How can I best see Airforce 1 at Logan Airport this Friday?

October 20, 2009 5:23 PM

How can I best see Airforce 1 at Logan Airport this Friday?

It appears Obama is coming to Boston to give a speech @ MIT and attend a fundraiser. I just happen to be staying near the airport for work for a week. Any idea how I can find out more about about when he may be landing? Any thoughts on the best place to actually catch a glimpse of AF1 and/or Obama?

All I know at this point is the MIT visit begins in the late morning according to the MIT website.

posted by UMDirector to travel & transportation (10 comments total)

I suspect that you'll get very little accurate information regarding this.

If you want to see obama, find away into the MIT speech.... his travel and routes are not going to be public information...
posted by HuronBob at 6:00 PM on October 20

When Pres. Clinton was in Portland Maine, AF1 was surrounded by truck trailers. It looked just like they had circled the wagons. But you could still see it, just not with a really great, unbroken view, and it was lit up at night. Info on details is unlikely to be available, for security reasons.
posted by theora55 at 6:02 PM on October 20

The President's specific agenda is not released to the public, though I believe a broad one is released to the public/press. I'm almost certain you won't be able to get a specific time that AF1 is landing, as this would be a security risk. The Secret Service and local police also maintain a strict security perimeter around the aircraft -- which often lands at military bases rather than commercial airports (and when it does land at commercial airports, likely doesn't pull up to a gate).
posted by proj at 6:02 PM on October 20

A few notes:

I was hoping to see it flying in or taking off...i.e. in the air easier to see, not sitting on the tarmac. For example from my hotel I can currently see some of the runways, but not all.

There is not way I am getting into the MIT event...I don't have the time or want to put out the effort. I just am hoping to catch a glimpse of the plane, and maybe the motorcade, without going much out of my way.

Typically how much before do they arrive. If its a 3pm event do we think 2 hrs before, etc? Must be a rough estimate...
posted by UMDirector at 6:07 PM on October 20

FYI I believe it will land at Logan as they have in the past when coming to Boston.
posted by UMDirector at 6:08 PM on October 20

I was going to suggest you wait in one of the viewing parking lots after narrowing down the likely timeframe of his arrival, but that may be perceived as suspicious. you do not want to look suspicious in this situation
posted by Think_Long at 6:08 PM on October 20

We were picking up my brother from the airport here in PHX when Obama came in. They kept him on the tarmac for FAR too long while AF1 landed and taxi'd and did its thing. We noticed an increased police presence and so we jumped up to the top of a parking structure, where some others had planted, near the private terminal of Sky Harbor.

It's a good thing, too, since they soon closed the adjacent road to that structure and the tarmac there. There were several police officers on the structure (and the other parking lots nearby) going back and forth with us, but they didn't mind us having our cameras out. We got a great view of AF1 landing, spinning around, and taxi-ing in.

At ground level, they DO have trucks and buses ALL AROUND anywhere you'd basically be able to see. And many, many, many police on the ground at all points, so elevation is a must, if possible.

Identify what, if any, private terminal he might use and look for parking structures nearby there. Remember that your mileage may vary dramatically, but the newspapers will usually mention the visit the day before, which will mention his estimated time of arrival. Plan to be at the airport and in position at least an hour before this. Scope it out before that, though.

Definitely a fun experience. Great photos, saw the plane QUITE up close from where we were, and police were friendly, or at the very least, not at all menacing. (They were IN the street below the structure as well, and in every parking lot, hill top, and any other nook and cranny. They're EVERYwhere.)
posted by disillusioned at 6:26 PM on October 20

Depending on which runway is used you can get pretty good views of the runways from Winthrop (North of Logan) or City Point in South Boston.
posted by evilelf at 4:09 AM on October 21

I was going to say the same thing as evilelf, but was going to suggest around Wonderland, where you can get buzzed by the big jets at Revere Beach.
posted by whatzit at 4:26 AM on October 21

According to this Notice to Airmen published by the FAA, the possible window of his visit is from 1505 UTC to 2010 UTC (11:05 AM to 4:10 PM EDT).
posted by Nothlit at 5:49 AM on October 21