Review by: Chris Harding
Published: August 7, 1998

Remember your childhood, when every grown-up would ask you, “What are you going to be when you grow up?” I do, because I always answered that question with an emphatic, “I’m going to be President.” Over the years of adolescence and into my adult life the Oval Office has lost the luster and appeal it once had, as I have become more aware of what being President might entail. However, there is still one remaining perk of the Chief’s job that intrigues me: getting flown around the world in the most advanced passenger airplane in the world, Air Force One.

With all the attention focused on the President nowadays, and with the recent Harrison Ford movie of the same name, the release of Alpha Software’s Air Force One could not have had better timing. Air Force One is an add-on scenario and scenery package for Microsoft’s Flight Simulator 95/98. This add-on package, which is quite extensive, includes an entire fleet of presidential jets. The main component is Air Force One, a Boeing 747-200B with type designation VC-25A and the current jet flown for President Bill Clinton. In addition, the Air Force One plane that was used to fly Presidents John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, and Richard M. Nixon has been implemented. Also included is the first VIP jet, known as the VC-137A, and the Air Force’s E3-3B AWACS surveillance plane.

All of these planes can be flown using MS Flight Sim’s flight creation system. Initially I had a lot of fun with this option; taking the President’s jet around my local neighborhood was a kick in the pants. The best part of Air Force One, however, is the adventure portion of the simulation. You take the role of captain, and fly the President from Moscow to London. The weather is the primary enemy in the adventure, as you and your crew are required to adapt to changing weather patterns and still maintain the predetermined flight plan. In the end a change of orders will occur and you will be required to take the President to Paris. After successfully completing the mission you are rewarded with a comment from the Commander in Chief himself. A lot of research and data acquisition were required in order for Air Force One to have the look and feel that it does. Many professionals were brought on board, in consulting roles, so that the modeling could be as accurate as possible.

A few changes have been made to the core engine used in MS Flight Sim 98. The plane graphics have been improved, and more objects have been modeled in 3D, such as the landing gear and wheels. Alpha has also added virtual cockpits for all of the Air Force One planes. Unfortunately, there has been little done to improve upon the original Microsoft design, which in my opinion is useless. Air Force One is exactly what it claims to be, and nothing more. If you’re a pilot, love to use MS Flight Sim, and have always wanted to know what it would be like to fly Eagle One, Alpha’s Air Force One might be the ticket you’ve been looking for.