Corrected entry: Xander Berkeley plays a turncoat government agent assisting terrorists attempting to assassinate the President. In 2003, Berkeley married "24" co-star Sarah Clarke, who played a similar character on the show.
Corrected entry: In his first conversation with VP Bennett, Ivan says that he now controls Air Force One. But since "Air Force One" is a call sign and not a specific plane, it only applies when the president is on board, which, at this point, isn't technically the case, because he and his men (and by extension, we the audience) all assume that Marshall fled in the plane's escape pod.
Correction: It may technically not be an accurate term given the situation, but they are not professional US military and it would be reasonable that the plane the president flies on would still be referred to as Air Force One even if the president was (believed) no longer on board instead of switching to calling it SAM 28000 or 29000 (depending on which was in use). It would be like seeing the plane on the tarmac at Andrews and saying "that's Air Force One" even though the president isn't on board.
Corrected entry: The tape of the Notre Dame football game is playing in the President's office. However, the screen never once shows the things TV stations put on, like their logo, the score, time, position of the ball, etc.
Correction: That's because in 1997, TV station logos, score, time, etc. weren't typically displayed during game play. You would usually only see that displayed during stoppages, or at a commercial break.
Corrected entry: When they attempt to land at Ramstein AB, Germany, the base launches some F-15's, problem is, there are no F-15's stationed at Ramstein.
Correction: Ramstein Air Force Base is a HUGE European stopover for aircraft coming in and out of the area. Even though they don't have facilities for a permanent F-15 squadron doesn't mean they don't come in and out frequently. I live at Robins AFB in Georgia, and we see TONS of choppers come in and out on a regular basis, even though there aren't any stationed here permanently.
Correction: It is entirely possible that the F-15s and their crews are on a short deployment.
Corrected entry: There is a scene late in the movie, when they send a fax to the White House - "it's on a different line" So why don't they just use the handset of the fax machine to make a normal voice call? If the machine had no handset (can't remember) just switch the jacks of the phone and fax...
Correction: The "future Postmaster General" doesn't just say that the faxes are on different lines, but on different encryptions. If the fax lines are encrypted, the code for deciphering it would lie in the fax machine itself. You can therefore not switch jacks. And the fax has no handset.
Corrected entry: Air Force One is always escorted by American fighter planes, and although it is considered courteous for foreign countries to offer escort, offers are always refused.
Correction: Not always. When AF1 came to Australia he was given an RAAF F/18 escort. Certainly he didn't refuse an escort on this occasion.
Corrected entry: Late in the film, William Macy's air force character states he can't fly the plane, but he has pilot's wings on his insignia.
Correction: Being a 'pilot' doesn't mean you can fly a Boeing 747, particularly a highly modified one like Air Force One. He might be qualified on small, piston engined trainers, a completely different kind of flying.
Corrected entry: When the lady is showing the terrorists around she says the plane is bulletproof and is protected from the pulse of a nuclear explosion. Later on when the Mig's shoot at Air Force One, the bullets are going though the fuselage, engines rudder etc.
Correction: That refers to small arms fire if the aircraft is attacked on the ground. There is NO armor that any aircraft can carry that will stop a 23mm cannon like the Migs use.
Corrected entry: The weapons hold in Air Force One that the terrorists open to arm themselves has MP-5 SMGs and M4 assault rifles. Its understandable to carry SMGs in the plane, as they are designed for close quarters combat, but why assault rifles? These are designed for medium to high range combat and would probably penetrate the fuselage. Also, their recoil makes them inferior to the MP-5s at close range.
Correction: If Air Force One has to land, the M4 rifles would be used to defend the perimiter and the outside area of the plane.
Corrected entry: When Harrison Ford is brought up to the communications room by the terrorists, his wife calls him 'Jack', although the president's name is James Marshall.
Correction: Actually, his daughter calls him Dad, and then his wife calls him James.
Corrected entry: After the dogfights with the Migs Harrison Ford calls the leader of the F15 group 'Bob.' However a couple shots later you see that his first name is 'Jack' as it says on the side of the F15.
Correction: Harrison Ford is not talking to the leader of the friendly figher planes. He is talking to a Colonel that is helping him fly the plane.
Corrected entry: When the terrorists, still disguised, are going to board the plane one of the president's advisors tells them that the plane can withstand a nuclear explosion (very unlikely). Even if we take this as true, then how come the MIG's cannons cause so much damage to the fuselage?
Correction: Of course it can't survive a nuclear blast, and this is never stated. What it can survive is the EMP blast of a nuclear explosion as said by the press officer.
Corrected entry: As Air Force One is taking off from Moscow, both pilots hands are shown on the throttle. However, once the two pilots are given clearance to take off from the tower, they are seen putting their hands back on the throttle. Weren't they already there?
Correction: The First Officer's hand was not on the throttle as the instruction is given, it's just to the right of it, and the Captain's hand moves to release the parking brake which is by his left leg, when the camera changes to look from the Captain's left (after the instruction for takeoff) do they both then advance the throttles.
Corrected entry: There were only three weeks between the night General Radek was captured and the the night of the ceremony to honor President Marshal. Even with the help of agent-turned-traitor Gibbs, three weeks would have been too short an amount of time for the terrorists to get all the information they needed, study the layout of the plane, come prepared with a pilot trained to fly such a plane and kill the actual news crew originally cleared to fly on Air Force One.
Correction: There's no evidence 3 weeks is not enough time. In fact, with the given number of terrorists and urgency to complete their mission, three weeks is plenty of time.
Corrected entry: In the scene when the terrorists burst into the cockpit, after the pilot is shot they hold a gun to the co-pilot and demand him to take off. He reaches over and pulls a lever which causes the plane to veer off the runway. In fact that lever is the speed brake, normally used when landing, which actually causes the plane to slow down, not veer off the runway.
Correction: Immediately after pulling the lever, the co-pilot is shot in the back, causing him to fall forward & to the right, pulling the stick over and no doubt affecting the rudder as well. That's what causes the plane to veer, not the lever he pulled.
Rudder control for an aircraft is by foot pedals, the fact the pilot has been shot and slumped over could've caused pressure on the pedal causing the plane to change course on the ground. However due to the speed the aircraft was going it could be conceivable that change in aileron position by the co-pilot slumping over the yoke could also attribute to the directional change.
Corrected entry: In the shot where the 2 agents are escorting the President down to the escape pod, one of the agents is shot and killed at the stairs, leaving only one agent left. But in the next shot the same agent who was shot is seen escorting the president and shot a second time when he enters the code to the pod.
Correction: Although the Secret Service agent is shot whilst entering to go down the stairs, he is shot only in the shoulder and not actually shot in a vital area. Thus making him able to continue down the stairs to protect the President, until he is shot and killed.
Corrected entry: Jumping out of a plane at 200 knots and immediately opening a parachute of the kind in the movie is probably going to break the sail, yet only clean openings are shown.
Correction: Like you said, it PROBABLY would break a sail. Apparently this time it didnt.
Corrected entry: The Secret Service puts up an utterly pathetic showing. Despite being surprised, numerous armed agents are shown resisting the terrorists. In fact, the Secret Service outnumbers the terrorists by at least a factor of two, and have the advantage of being able to take defensive positions. Despite this, they are wiped out within minutes, and do not so much as wound a single terrorist.
Correction: This is your opinion, not a mistake.
Corrected entry: In the scene where the Russian president is speaking at the banquet there is a shot of the audience and you can see the president's autocue. When Harrison Ford goes to his speech, we switch back to the audience and the autocue screens have disappeared. A few shots later they use the same audience shot as before and the autocues have reappeared. (00:06:40)
Correction: The autocue (teleprompter) never moved, but the camera did. The first camera position is behind Ford while the second is at the front of the podium in-line with the autocue.
Corrected entry: As the air to air rescue scene is about to begin, the door to Air Force One is opened by turning the handle and pushing the door into the air stream. Aircraft doors are designed to open inward. When the aircraft is pressurized, the door seal becomes stronger preventing passengers from opening the door in-flight.
Correction: When opening an aircraft door, you first pull the door inward to break the pressure seal and then swing the door outward (or it slides up overhead like a garage door). Go to this link http://public.andrews.amc.af.mil/Air_Force_One/JPEGs/Photo_Gallery/afone01.jpg to see a picture of Air Force One with the door opened outwards.
Correction: Not really trivia.
Mister Ed