From Peter Stickney:
Herb Schaltegger writes:
Anyone know what the VC-25A's are being designated when they're carrying
Reagan's body this week? Since they can't be called "Air Force One"
without a sitting President aboard, does anyone know if a special
designation has been made for this circumstance?

THe usual identifier for an Air Force aircraft is CALLSIGN #######,
where teh # are teh serial number of the aircraft.
The 89th MAW's usual callsign is "SAM" as in Special Air Mission,
so the callsign would be "SAM (whatever the serial is)

For example, when Nixon was flying back to California after announcing
his resignation, the callsign changed from "Air Force 1" to
"SAM 27000" somewhere over the Midwest, when the resignation took effect.

Along with Brian's post about "SAM 28000", here is more info:

http://home.att.net/~jbaugher/1992.html

"92-9000 Boeing VC-25A Ex 747-2G4B N60659 c/n 23825 built as
presidential aircraft. Originally serialed 86-8900. Changed by special
order to create a series following the two VC-137Cs 62-6000 and
72-7000, plus the first VC-25A 82-8000."


The first two digits, if consistent with other military aircraft
serial numbers, stand for the Fiscal Year that the airframe was
appropriated. It appears that creative accounting methods were
involved in getting that 86- switched to the 92-. All, apparently,
for the asthetics of the sequential sans-president callsigns.

The opulence exemplified by these no-holds-barred head-of-state winged
chariots seems to wash over "small details" like accurate
accountability for the fiscal spending plan (ordered in the Reagan
administration but somehow rolled over into Bush's).

Or maybe it was just a new "paint job on the tail", Chuck
Yeager-style.


~ CT