NBC Charlotte received special access to the president's motorcade during his visit to Charlotte on Friday.
While all of the local media were placed on a platform far removed from Air Force One, WCNC's Fred Shropshire and Mike Hanson were just steps away from the plane with the White House Press Corps.
Our crew was part of the action from start to finish. Fred shared five cool things about being in the press motorcade.
Running Red Lights
“When on Earth – on the Friday before Labor Day weekend – is there NO TRAFFIC on I-77 or 485? It was a complete ghost town on the interstates as we cruised to and from Charlotte Douglas with the president’s motorcade!”
Feeling like I’m in a parade
“Riding in a vehicle behind the president is like bei ng on a float in a parade. Not only were people lining the streets with flags to say hello to him, but they were waving at us too. I felt like I was in a small town in middle America on July 4th.”
You mean I can sit down too?
“I’ve covered President’s George W. Bush and Barack Obama as a local reporter and the national press always gets the sweet spots on the platform when they come to our town. It felt nice for our photographer to have a great spot and for me to have a seat at each of the president’s stops.”
The wind beneath my wings!
“Can I tell you how cool it is to be standing under the wing of Air Force One as the president walks off the plane? You almost feel like you’re a part of the story because only the White House Press Corps who traveled with the president stand there as he exits. We just rolled up and they said, ‘Hey, stand here and get this great video of the president.’ Sure, okay!”
I’m just a nobody…no, really, I’m here to cover the president
“I had a service member, who was there to serve the president, come up to me as if I were a big deal and thank me for the job our station does covering local news. Obviously, he was a long-time viewer, but his enthusiasm was up there with the folks who were excited to see the president. That was really cool. I’m thankful for his service."