is going to.









The president never uses foreign “assets” overseas. He either uses Cadillac One, a Secret Service Chevrolet Suburban (Suburban One), or U.S embassy vehicles (indeed, Marine One, the presidential helicopter, is transported abroad by cargo planes anytime the president needs to use a helicopter overseas). This wasn’t always the case in the past. President Jimmy Carter rode in a Nigerian owned Land Rover when he visited Lagos in 1978.


Jimmy Carter and Mohammadu Magoro at Apapa Port.

Another notable exception was when President Richard Nixon visited China for the first time in 1972. The U.S sought permission to fly in their presidential limousine, but Mao Zedong said that there was no need for that, because there were vehicles in China that were good enough to transport Nixon. Nixon agreed, because of the historic nature of the visit. He used Chinese made Red Flag limousines during his trip, though the limousine was taken apart by the U.S secret service and swept for bugs and other dangerous materials. Presidents Kennedy and Clinton used a white U.S embassy Rolls Royce, when they visited Northern Ireland.


Chairman Mao Zedong’s Red Flag Limousine (Why do communists need a limousine? Aren’t they all meant to be equal?)


MOTORCADE

The length of the U.S. president’s motorcade varies, depending on the threat level and nature of his trip. It could vary from ten vehicles to forty vehicles (wonder what the POTUS’ carbon footprint is like). When the president is out of Washington, his motorcade usually consists of about thirty-five vehicles. Approximately the first half of the motorcade is known as the “secure package” and contains the presidential limousines, police cars and essential secret service vehicles. The “secure package” breaks away from the rest of the motorcade in the event of an attack. There are usually 2 or 3 identical limousines in the motorcade, one of these limousines carries the president, while the other acts as backup. The second limousine also serves as a decoy and it flies the two flags and carries the presidential seal, just like the limousine carrying the president. The two limousines usually switch positions several times during a journey.


The two limousines, the radio jamming SUV (with antennas) and the war truck.

The route the president takes is usually cleared of traffic by local police lining the route. About 6 – 10 local policemen on motorcycles ride ahead of the motorcade to ensure that no other cars are on the route (this is very dangerous work and some policemen have been killed in accidents, while performing this duty). A local police car also drives ahead of the convoy to do a bomb sweep (equally very dangerous work). The local police play a very important part in planning the route, because they know the area, control traffic lights and are better able to plan against traffic jams and assist the secret service in planning escape routes and alternative routes.

Some of the main vehicles that travel with the president are: -

(1) Chevrolet Suburban (The War Truck): - Several Chevrolet Suburbans are in the motorcade and some of them carry the Secret Service Counter Assault Team (C.A.T), whose members are mostly ex-marines. They are well trained and well armed. Under U.S law, the secret service can request for the latest training techniques and weapons from any branch of the military and the military must comply with such request.

There was a proposal that some of the SUVs (particularly the SUV behind the President's limo) should carry the Dillon Aero Mini Gun. It is not known if the proposal was accepted. Some secret service agents expressed concern over possible collateral damage. The Dillon Aero Minigun is a gatling gun that fires 3,000 rounds a minute (50 rounds a second). The SUV is known as “The War Truck”. Its roof opens up (much like a sunroof) and a secret service agent, wielding the gatling gun, pops up on a revolving gun turret. The agent is protected on his left and right flank by the doors of the “sunroof”. The Suburbans will surround Cadillac One if there is an attack on it.


The Dillon Aero Mini Gun in action






https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Nug5FZgxuk


Secret Service Counter Assault Team (CAT)


2)Frequency Jamming Vehicles: - There is usually a vehicle (sometimes a suburban, sometimes a van) which sends out jamming signals across different frequencies. This is to prevent the detonation of road side bombs using mobile phones, remote controls, garage openers and other devices that emit radio waves. Sometimes, a helicopter, which flies over the motorcade, is used to jam frequencies.



3)Mobile Intensive Care Unit: - An ambulance (Mobile Intensive Care Unit) is always in the motorcade. It is equipped to handle surgeries and carries bottles of the president’s blood type in case an emergency transfusion is required. It is usually a big black armoured truck in the middle of the motorcade, though there are sometimes decoy white ambulances, which are usually full of secret service agents, at the rear of the motorcade.



HISTORY

President William McKinley was the first to ride in an automobile, but it wasn’t until the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt that the first government owned car was used.

The first car specially built for presidential use was the 1939 Lincoln V12 convertible, called the “Sunshine Special”, used by Franklin Roosevelt. The Ford Motor Company leased the car to the office of the President for $500 a year. After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour, the secret service became concerned about potential assassination attempts. The following day, 8th Dec 1941, a heavily armoured 1928 Cadillac 341A Town Sedan was used to transport the president to the Capitol for the famous “infamy” speech. Originally belonging to Al Capone, the car was confiscated by the treasury department following Capone’s arrest and stored in a government impound lot until its ironic final duty. Roosevelt used the car until his “Sunshine Special” was modified to be bullet-proof.

The Kennedy White House purchased a Lincoln Continental convertible, which was stretched into a limousine for the president by Hess and Eisenhart. It was the car President Kennedy was riding in when he was assassinated. It had a plexi-glass “bubble” top in case of inclement weather, but this was often removed (as was the case on the day Kennedy was assassinated) because the air-conditioner was not strong enough to deal with the heat in the vehicle.


President Kennedy in the Lincoln Continental, minutes before his assassination.


George Bush’s modified Cadillac DTS (Deville Touring Sedan) once broke down in Rome, Italy, when the president was being driven back to the U.S embassy. Surprised Italians could be heard giggling as the driver tried in vain to restart the car. Bush’s embarrassment was compounded when his back up Suburban was too wide to pass through the embassy gates, so he had to walk into the compound.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iX4-a7VBr4c


Wouldn't you like to roll like this?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mazcrYX6Eeg

Kay-Dee:

[size=14pt] It's no political stunt, its their normal way of life, they move around freely whether it is election year or not. If you go around the city, you'll occasionally bump into governors, congress men and women or senators @ airports or local eateries and if you're lucky, Mr president himself (SS agents are never too far away from the POTUS though). . [/size]

Yep, about two weeks ago, while on a bike tour around chicago, we ran into the Obama's around the University of Chicago/Greeview area.

@naptu2 I get your point but everything you posted about the us president shows sophistication rather than recklessness, and due to d level of threat against the most powerful man in d world i don't blame them. But on that article i did not see anywhere traffic was stopped for hours, or planes were not allowed to land. Few weeks back we were all here when people of anambra were complaining that all hell has been let loose because of jonathan's visit. Go ask lagosians their experiences when Pej visits not to talk of Mr president himself. Do u know that the us president obeys all traffic rules when he's not on official duty? Finally that kind of treatment/motorcade above is ONLY given to the PRESIDENT not to d secretaries or senators or governors, even the us vp doesn't get that kind of treatment. Due to the sophistication of the the enemies of the us they av to provide that type of service to their president. Nigeria's president does not av that kind of security threats.

My state governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, do
i) Follow the traffic light,
ii) Sit in the front seat
iii) Alight his Benz Jeep to assist commercial cab driver to push his cab if it's not kick starting
iv) and at times do go around the town on a motorbike himself alone, but on a low key except if you can recognize him with the helmet.

Omoluabi toh sure!!

(I'm a bit busy at the moment, but let me give a quick response).

I also get your point. I don't think you are complaining about the security measures per-se, I believe what you want to complain about is the abuse of the system. I'm also against that myself (God knows that I suffered from that abuse, having once lived close to the C in C).

Certain government officials need protection due to the nature of their jobs. This is not peculiar to Nigeria. Again, the security detail sometimes gets over zealous. This too is not peculiar to Nigeria. Rather than making all these comparisons, I think it would be better if we think of ways to solve the problem (like what the Lagos State Government is doing at the moment).

I was actually focusing on the beast when I wrote that article, but I'll give more info when I get back. When I get back I'll post a video of The Secretary of State's security detail, the incident when one of Hilary's outriders died, other motorcades in the US, the incident when Bill Clinton's motorcade held up rush hour traffic in Miami because he was late getting a hair cut (to be fair, he later apologised and offered to pay for the extra costs. I hope I can find it now, cos I couldn't find the article again when I was arguing with someone last year) and many instances when flights are prevented from landing because of Air Force One.

I'll also give details of the Osoba issue, the Fashola issue, pics of Murtala's car, how a deputy governor's motorcade killed a student and tell you how I suffered because I lived close to Dodan Barracks.

Finally, I'll proffer solutions to the problem.

I'll be waiting to see them.

Inside Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton's security bubble.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQj44QzV1lI

I have a lot to say and a lot of links to post, but no time and the fear of Mr Spambot is making me cautious.

I'm going to look at problems and possible solutions.

Where do I start? In the air.

Around the world the airspace around a head of state's aircraft is usually closed to traffic. This could include the runway and the airspace around the airport. Planes around the airport are usually put on a holding pattern (basically, the circle the airport).

This leads to several problems.

1) Aircraft burning valuable fuel and the fear that an aircraft might run out of fuel.

2) Fear of an aicraft straying into restricted airspace and getting shot down (I shall post, as an example, a recent occurrence in the US).

3) Fear of accidents occurring.

4) Opponents of the head of state using the practice to score cheap political points (eg the clinton haircut on the runway and the Patience Jonathan/Dana incident).

Read my first example below.

[size=14pt]Air Force One Causes Landing Delays following Obama Speech at a Solar Factory[/size]

Does anyone have any insight on why UA 940 from ORD to FRA was delayed yesterday evening (not a huge delay; only 2.5 hours)? My daughter on the flight said boarding was delayed a bit, but after boading the FAs gave several different explanations for the delays including servicing the plane, a cargo issue, delays in reaching cargo, etc.
President Obama was also arriving. When the President lands, are all the flights "grounded" with other explanations given?
Thanks

Yes, then Air Force 1 is landing or taking off, there will will be some delays but not that long. Maybe at the most 1/2 hour unless there was alot of traffic at the time.

Don't know bout 940 specifically, but AF1 flew in to ORD 2 days ago, messing up ATC for a few hours, then left yesterday morning, messing up ATC again for a period, then came back again after the hour photo op in the gulf, only to mess up ATC again.

In the immortal words of Mel Brooks, "It's good to be the king!" I wonder what in Chicago was worth coming to for the 1st night, instead of skipping that leg, and going from WAS to the gulf, then just once into ORD.

Thursday night going from MSP to ORD we were about to board and were stopped when ORD was hit with a 45 minute security stop due to the President (according to the GA). This had a ripple effect - ATC had flow control (according to pilot due to security stop) so we were delayed even further.

This is ORD. With 2 planes landing every minute, and a holiday weekend, there is alot of traffic. During most week days, ORD is scheduled at very close to the maximum the airport can take. A 30min (or longer as the case really is) stop, causes huge ripples that continue on for the entire day and into the night.

I remember a number of years ago when I was at CDG for a flight home to the US. I had planned to arrive early to get some lounge time, and upon arrival found the airport in chaos. I learned that the airport had already been closed for over two hours, as Boris Yeltsen was scheduled to leave for Moscow after meeting with the French president. Yeltsen was on board his plane, but departure was being delayed for some reason. Flight operations were at a standstill until his plane finally took off. My flight ended up leaving about two hours late, as the airport gradually caught up with the backlog.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/travelbuzz/1089574-air-force-one-causes-landing-delays-following-obama-speech-solar-factory-3.html

Oops! I forgot to add possible solutions.

1) In the US the President usually lands at an air force base. This ensures that there is as little disruption to civilian traffic as possible. For example, when flying to Washington DC, his plane lands at Andrews Air Force Base, then he proceeds to the White House by helicopter.

In Nigeria, most of the cities have dual use airports (civilian and military), so whereas the president could land at Port-Harcourt Air Force Base instead of the civilian airport at Omagwa; in Lagos MMA serves as both civilian airport and air force base.

2)They could prevent flights from taking off: If I was going to fly from Lagos to Abuja and the president was expected to take off from Abuja at around the same time, the airport authorities in Lagos should prevent my flight from taking off.

I'll be back with more. I'm tired

[size=14pt]Air Force One - GO AROUND !!![/size]

Time: During the Nixon Administration fuel Crisis of 1973

Place: Indianapolis International TCA (Terminal Control Area)

Players: President Nixon, the command pilot and co-pilot of AF-1, Eastern Airline pilot and co-pilot, Local controller Bob Farnum, Myself as observer

This story requires a lot of background.  From the title: "go around" is a command that is given by a controller to be executed immediately by a pilot. When the command is given by a controller during a landing sequence the pilot is to immediately terminate the approach.  The command is used when an approach becomes impossible for any number of reasons.  That might be another aircraft on the runway unexpectedly, a vehicle on the runway, a departing aircraft delayed on the runway for some reason, etc.  The pilot executing the "go around" will then be instructed to enter a pattern for another approach to the active runway. A "go around" is a very bad thing.  It indicates poor planning or violated procedures.  It is an indication that something has gone very, very wrong and, as a result, some airliner will be late and burn a huge amount of jet fuel getting on the ground in an unplanned way.

When Air Force One enters the TCA on his way to any airport special procedures are followed.  At a set range from the airport ALL traffic (on the ground) stops. Aircraft on approach are placed in a holding pattern in flight.  All aircraft and vehicles are instructed to hold in position wherever they are on the ground.  All movement on the airport stops for security and safety.  Air Force One is then given full use of the active runway (cleared of all aircraft and vehicles) and use of the entire airport surface to land and taxi to the secure ramp area arranged for their arrival.  When Air Force One is stopped in their secure area normal activity on the airport and in the TCA resumes.   Simple.....right ?

I was on duty in the RADAR Equipment room and someone advised us Air Force One was on approach.  While he (Nixon) is in the area, we touch no equipment and disturb nothing.  I had been working for the FAA for about three years at that time, and I thought since we go into a hands-off-everything mode I would go up to the Air Traffic Control Tower and watch the approach of Air Force One with President Nixon on board.  Up the elevator I went to the Tower Cab level.  When I got there and looked out the window it was a chaotic scene.  What had happened is AF-1 got into the TCA during a very busy part of the day.  Aircraft were everywhere on the airport, parked as required, engines running on idle.  Nothing was allowed to move, all were required by AF-1 SOP to remain in place. All the engines were burning huge quantities of jet fuel, with nothing moving anywhere on the airport.

One of the little known causes of some aircraft accidents is what I call "letting the passenger fly the airplane".  Trust me, it happens.  Not literally of course.  The passengers are in the back and do not have direct access to the controls.  What actually happens is some passenger in the back gets some great little idea and asks the pilot to deviate from routine flight procedures.  An example might be: "Hey, can you turn out over there to the left so I can show the guys my house when we get off the runway?".  The pilot looks out, figures there is no traffic in the pattern and takes off.  He turns to make the passenger happy and plows into another aircraft entering the pattern he didn't see on the take off roll.  Another possibility would be: "We really need to make that meeting - do we really need to top off the fuel?".  The pilot looks at the fuel, got enough, takes off.  They get to the airport and it is fogged in and approaches are difficult.  The pilot does a go around or two, using takeoff power (and fuel).  On the LAST attempt the fuel runs out, you can guess the rest.  For another example see:

http://www.ab9d.com/greatmoments/stuck.htm

This above was a case of the pilot letting the cargo (not even a live passenger) tell him he had enough gas to make it.

If you have a lot of experience reading NTSB reports you can sometimes see this contributing factor peeking out.  Letting the passengers (or even the cargo) fly the airplane.

Back to the story.  Nixon wasn't a bad president.  He got in some trouble, but he was a good administrator while in office, and sensitive to the needs of the American people.  He was in the back of AF-1 and found out this was going on (many aircraft wasting fuel). Well there he was, jetting around in AF-1 and causing huge amounts of jet fuel to be wasted following the SOP for AF-1 arrival.  He ordered the pilot to advise the local controller (a guy named Robert Farnum) to ignore the SOP and resume normal operations. In other words, bring AF-1 into the airport as they would any other large aircraft. This is an example of letting a passenger fly the airplane.

In a situation like this it takes some time for an order to propagate through the chain of command and be delivered to the appropriate controllers.  Nixon didn't fully appreciate the chaotic situation his command would create.  During that time lag AF-1 was charging into the airport at 140 MPH. When the command to conduct normal movements actually activated AF-1 was about 100 yards from the threshold of the active runway still doing about 140 MPH.  In that instant everything that was parked was released to move.  Holding in position, waiting to cross the active runway, was an Eastern Airlines flight.  Controller Farnum pointed at the ground controller and yelled "CROSS EASTERN!".  My first thought was what the hell is that idiot doing?   AF-1 is about two seconds from touching down and aimed right at the Eastern flight.  As I leaned to look out the window, I saw debris blow out behind the Eastern flight.  The pilot had firewalled the throttle levers to try to cross in time as ordered by controller Farnum.  I could imagine the pilot in AF-1 grabbing the throttle levers and silently reciting the Lord’s Prayer, hoping the Eastern flight would clear the runway in time.  If he didn’t, we were all going see the very first (and only) "go around" of AF-1 in aviation history. 

It was close.  The Eastern jet blast threw debris all over the place, and AF-1 went by the back of the Eastern flight just clearing the wing tip of the president’s airplane.  Controller Farnum, who was usually wrapped up in his self-perceived importance, never saw the situation.  He was busy creating more chaos across the airport telling others to move.  To this day,  he never knew it happened (unless he reads this).  As far as I know, only five of us were aware of the incident.  I saw it.  There was an Eastern Airlines captain firewalling the throttle on his passenger airliner and his co-pilot probably looking out at the huge looming AF-1 going “OH S**T!”  There was a captain in AF-1 grabbing a handful of throttle controls thinking “WHOOOA NELLIE!  This is going to be close!” and his co-pilot probably thinking that the president will be really pissed about this.  He was probably wondering what driving a snow plow in Dead Horse, Alaska, was going to be like as he pondered the end of his flying career in the Air Force.   When it was all over, it was as if nothing happened and is being told here for the first time.

The moral to the story is obvious:  never let a passenger fly the airplane, even if he’s the President of the United States!

http://ab9d.com/af1goaround.htm

I'm still looking for

1) The video of Vice President Chenney flying into Ohio on Air Force 2, getting into the Executive 2 limo and being driven in a motorcade to the Daytona Speedway to watch a Nascar race (I think this was in 2006).

2) The story of Bill Clinton in Miami, waiting for Christophe to cut his hair, while the roads were closed during rush hour because the police were expecting his motorcade.

[size=14pt] VIP movement. Mr Clinton and Mrs Jonathan.[/size]


Mr Clinton

President Clinton had a tight schedule, but he still needed to get his hair cut. He usually had his hair cut by celebrity barber Christophe (Mr Clinton is known to be good friends with a lot of celebrities like Greg Norman and Steven Spielberg).

On this particular day, he was on board Air Force One at LAX (Los Angeles International Airport) and took the opportunity to get his hair cut. The trouble was that Air Force One was on the tarmac, therefore the ATC shut down two runways at the airport.

(Here comes the rumour) The rumour was that planes were ordered to go into a holding pattern, flights were delayed, etc, because Mr Clinton wanted to get his hair cut (a $200 haircut).

The reality is that, although two runways were shut, LAX has four runways and the other two were open. Flights were diverted to the open runways. Although this made things difficult for the air traffic controllers, only one flight was delayed. . .by about 3 minutes (this can be verified by looking at the ATC logs).

Question: should a runway or two be closed down simply because the president wants to have his hair cut?



Mrs Jonathan.

Mrs Jonathan came to Lagos to attend a christening ceremony. The christening was held at Oriental Hotel, Lekki on a Sunday. On that day I was heading to Victoria Island from Lekki. Just before I got to the Admiralty Toll Plaza I got reports of a plane crash at Iju Ishaga. About a minute later I passed by Oriental Hotel and saw Mrs Jonathan's motorcade and also saw security measures in place around the hotel and the intersection before the hotel.

(The rumour). The rumour was that the airspace around MMA was closed because Mrs Jonathan's plane was about to land and therefore, the distressed plane was not allowed to land.

The reality is that Mrs Jonathan arrived Lagos on Saturday and spent the night at State House Marina. ATC logs show that there was no VIP movement on Sunday, but the airspace around the airport was closed on saturday for Mrs Jonathan's arrival. Aviation experts confirm that a distressed plane would have priority over the first lady's plane.

Question: should the airspace be closed, simply because the first lady's plane is about to land?

[size=14pt]Haircut Grounded Clinton While the Price Took Off[/size]

By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN
Published: May 21, 1993

Correction Appended

It may have been the most expensive haircut in history.

Two of Los Angeles International Airport's four runways were shut down for nearly an hour on Tuesday, some incoming flights were delayed and Air Force One sat on the tarmac with engines running -- all so that President Clinton's Beverly Hills hairstylist, Chistophe, could come aboard and give Mr. Clinton a high-price trim before he took off for Washington.

Questions about Mr. Clinton's runway razor cut dominated the White House news briefing today, with the communications director, George Stephanopoulos, scrambling to explain why the populist President tied up one of the country's busiest airports to have his hair trimmed. Everybody Does It

Federal Aviation Administration spokesmen were quoted by The Associated Press as saying that while Air Force One sat on the runway on an indefinite haircut hold, two of the airport's four runways were shut down and some commuter flights scheduled to land were forced to circle instead. The White House insisted, though, that the Secret Service had not sought any special hold on air traffic while the President was getting his locks shorn.


"Everybody has to get their hair cut," Mr. Stephanopoulos said. "I think the President normally gets his hair cut sometime during the week. It happens at different places. As you know, he has a very busy schedule, and he just tries to work it in when he can. That was when we were able to work it in."

And who paid for this haircut?

"The President and his family have a personal services contract with Cristophe to cover things like this," Mr. Stephanopoulos said. "They pay for it. It's for the whole family."

In light of Mr. Clinton's haircut by a stylist to Hollywood stars, Mr. Stephanopoulos was asked whether his boss was still the President of the common man.

"Absolutely," he answered. "And if you look at his economic package, it's a package that's designed to turn this around and to really get some real benefits to middle-class Americans. And that's what's important."

Correction: May 22, 1993, Saturday An article yesterday about President Clinton's haircut aboard Air Force One named his hairstylist incorrectly. The stylist is Cristophe of Beverly Hills, Calif.

http://www.nytimes.com/1993/05/21/us/haircut-grounded-clinton-while-the-price-took-off.html

[size=14pt]NY Times rehashed Pres. Clinton haircut myth[/size]

February 9, 2007 5:45 PM EST ››› SIMON MALOY

In a February 9 article, The New York Times reported on the uproar over House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's (D-CA) access to a military aircraft to fly nonstop between Washington, D.C., and her home district in California, noting the Republican effort to portray Pelosi "as a luxury-loving San Franciscan." The Times asserted that "the dispute illustrates that politicians are acutely aware that a jet-setting image can be dangerous," adding that "President Bill Clinton spent a long time living down the tale of his haircut on Air Force One as flights were delayed at Los Angeles International Airport, even though there is dispute over whether other planes were affected." In fact, there exists no "dispute over whether other planes were affected" -- the claim that Clinton's haircut delayed air traffic at LAX or elsewhere is flatly disproved by Federal Aviation Administration records, as reported more than 13* years ago.

As Media Matters for America has noted, the media have uncritically repeated baseless and disputed allegations from congressional Republicans regarding Pelosi and her access to military aircraft and have ignored their own role in perpetuating the GOP-fueled "controversy."

According to the February 9 Times article by congressional reporter Carl Hulse:

The attention to the dispute illustrates that politicians are acutely aware that a jet-setting image can be dangerous, particularly given the travails of modern travel for average Americans.

President Bill Clinton spent a long time living down the tale of his haircut on Air Force One as flights were delayed at Los Angeles International Airport, even though there is dispute over whether other planes were affected.

This claim, however, is completely false. According to a June 30, 1993, Newsday article headlined, "Bill's Coif: The Myth; Runway trim delayed no one":

The story was that planes were kept circling as President Bill Clinton had his hair clipped on Air Force One at Los Angeles airport last month.

The runway haircut by Beverly Hills stylist Cristophe became such a metaphor for perceived White House arrogance that the president himself felt compelled to apologize for the reported flight delays.

But the reports were wrong.

According to Federal Aviation Administration records obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, the May 18 haircut caused no significant delays of regularly scheduled passenger flights - no circling planes, no traffic jams on the runways.

Commuter airlines that fly routes reportedly affected by the president's haircut confirmed they have no record of delays that day.

The FAA records, generated by the regional Air Route Traffic Control Center, show that an unscheduled air taxi flight had the only delay attributed to the closure of two runways for an hour in anticipation of Air Force One's departure. The air taxi took off 17 minutes after leaving the gate -- two minutes late, by FAA accounting.

"If you understand the air traffic system, you'd find that statement [that planes were circling] ludicrous," said Fred O'Donnell, an FAA spokesman at the agency's Western-Pacific regional office, which responded to New York Newsday's May 21 request under the freedom of information law.

O'Donnell said that although two runways were closed, traffic was light that afternoon and arriving flights were simply diverted to the two other runways. "It did not cause any problems," he said.

However, an air-traffic controller union official said the runway closings did increase the workload in the control centers. "If you close two runways, you take away 50 percent of the capacity and increase the complexity by 100 percent," said Karl Grundmann, regional vice president for the union.

O'Donnell said the FAA records an arrival delay if controllers take any action to slow traffic approaching the airport, such as having the pilot circle the airport. A departure delay is recorded whenever it takes an aircraft more than 15 minutes to take off after having pushed off from the gate.

During the uproar over the haircut, an unidentified FAA spokesperson was quoted in wire service reports as saying that a flight from Yuma, Ariz., to Los Angeles was delayed 25 minutes, a flight arriving from Palmdale, Calif., was delayed 17 minutes and several other flights were delayed about 10 minutes. No airlines were identified, but these details were widely repeated by news media, including New York Newsday.

In fact, even Republican attacks on Pelosi as reported by the media -- the Times wrote that Republicans accused her "of putting on royal airs" -- echo Republican attacks on Clinton in 1993. In a May 21, 1993, article on the haircut, the Boston Globe reported that Republicans accused Clinton of having an "apparent regal attitude."

From the February 9 Times story:

Republicans, accusing Ms. Pelosi of putting on royal airs, on Thursday stepped up their campaign to portray her as a luxury-loving San Franciscan because her cross-country travel could require a larger military jet than the one used since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks to ferry Speaker J. Dennis Hastert home to Illinois.


"I hardly think these amenities help with security, and I personally would describe them as inappropriate and unnecessary extravagances," said Representative Eric Cantor of Virginia, chief deputy Republican whip.

From the May 21, 1993, Globe story, headlined, "Presidential style; Air traffic waits for Beverly hills haircut":

But Republican critics seized the moment, blasting the populist president's apparent regal attitude.

"He ought to be more concerned about trimming the deficit than trimming his hair," scolded Rep. Dan Burton, Republican of Indiana, in remarks on the House floor yesterday.

And Ed Rollins, a veteran GOP strategist, called it "the ultimate arrogance."

Correction: The original item said "more than 15 years ago." We regret the error.

http://mediamatters.org/mobile/research/2007/02/09/ny-times-rehashed-pres-clinton-haircut-myth/138002

@Naptu2 Interesting, Very Interesting.

One strategy that could be employed to reduce the effect of VIP movement on city traffic (particularly rush hour traffic) is to travel by helicopter.


The Nigerian president usually travels in a convoy of two helicopters. President Shagari often used the helicopters when going from Dodan Barracks to MMIA (the approach-way to Dodan Barracks ran right over my house). I will never forget General Buhari's helicopters. They are the noisiest helicopters I've ever heard. I only saw General Babangida use the helicopter once (it was rumoured that he was afraid that his helicopter would be shot down). Circa 1987 the Nigerian Navy staged exercises (war games) off the coast of Lagos. General Babangida went from Dodan Barracks to the flagship NNS Aradu by helicopter.

I do not think Generals Abacha and Abdulasalam used the helicopter. The return to civilian rule ushered in the second coming of the helicopter. President Obasanjo often went from MMIA to Dodan Barracks or Ota by helicopter. This time, they changed the flight path. He flies in through North West Ikoyi, rather than the old South West Ikoyi route that Shagari and Buhari used. He was however criticised for using the helicopter. People said he preferred to travel by helicopter while ordinary citizens suffered on the traffic clogged pot hole ridden roads.

I felt great pity for Nigerian policemen during the PDP Lagos "Tsunami Rally" of 2005. Policemen had been deployed to line the route from MMA to Dodan Barracks. They were standing in the sun. However, I saw Obasanjo arrive Dodan Barracks by helicopter. They stood in the sun for nothing.

President Jonathan also uses the helicopter. It was rumoured that President Jonathan and Bola Tinubu met on a particular night just before the 2011 elections and signed a pact. I was right in front of Dodan Barracks gate around 5pm that evening and saw the President's helicopter land. A few minutes later I was at Falomo when Governor Fashola's motorcade passed by (no sirens or outriders).


The US president usually travels in a convoy of 5 helicopters. The helicopters often change places during a trip, such that a potential attacker would not know which helicopter the president is in. Here's a video of President Obama going by helicopter (Marine One) to a meeting at the UN. His plane landed at JFK, then he went from JFK to Wall Street in Marine One. There were four helicopters in this mission; two troop carriers and two white tops.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orOgtankPLM

Goodluck Jonathan (& ministers) motorcade.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFKtQGHL1Mw

@naptu2 Do you work at the presidency?

What is your point exactly or do you think obama is going to eat that food? its called a photo op ok! and stop the comparison of if a western president takes a piss on the road side and our leaders doing the same