With neither an "ejection cabin" nor a "strategic command center," unlike the cinematic presidential jets of Hollywood legend, Air Force 3701, Taiwan's presidential aircraft, is an ordinary Boeing 737-800.
Its only unconventional accessory is a satellite communication system which enables the president to issue instructions while airborne.
Captain of the presidential jet, Colonel Wu Bin-chiu (
The Presidential Office yesterday flew reporters to the Tainan air base on Air Force 3701, together with President Chen Shui-bian (
Boarding the aircraft, reporters bombarded the crew with questions about, for example, where the "ejection cabin and command center" were, whether the plane was capable of defending itself, and which of the crew members were responsible for the president's safety in the event of an emergency.
A briefing by Colonel Wu, however, about the general functions of the jet brought the media back down to earth. The aircraft has none of the elaborate paraphernalia depicted in films, but does have high-tech navigation and communication systems.
The Presidential Jet, whose formal serial number is Air Force 3701 (Boeing 737 number one), was bought from the Boeing company of the US. It flew from Seattle on Feb. 4, arriving in Taiwan three days later.
The Ministry of Defense was allocated NT$2 billion to purchase and modify the aircraft and its crew was formally commissioned on March 18, presidential election day.
This aircraft, said Colonel Wu, could take 116 passengers originally and had been modified only in a few areas, such as the front section of the fuselage, while the central section and rear section remained unchanged.
"There are neither meeting rooms nor bedrooms inside for either the president or his security staff," Wu said, adding "those special spaces only exist in the movies."
Wu said that the president would need to hire a larger aircraft for foreign travel, such as his expected visit to Central America.
President Chen praised the presidential jet crew, led by Wu, and told reporters what he thought about the flight, saying, in a symbolic reference to his own current predicament, that taking off was similar to being in the early stages of a new government.
"The moment the presidential jet left the ground, it was hard to avoid feeling uncomfortable from all the vibration," Chen said, "but I don't think any passenger would request a new captain or even a new airplane." He added, "Because the passengers realize that the plane will fly smoothly when it reaches a certain altitude, everybody is patient and has confidence in the crew."
Super Typhoon Kong-rey is the largest cyclone to impact Taiwan in 27 years, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said today. Kong-rey’s radius of maximum wind (RMW) — the distance between the center of a cyclone and its band of strongest winds — has expanded to 320km, CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張竣堯) said. The last time a typhoon of comparable strength with an RMW larger than 300km made landfall in Taiwan was Typhoon Herb in 1996, he said. Herb made landfall between Keelung and Suao (蘇澳) in Yilan County with an RMW of 350km, Chang said. The weather station in Alishan (阿里山) recorded 1.09m of
STORM’S PATH: Kong-Rey could be the first typhoon to make landfall in Taiwan in November since Gilda in 1967. Taitung-Green Island ferry services have been halted Tropical Storm Kong-rey is forecast to strengthen into a typhoon early today and could make landfall in Taitung County between late Thursday and early Friday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 2pm yesterday, Kong-Rey was 1,030km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), the nation’s southernmost point, and was moving west at 7kph. The tropical storm was packing maximum sustained winds of 101kph, with gusts of up to 126 kph, CWA data showed. After landing in Taitung, the eye of the storm is forecast to move into the Taiwan Strait through central Taiwan on Friday morning, the agency said. With the storm moving
NO WORK, CLASS: President William Lai urged people in the eastern, southern and northern parts of the country to be on alert, with Typhoon Kong-rey approaching Typhoon Kong-rey is expected to make landfall on Taiwan’s east coast today, with work and classes canceled nationwide. Packing gusts of nearly 300kph, the storm yesterday intensified into a typhoon and was expected to gain even more strength before hitting Taitung County, the US Navy’s Joint Typhoon Warning Center said. The storm is forecast to cross Taiwan’s south, enter the Taiwan Strait and head toward China, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The CWA labeled the storm a “strong typhoon,” the most powerful on its scale. Up to 1.2m of rainfall was expected in mountainous areas of eastern Taiwan and destructive winds are likely
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday at 5:30pm issued a sea warning for Typhoon Kong-rey as the storm drew closer to the east coast. As of 8pm yesterday, the storm was 670km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻) and traveling northwest at 12kph to 16kph. It was packing maximum sustained winds of 162kph and gusts of up to 198kph, the CWA said. A land warning might be issued this morning for the storm, which is expected to have the strongest impact on Taiwan from tonight to early Friday morning, the agency said. Orchid Island (Lanyu, 蘭嶼) and Green Island (綠島) canceled classes and work