Here's a thread from a year ago on the flights that ONE aircraft made in a month - the Continental Airlines 777-200ER painted by Peter Max.

http://flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=449242

I tallied up the first month, from around 7/3 to 8/3. It made about 53 flights without any down time. The flights are relatively short, as it didn't do HKG or PEK (and CO hasn't started DEL). Say average flight is 9 hours, that makes it in the air for about 14 hours a day. Turn around time, some overnight at IAH or EWR, and long layover at TLV.

The newer the plane, the longer it can keep on flying. The required A,B,C,D checks do come into play but the turn around time at each airport is only limited to the number of people the airline wants to hire to service the aircraft--it would take me several hours to change all four tires on my car, but a racing pit crew can do it in under 2 minutes.

several hours :confused: :D

I have never flown AC's 340-500. But, it is my understanding that only having 2 planes on this dedicated route for AC has caused both passengers and airline exterme grief with maintenance delays having no substitute aircraft available.

Search in the AC forum...it seems to happen with a relatively high frequency...

OT1: there are TWO Airforce ones? How disappointing :(

OT2: It makes sense (or does it) for the airforce one to be the largest commercial plane 747. Will they now upgrade to the A380?

Given that the A380 is made in Europe, I doubt it. But you never know! I'm sure the president has worn Italian shoes at least once or twice in his tenure. :p

the obvious reason why they won't - national pride....

good enough reason right there, IMHO...

but the second and just as important reason. When needed the AF1 does fly into smaller domestic airports, as in TPA, MCI, etc.etc. that could support the 747.

Most of these airports could not support the 380......so the pres would be limited where he could land.....not a good thing.

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There are two 747s used, just like there were two 707s used from Kennedy thru Reagan. Identical except for the tail number.

There can never be two Air Force Ones. Air Force One is not a plane, it is the call sign of whatever plane the president is on. If he flies on a Cessna 150, it becomes Air Force One. He leaves the White House on a helicopter called Marine One when he is on board.

When Nixon resigned, he left for his California home before the noon effective time of his resignation. Somewhere around St. Louis, at noon, the plane called Center and switched their call sign from Air Force One to the planes tail number, as it was now just another regular plane. The president ceased to be on board at noon.

This shows that to have close to 100% availability of any plane, you need two. Even with the best plane and best maintenance money can buy, to never miss a trip nothing beats having another identical plane in the hanger ready to go. Missing the trip is not an option. Got to have a spare plane.

IIRC one limit to commercial jets flying continuously is the engine gearbox oil. Like you car some use more than others, and after 30 hours ?(some mechanic correct me) or so some engines need oil added or will need to be shut down. Commercial planes have no provision for adding oil inflight, as none can carry fuel for over 24 hours of flying so it never necessary. Air Force 1, AWACS planes, Doomsday planes that have inflight refueling capabilities are piped to add oil inflight. With modern reliable jet engines they could easily stay up for days. With inflight refueling for the plane, the crew will run out of food first. :p If the catered food is NW coach grade the crew will mutiny in 28 hours or less and force the plane down, but that is another story. :D

A380? Not likely W is going to buy a French plane. :D What's he going to nickname it, the Freedom Flies?

No A380, but they can trade the two 742s in for a couple of 748Is. Those two 742s are over 15 years old now, though I'm sure flight hours are very low compared to commercial airliners.

FYI - Air Force One is the designation given to any USAF aircraft with the president on board. Doesn't matter if it's a Piper Cub. As to how many 747's the US MAC has at its disposal for the president, I have no clue. IIRC, there are smaller similarly equipped aircraft that have been used when destination airports cannot accomodate a 747.