We had the honor to greet President Barack Obama as he arrived by Air Force One to JFK Airport, before he hopped onto helicopters for events in Manhattan. After a security and check-in, we were escorted to a waiting area set up next to the tarmac. With a small group, even Secret Service joked at us (see photos below). The plane landed, Obama emerged, came down the staircase, and went directly to the audience spending time to say hello and shake hands with everyone.
According to an Untapped reader who wrote in, “the helicopters become ‘Marine One’ the moment POTUS steps aboard. and ‘Air Force One’ becomes SAM 28000. There are an identical pair of them, one acts as a decoy.”
Preparing for Obama’s arrivalPreparing for Obama’s arrivalSecret Service joking with the crowdAir Force one descends onto JFK AirportAir Force OneAir Force OneAir Force OneAir Force One approachesAir Force One stopsWaiting for ObamaAir Force One sealThe door opensStaff gathersThe main manObama descends the staircaseObama greeting the crowdObama greeting the crowdObama entering the helicopterAir Force OneHelicopters take offHelicopters take offUnder the wing
Michelle is the founder of Untapped New York and the author of The Art Spy: The Extraordinary Untold Tale of WWII Resistance Hero Rose Valland, Secret Brooklyn, Secret New York, and Broadway. michelleyoungwriter.com
![[Photos] Obama Arriving on Air Force One to JFK Airport](https://storage.ghost.io/c/3e/3b/3e3b259f-e5a2-4287-97e8-4888d22daaef/content/images/size/w30/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/barack-obama_air-force-one_jfk-airport_nyc-10.jpg)
