Angel Maintenance

"Angel Maintenance" is episode 84 of The West Wing. Angel is the Secret Service code name for Air Force One.

Plot

Returning to Washington, D.C. from Manila, Air Force One is forced to stay in the air after a minor malfunction.

C.J. must distract the Press Corps, while Will is given the task of briefing President Bartlet on recertifying Colombia as an ally in the war against drugs based on their miserable record in that area.

Meanwhile, in the White House, Josh and Leo deal with the clean-up of Chesapeake Bay via a moderate Republican Congressman (Matt McCoy), who the Democratic leadership wants to target for the next election; Donna Moss grows impatient, knowing that she can do little to nothing in a security crisis, but Josh gives her an assignment to find out what might be up with Air Force One; and Toby meets with an African-American Congressman who wants to reinstate the draft and is threatening to withhold funding for the mission in Kundu unless his statements are heard.

Mistakes

The plane sent to inspect the landing gear is referred to in the episode as an F-16, but the plane that actually appears outside the press cabin window is an F-15.

The Colonel who informs President Bartlet throughout the episode of the flight status is seen wearing a military uniform. In overseas trip, however, Air Force One staff are required to use civilian clothing (i.e. suit and a a tie), so as not to call attention to themselves while on the ground in a foreign country.

At the end of the episode, the crew announces they are diverted to "runway three-niner". Runways are numbered from 01 to 36 based on their magnetic compass heading truncated to the nearest ten degrees (e.g. a runway heading 152 degrees would be numbered 15), so there is no such thing as a runway 39.

External links

• Angel Maintenance - The West Wing Episode Guide