The West Wing
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Weiskopf

professional calm precise methodical dutiful
Colonel Weiskopf serves as a senior Air Force officer aboard Air Force One during its return from a 22-hour flight marked by a nose-wheel landing gear indicator failure. He briefs President Bartlet directly on the malfunction, the scrambled F-16 for visual inspection, visibility issues without moonlight, and proposes a low flyby of Andrews tower plus midair refueling. Over the PA, he updates press and staff on clearance reversals due to wind shifts, delivers flight statistics, and relays ATC instructions with steady professionalism amid rising tension.
10 appearances

Weiskopf's Journey

A timeline through the narrative

10 moments
S4E19 · Angel Maintenance
Time-Zone Banter Cut by Flight-Deck Alert

Maintains professional neutrality by implication; operational focus rather than visible emotion.

Colonel Weiskopf is referenced as the officer who had briefed the cabin about beginning initial descent; his earlier operational posture is now superseded by Andrews' hold request relayed by Caplan.

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S4E19 · Angel Maintenance
Midnight Recertification Competes with an Air Crisis

Not directly observed; implied professional concern about ground conditions and approach safety.

Colonel Weiskopf is referenced by Caplan as the source who reported the initial descent; his operational judgment triggers the PA's disclosure of the hold.

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S4E19 · Angel Maintenance
Nose-Wheel Light Out — F-16 Visual Inspection Ordered

Calmly authoritative — keeps tone restrained to avoid alarm while conveying the seriousness of the uncertainty.

Colonel Weiskopf delivers a concise technical briefing: he explains the indicator failure after Hydraulic System One deployment, acknowledges uncertainty about wheel lock, and reports an F-16 has been scrambled from …

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S4E19 · Angel Maintenance
Indicator Light & The Coming Crisis

Controlled and businesslike — delivering facts without alarm while conveying the seriousness of the situation.

Enters with Charlie, gives a concise technical briefing about the deployed Hydraulic System One and the unlit nose-wheel indicator, explains the F‑16 scramble and timeline, answers Bartlet's probing questions, and …

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S4E19 · Angel Maintenance
Moonless Flyby — Low Pass and Midair Refuel

Controlled and focused under pressure; concerned about safety but resolute in proposing the least-bad operational option.

Descends from the cockpit to brief the President; calmly reports the unknown gear status, cites lack of moonlight as the visibility problem, proposes a low flyby past Andrews Tower, calls …

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S4E19 · Angel Maintenance
Order to Tell C.J. About the Refuel

Controlled and businesslike, mildly apologetic but focused on presenting operational options rather than emotion.

Descends from the cockpit to brief the President succinctly: explains lack of visual confirmation due to no moon, outlines the low flyby and imminent refuel, references the Falcon crew as …

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S4E19 · Angel Maintenance
Bartlet Vents as Air Force One Ordered into Andrews Fly‑By

Professional composure; matter-of-fact seriousness without theatricality.

Descends the stairs, delivers a concise operational briefing: no visual read on the landing gear, recommends a fly-by at Andrews and provides an estimated delay (about an hour and 15 …

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S4E19 · Angel Maintenance
Andrews Fly‑By — The President Calls the Families

Controlled urgency — prioritizes precision and protocol over commentary, conveying seriousness without alarmism.

Descends the stairs and briefs the President directly and succinctly: no visual confirmation of the landing gear, plan a fly‑by of Andrews, and estimate an hour and fifteen minutes. He …

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S4E19 · Angel Maintenance
Cleared — Then Aborted: Wind Shift Forces Go‑Around

Controlled and procedural — outwardly calm and dutiful, using steadiness to contain cabin anxiety.

Speaking over the PA from the flight deck, Colonel Weiskopf calmly announces a cleared landing‑gear indicator, gives flight statistics, then relays Andrews Approach's abrupt instruction to abort the descent and …

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S4E19 · Angel Maintenance
Go-Around — Bartlet's Slam

Controlled, outwardly calm and reassuring; authoritative but masking the underlying operational tension of an unexpected reversal.

From the flight deck Colonel Weiskopf speaks over the PA with procedural calm: reports a clear landing-gear indicator, announces clearance for Andrews, then relays ATC's go-around order to abandon descent …

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Affiliation

U.S. Armed Forces