On Board

Journey aboard Air Force One, as the members of the Presidential Airlift Group fly this specially modified 747 in a time of global uncertainty, following September 11th, 2001. Seven years later, with exclusive access, National Geographic joined the crew of Air Force One to document a diplomatic mission of historic significance and scope: an eight-day tour through six countries in the Middle East. This journey summons recollections of another high-stakes mission to the region, one set in the heart of conflict—the President's secret flight into Baghdad, Thanksgiving Day, 2003. Following a steep, corkscrew descent, their landing into Iraq was unannounced and unexpected. Witness how each member of the PAG, from maintenance and engineering to the flight crew and presidential security detachment, were ready for a highly publicized trip, as the president meets foreign leaders on the ground in the heart of the Holy Land. The video also includes a brand-new footage of President Obama's first flight on Air Force One.

We'll take to the skies with the presidential helicopter Marine One as it flies to the nation's largest city. To protect the President, Marine One must flawlessly coordinate with the Marines, the New York Police Department, and the Secret Service