Donald Trump: How the US president travels, and other cool ways leaders get around
- Published
Meet 'The Beast' - the high-spec, high-security, custom-made limo that transports the US president when he is travelling on the ground. The fuel tank is armour-plated and wrapped in special foam to protect it from bullets and crashes. The car has military-level armour plating, but this is really heavy... so heavy the car doors can't be swung open from the inside! The Beast is also totally sealed from the outside world, complete with its own oxygen supply.
This is Air Force One, the US president's personal 747 airplane. The specialised jet can refuel in the air so it doesn't need to land. Inside, the president and his travel companions enjoy 4,000 square feet of floor space on three levels. There's an huge area just for the president, a medical room with an operating table, a conference and dining room, two food preparation areas that can feed 100 people at a time, and designated areas for the press, VIPs and security.
This is the president's large Sikorsky VH-3D Sea King - also known as Marine One. The specially adapted helicopters are known as "white tops" (can you guess why?!) and are fitted with communications equipment, anti-missile defences. As a security measure, Marine One often flies in a group of identical helicopters acting as decoys.
The Ospreys, Trump's escort aircrafts, are capable of vertical landings and can reach speeds of up to amazing 322 miles per hour!
Never far away from the president is a bag - nicknamed the "football" - containing the codes to launch nuclear weapons and a book with prepared war plans.
Trump has also brought his adult children Eric, Ivanka, Donald Jr and Tiffany (not pictured) on the state visit. So that's how the US president travels - not lightly eh?! But how do other world leaders travel?
Queen Elizabeth II certainly knows how to travel in style - check out her golden carriage! She doesn't travel around in this all the time as it isn't exactly practical, but she keeps this for special occasions. The coach was designed and made by Jim Frecklington in Australia. Jim worked really hard to squeeze in as much history as he could into the carriage. He used some wood from Sir Isaac Newton's apple tree, parts of the Mary Rose and even Oak from Admiral Nelson's most prestigious ship, the HMS Victory.
You may recognise this mobile, see-through box with Pope Francis standing inside. This is the Popemobile - a specialised, armour-plated vehicle with a completely transparent, bulletproof screen, which allows the Pope to be seen and also see his followers when he visits different places. The idea is that it protects him from an attack - something which happened in 1981, when Pope John Paul II was shot whilst parading through crowds on the back of normal truck. Fortunately he survived, the Popemobile was born, and has continued to exist in different forms and designs.
On board this high-flying glider is one of the most powerful men in the world - Vladimir Putin, President of Russia. Mr Putin is often pictured taking part in adventurous activities, such as horse riding across the wilderness or going in a submarine. Here, Mr Putin is trying to show some Russian cranes which way they should fly for the winter. It's not clear how successful he was, but one thing is for sure - it definitely looks like a lot of fun to fly through the sky!
No carriages here - this cycling family is the Dutch King Willem-Alexander, Queen Maxima and their two children. Bikes are a pretty big deal in Holland. In cities like Amsterdam over 70% of journeys are made by bicycle, so it's no surprise to see them riding through the Dutch countryside, just like thousands of normal Dutch people. Don't be fooled though - just like other world leaders, the King and Queen still have a number of cars and other modes of transport when a bike just isn't enough!
- Published19 May 2016
- Published13 October 2016
