President Trump will be stepping off of Air Force One to begin his stop in Lima to visit the Joint Systems Manufacturing Center, and preparing for a presidential landing is something that should not be taken lightly, but officials at the Allen County Airport say that they are ready for Air Force One.
"They called here and gave us a heads up and started asking us questions, like what kinds of people come here, if we expect anything, what types of jets and airplanes come in and we just tried to answer their questions as much as we could, and if they request something, we just make it happen," said Josh Tattrie, manager at the Lima Allen County Airport.
A few years ago, some work was done to improve the runways at the airport. Those changes will help make the process of landing the plane and accommodating such a large aircraft much easier for everyone involved.
"Late August of 2017, we repaved up to 6,000 feet of runway 10-28, and for the first time it's grooved; with the grooves, it sheds water easier and larger, faster jets can land at the airport now, and it actually will improve safety for Air Force One when they come in," said Tattrie.
This isn't the first time a president has made a landing in Lima - in fact, President Trump will be the 4th President to use the Allen County Airport. Presidents Reagan, Bush Sr. and Obama have also used the local runway, with the last presidential visit 7 years ago.
"President Obama was the last president to visit the Allen County Airport in 2012, and this will basically be a repeat with the 757 - they'll probably use the landing runway and then back taxi and park on the left side of the ramp," Tattrie said.
President Trump will be making the stop on Wednesday, March 20th.
