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By Adam Entous CRAWFORD, Texas (Reuters) - One of the most suspenseful moments during President George W. Bush's secret flight to Baghdad, according to the White House, came when a British Airways pilot spotted Air Force One soaring over the Atlantic. The mid-air encounter, which aides say nearly prompted the president to call off the trip, became an instant news sensation, memorialised by tourist pins which went on sale at a store in Crawford within hours of Bush's return to his Texas ranch. But two days after the sighting, the identity of the pilot remains a mystery, even to British Airways. An airline spokeswoman said on Saturday that no crew member had come forward to report the unusual encounter, as is standard practice. Bush aides recounted with excitement the moment during the flight to Baghdad when the BA pilot thought he spotted the president's blue and white Boeing 747 from his cockpit. "Did I just see Air Force One?" the pilot radioed. There was a pause. Then came the response from Air Force One: "Gulfstream 5" -- a much smaller aircraft. As one of Bush's aides recounted, the BA pilot seemed to sense that he was in on a secret, and replied: "Oh." With three hours to go, Bush had the Secret Service check if his mission was still secret. "They assured me that there was still a tight hold on the information, that conditions on the ground were as positive as positive could be," he said afterward. Bush's Thanksgiving trip to Baghdad captivated people in Crawford and tourists, who came to its tiny downtown to buy up mementoes of the trip. Large pins featuring the president's plane and the BA pilot's words -- "Did I just see Air Force One?" -- were sold out by mid-day Saturday. In response to press inquiries, British Airways checked with its crews. But so far, no one has come forward. "It is normal practice for our crews to report anything out of the ordinary," the airline spokeswoman said. "Despite the amount of media coverage, we can't confirm this."

itz pretty good that he caught on that quickly that BA pilot!

OK, how can you get a Gulfstream and a 747 mixed up?

you dont:)
because the Jumbo wasnt using callsign Airforce 1 when it flew infront of him the BA captain questioned it
no doubt he got an airtraffic warning that a gulfstream was a passing by and when you see a 747 shoot past you start to question:)

OK, how can you get a Gulfstream and a 747 mixed up?

He didn't. But Air Force One didn't want to be spotted so they gave a different call sign.

lol, so much for secrecy!

I believe it happened, but BA is now denying it ever did...

That would be quite normal. I daresay it's not the first time this has happened & won't be the last. The pilot's reaction is nothing less than I would expect from a British airline captain. I can imagine his off-air remark would be something like "OK, have it your way old boy. I saw nothing. Have a nice trip."

AF1 is usually escorted over other countries and oceans by a flight of F-15's, wonder where they were hehe. Would be funny to take a look at the view outside the window and see an F-15 waving back at you hehe.

I thought it was F-16...

lol, so much for secrecy!

And stupidity!