By: Joe Strupp The Hagerstown, Md., Regional Airport is not exactly Andrews Air Force Base. Still, about three or four times a year, the local Herald-Mail newspaper has to respond like it is. On those occasions, when Air Force One lands at the small airfield that normally caters to regional airlines and private planes, the paper dispatches a reporter and photographer to be on hand in case anything (most likely, bad) happens. Those events occur when President Bush heads to nearby Camp David but does not use a helicopter, his usual mode of transportation.
"We are there in case there is a news-making event, an accident or something else," admits Herald-Mail Editor Terry Headlee. "We are usually out there by ourselves, and usually nothing happens. But we have to do it." While most presidential arrivals at Andrews or other larger airports can draw crowds, marching bands, and throngs of reporters, these quick getaways usually pass without incident or press notice. In many cases, the paper runs one photo or none, Headlee says.
The Air Force One landings, which also occur (albeit rarely) at a nearby Martinsburg, W.Va airport, take place when the president heads to Camp David from somewhere besides Washington, D.C. His staffers "have to stand back at a distance, and they stop all the flights at the airport," Headlee said. "They watch the plane land and don't leave until they see him leave."
Headlee added that the paper normally gets advance word of the landings only a few hours before they occur, often on Fridays. "For us, it is a pretty big deal, even if he is just landing for five or 10 minutes," the editor says. "The person who covers it is usually the reporter who is most available." Surprisingly, Headlee says there's no lack of volunteers to observe the non-newsy event. "I think everyone wants an opportunity to cover the president," he says. "Even if he's just flying in for a minute."
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