Saw President Bush's plane (response to "Saw J.T.'s Plane")

The "Saw John Trovolta's Plane" thread got me thinking about
inaccessibility of celebs but nothing compares to the way Bush is
protected from us normal folk!

I'm an A&P student here at Texas State Technical College and our
campus is the old James Connally Air Force Base (Waco, TX.). When Bush
goes to & from Crawford, Air Force One lands & parks here as Waco
Regional's runways are too short for a 747. He then takes Air Force 2
(big helicopter) out to or from his ranch, flanked by several other
mean looking choppers as well as identical decoys, I assume.

Within several hours of Bush's arrival or departure this college
begins to metamorphasize into a place of high tension. There's a
bright orange, fast helicopter that flies a long grid pattern over &
around the campus and this part of Waco. I assume it has much high-
tech gadgetry which can detect anything or anyone potentially
threatening to Bush's safety.

Nobody (not even ATC) knows exactly when AFO is supposed to arrive or
depart but you know it's soon when the area 1/4 to 1/2 mile
surrounding the TSTC control tower building is ridden of all humanity
except lots of dark-windowed cars & SUVs & dark-suited, tense people
with dark glasses. Oh, yeah, and there's lots of german shepherds,
too. If you happen to have class or lab within the sterile zone you
are out of luck for the next hour or two. I have personally missed
several labs & classes because the A&P hangar is well within the
sterile zone (as is pilot training, dental assistant tech. and sub-sea
robotics).

Immediately after 9/11 the entire campus shut down for Bush's arrivals
& departures. You could not go out of or into any building, you were
literally stuck. Before 9/11 one could stand out on the tarmac and
watch AFO taxi up while Bush deplaned or boarded.

Recently I was driving home for lunch and noticed AFO entering the
pattern at TSTC. I reversed my direction and sped through the edge of
the campus to get right under the 747 during it's final. It was quite
a thrill to be directly underneath this rather beautiful jet. I have
heard of dark-suited men in dark SUVs ordering people to put their
cameras away at the arrival or departure ends of Rwy 17 or 35. I guess
one could hide a rocket launcher in your digital if you knew how.

If Bush is not on the plane one can hang out at the tower building on
the tarmac while AFO taxis up directly in front, which is where Bush
boards and deplanes. It then parks across the airport at L3
Communications while Bush enjoys his Western White House.
It is also fortunate that the general public can walk up to AFO while
it's parked at the tower and get just about right under the wingtip,
outside of the rope which surrounds it. This truly is one beauty of a
747. Photos are welcomed as well during this time.

I have heard stories of student pilots trapped out in the TSTC
practice areas in the 95-100 degree Tx. sun in their 152s or Katanas
while Bush comes & goes, even having to divert to Hillsboro or Mexia
due to fuel concerns.
I earned my Commercial/Instrument here but do not currently fly in
Waco so I can't comment on the frustrations generated by the TFR. I
think pilots around here have learned to live with it for the most
part. A few times a year the Waco paper will be headlined with the
hapless pilot who strayed into the TFR only to be quickly escorted to
McGregor by a pair of F-16s or F-18s.

I do count myself fortunate to experience the comings & goings of AFO
and the C-5 which arrives a day or so prior to Bush, these are amazing
aircraft for neophyte mechanic and pilot students to watch land, take
off & taxi. Our classes usually are interuptted by the C-5's arrival.
It's just too cool to watch this huge aircraft land, taxi up just
outside our hangar, raise it's entire nose section and unload the
multitude of vehicles and "stuff" that heralds Bush's arrival.

Handshakes & autographs? Out of the question. All human beings are
ordered away. The consequnce will not be an FBO denied business,
however, it will likely be a high-powered rifle bullet to the head!

Ricky