AF 1 at Fairchild – sort of

Think you saw Air Force One flying low over the West Plains this afternoon? Well, you weren’t hallucinating. One of two planes used by the president as Air Force One did land at Fairchild Air Force Base Thursday afternoon. It’s at the base for two days for an operations maintenance check after having depot maintenance elsewhere, Lt. Casey Osborne said. Osborne said that was sort of like taking your car out for a spin after it’s had a tune up, to see if everything’s running properly. The plane, an Air Force version of a 747-200, will be landing and taking off from Fairchild through Saturday, so you might see it overhead in the next two days. President Obama is not on the plane, so technically it’s not Air Force One. The plane only carries that designation when the president is on it. Its basing at Fairchild has nothing to do with Obama’s trip to Bozeman and Yellowstone National Park on Friday and Saturday, Osborne said.