The transformed 
Boeing 747-200 plane (often called the VC-25A) that bear the callsign ‘Air Drive One’ when working flights with the American President on board are among the many most recognizable planes within the sky. Nonetheless, they don’t seem to be getting any youthful, and a alternative is deliberate within the type of the VC-25B (based mostly on the 747-8). Sadly, the US Authorities has lengthy been annoyed by delays, forcing it to take one other route.
Particularly, it has been gifted a ‘stopgap’ 747-8 by Qatar, which has been within the information of late as a consequence of starting its check flight program. Avgeeks around the globe have been monitoring the VIP quadjet on-line because it takes to the skies over the US time and time once more below the placing callsign ‘Vader 01.’ The information comes forward of the stopgap jet’s anticipated entry into service, which is reportedly now set to happen as early as this summer season.
Check Flights Have Commenced
Credit score: Flightradar24
Based on historic monitoring information made out there by Flightradar24, the ex-Qatari Air Drive One stand-in bears the registration 25-3300. On the time of writing, 4 check flights involving the luxurious double-decker plane have been logged by the monitoring web site, with the primary having taken place on Friday, April 17, 2026. The second, as detailed within the map above, took to the skies a day later, on April 18, and was within the air for over 4 hours.
Certainly, this Saturday night affair noticed the jet take off from Majors Airport (GVT) close to Greenville, Texas, at 5:09 pm, and it did not contact again down there till 9:28 pm native time. This check flight noticed it fly an extended clockwise loop with a collection of a number of tighter circuits close to Shreveport, throughout which era it reached a most barometric altitude of 37,000 ft. Based on The Battle Zone, a USAF spokesperson supplied this assertion on the matter:
“I can affirm that the VC-25B Bridge Plane has begun flight assessments. We anticipate the plane will probably be delivered to the Presidential Airlift Group no later than summer season 2026.”
The place & Why?
Credit score: Wikimedia Commons
The primary of the check flights, on Friday, April 17, 2026, was additionally a night affair, with the airplane taking off from Greenville at 6:51 pm. Nonetheless, the form of its flightpath was fairly completely different, because it started by flying circuits at Majors Airport earlier than ultimately heading east on a looping course that, as soon as once more, took it over Shreveport. All in all, it was within the air for about 5 hours, representing a radical first exercise for the stopgap Air Drive One.
Transferring onwards to Sunday, the third of the three check flights started at 12:36 pm native time, and noticed the plane fly southwest throughout Texas. The jet nearly reached Mexico, however in the end stopped brief and flew circuits close to Sanderson earlier than heading residence. By the point it landed, it had been airborne for over seven hours. The fourth check flight happened yesterday afternoon, and was a lot shorter, because it noticed the jet fly to close by Waco (ACT).
Located simply east of the Dallas/Fort Price metropolis, Majors Airport in Greenville may appear an odd alternative as a base for the 747’s check flights. Nonetheless, the logic turns into clear whenever you see that the airport is residence to the L3Harris Mission Integration Division, which has been liable for its conversion.
Associated
Confirmed: Ex-Qatari Luxurious Boeing 747-8 To Be Delivered As Interim Air Drive One This Summer time
The plane will probably be used as a stopgap answer till new fashions arrive.
The Present State Of The USAF’s Boeing 747-8 Fleet
Credit score: Wikimedia Commons
Based on present fleet information made out there by Planespotters.internet, the United States Air Drive presently has 4 examples of the Boeing 747-8 at its disposal. As beforehand famous, the one at the moment enterprise check flights bears the registration 25-3300, having been reregistered as this (from its earlier designation as N7478D) earlier. It’s 14 years previous, having first flown for the Qatar Amiri Flight as a VIP plane method again in April of 2012.
The location lists two different models of the Boeing 747-8 as at the moment being transformed for his or her future full-time roles because the Boeing VC-25B below the ‘Air Drive One’ callsign when the President is on board. These jets bear the registrations N894BA (seen above) and N895BA, and they’re 9.5 and 9.8 years previous respectively, having not been taken up by Transaero. The fourth USAF 747-8 (25-3200) is an ex-Lufthansa jet that now serves as a crew coach.
