Air Force One is the official air traffic control-designated call sign for a United States Air Force aircraft carrying the president of the United States. The term is commonly used to denote U.S. Air Force aircraft modified and used to transport the president, and as a metonym for the primary presidential aircraft, VC-25, although it can be used to refer to any Air Force aircraft the president travels on.[1][2]
Other aircraft designated as Air Force One have included another Lockheed Constellation, Columbine III; three Boeing 707s, introduced in the 1960s and 1970s; and the current Boeing VC-25As. Since 1990, the presidential fleet has consisted of two highly customized Boeing 747-200B (VC-25A) aircraft.[6] The USAF has ordered two Boeing 747-8s to serve as the next presidential aircraft, designated VC-25Bs and expected to enter service no earlier than 2026.[8]
From time to time, presidents have invited other world leaders to travel with them on Air Force One. In 1973, Nixon invited Soviet general secretaryLeonid Brezhnev to fly with him to California from Washington, D.C.[9] In 1983, President Reagan and Queen Elizabeth II toured the U.S. West Coast aboard the aircraft.[10] In 2012, President Barack Obama took British Prime Minister David Cameron to a basketball game in Ohio.[11]
On 11 October 1910, Theodore Roosevelt became the first US president to fly in an aircraft, an early Wright Flyer from Kinloch Field near St. Louis, Missouri. He was no longer in office at the time, having been succeeded by William Howard Taft. The record-making occasion was a brief overflight of the crowd at a county fair but was nonetheless the beginning of presidential air travel.[12]
Franklin D. Roosevelt was the first president to fly in an aircraft while in office. The first aircraft obtained specifically for presidential travel was a Douglas Dolphinamphibian modified with luxury upholstery for four passengers and a small separate sleeping compartment. Designated RD-2 by the US Navy, it was delivered in 1933 and based at the naval base at Anacostia in Washington, D.C.[13] The aircraft remained in service as a presidential transport from 1939.[14]
Concerned about relying upon commercial airlines to transport the president, officials of the United States Army Air Forces, the predecessor of the US Air Force, ordered the conversion of a military aircraft to accommodate the special needs of the commander-in-chief.[18] In 1943, a C-87A transport, number 41-24159, was modified to carry President Franklin D. Roosevelt on international trips. But after a review of the C-87's controversial safety record, the Secret Service flatly refused to approve the aircraft for presidential carriage. The C-87, a derivative of the Consolidated B-24 Liberator bomber, also carried more militaristic associations than aircraft designed for transport. The aircraft, named Guess Where II, was used to transport senior members of the Roosevelt administration on various trips. In March 1944, it flew Eleanor Roosevelt on a goodwill tour of several Latin American countries. The C-87 was scrapped in 1945.[19]
The Secret Service subsequently reconfigured a Douglas C-54 Skymaster for presidential transport duty. The VC-54C aircraft, nicknamed the Sacred Cow, included a sleeping area, radiotelephone, and retractable battery-powered elevator to lift Roosevelt in his wheelchair. The VC-54C flew President Roosevelt only once, to the Yalta Conference in February 1945.[18]
The National Security Act of 1947, the legislation that created the US Air Force, was signed by President Harry S. Truman aboard the VC-54C.[18] He replaced the VC-54C in 1947 with a modified C-118 Liftmaster, calling it the Independence after his Missouri hometown. It was given a distinctive exterior, as its nose was painted like the head of a bald eagle. The plane included a stateroom in the aft fuselage and a main cabin that could seat 24 passengers or could be made up into 12 sleeper berths. It is now housed at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio.[20]
Columbine II is the first plane to bear the call sign Air Force One. This designation for the US Air Force aircraft carrying the incumbent president was established after a 1954 incident in which a commercial flight, Eastern Air Lines 8610, crossed paths with Air Force 8610, which was carrying President Eisenhower. Initially used informally, the designation became official in 1962.[25][26][20][27][28]
Toward the end of Eisenhower's second term, Secretary of State John Foster Dulles commented that Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev and other senior Soviet officials had begun using the technologically advanced Tupolev Tu-114 aircraft for their travels, and it was no longer dignified for the president to fly in a propeller-driven aircraft. This paved the way for the Air Force's initial procurement of three Boeing 707-120 (VC-137A) jet aircraft, designated SAM (Special Air Missions) 970, 971 and 972.[29][30]
The high-speed jet technology built into these aircraft enabled presidents from Eisenhower through Nixon to travel long distances more quickly for face-to-face meetings with world leaders.[31] Then-Vice President Richard Nixon first used a VC-137A on his visit to Russia in July 1959 for the Kitchen Debates. The following month, Eisenhower became the first president to fly via jet airplane when he used SAM 970, nicknamed "Queenie", to meet German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer. During Eisenhower's "Flight to Peace" goodwill tour in December 1959, he visited 11 Asian nations, flying 22,000 miles (35,000km) in 19 days, twice as fast as he could have covered that distance in one of the Columbines.[20][32][33]
SAM 970 to SAM 972 would be removed from the presidential role with the early-1960s arrival of the specially built VC-137C designated SAM 26000. The older planes would be repainted in the Loewy secondary livery designed for Air Force Two and other non-presidential VIP aircraft. SAM 970 is now on display at The Museum of Flight in Seattle, Washington.[31]SAM 971, best remembered for returning the Americans held during the Iran hostage crisis in 1981, is on display at the Pima Air and Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona.[34]SAM 972 was scrapped in October 1996.[citation needed]
The new VC-137C was not yet modified for presidential service when John F. Kennedy took office in 1961. On the recommendation of his wife, Jacqueline Kennedy, he contacted the French-born American industrial designer Raymond Loewy for help in designing new livery and interiors for the VC-137C.[6][35][36]
Loewy, who had seen SAM 970, complained to a friend in the White House that it "had a garish orange nose and looked too much like a military plane", Air Force One historian and former Smithsonian curator Von Hardesty told CNN. He offered Kennedy his design consultation services free of charge.[7][37]
Kennedy chose a red-and-gold design from one of Loewy's initial concept sketches, and asked him to render the design all in blue. Loewy also drew inspiration from the first printed copy of the United States Declaration of Independence, suggesting the widely spaced and upper case "United States of America" legend in Caslon typeface. He chose to expose the polished aluminum fuselage on the bottom side and used two blues, steel blue associated with the early republic and the presidency, and a more contemporary water blue to represent an America both rooted in the past and flying inexorably into the future. The presidential seal was added to both sides of the fuselage near the nose and a large American flag was painted on the tail. Loewy's work won immediate praise from the president and the press. The cheatline suggested a sleek and horizontal image that mirrored America's Jet Age optimism and prosperity of the era, and today signifies its legacy and tradition.[7][38][39][40]
Loewy's VC-137C livery was adapted for the larger VC-25A when it entered service in 1990, and the secondary variation (without the darker blue cheatline and cap over the cockpit) is still in use on USAF C-40, C-37, C-32, and C-20 aircraft in standard (non-presidential) VIP configurations. The presidential paint scheme can also be seen on Union Pacific 4141, the locomotive used in George H. W. Bush's funeral train.[41][20]
Under John F. Kennedy, presidential air travel entered the jet age.[42] Although he could use the Eisenhower-era jets for trips to Canada, France, Austria, and the United Kingdom, when he came into office, his primary aircraft domestically was still a prop powered Douglas VC-118A Liftmaster.[43] In October 1962, the modified long-range Boeing VC-137C Stratoliner SAM 26000, featuring livery designed by Loewy would be delivered, and immediately became an important element of the Kennedy administration's brand.[35]
SAM 26000 was in service from 1962 to 1998, serving Presidents Kennedy to Clinton. On 22 November 1963, SAM 26000 carried President Kennedy to Dallas, Texas, where it served as the backdrop as the Kennedys greeted well-wishers at Dallas's Love Field. Later that afternoon, Kennedy was assassinated, and Vice President Lyndon Johnson assumed the office of President and took the oath of office aboard SAM 26000. On Johnson's orders, the plane carried Kennedy's body back to Washington.[44] A decade later, SAM 26000 took Johnson's body home to Texas after his state funeral in Washington.[45][46][47]
The U.S. Air Force usually does not have fighter aircraft escort the presidential aircraft over the United States but it has occurred. The first instance came during the state funeral of John F. Kennedy when it was followed by 50 fighters (20 Navy and 30 Air Force), representing the states of the union.[48][49]
Johnson used SAM 26000 to travel extensively domestically and to visit troops in South Vietnam during the Vietnam War. SAM 26000 served President Nixon on several groundbreaking overseas voyages, including his famous visit to the People's Republic of China in February 1972 and his trip to the Soviet Union later that year, both firsts for an American president.[50] Nixon dubbed the plane the "Spirit of '76" in honor of the forthcoming bicentennial of the United States; that logo was painted on both sides of the plane's nose.[51]
SAM 26000 was replaced in December 1972 by another VC-137C, Special Air Mission 27000, although SAM 26000 was relegated to non-presidential VIP status (and repainted without the darker blue cap and cheatline), it served as a backup to SAM 27000 until it was finally retired in 1998.[45]
In June 1974, while President Nixon was on his way to a scheduled stop in Syria, Syrian fighter jets intercepted Air Force One to act as escorts. The crew was not informed in advance, so took evasive action including a dive.[52]
After announcing his intention to resign the presidency, Nixon boarded SAM 27000 (with call sign "Air Force One") to travel to California. Colonel Ralph Albertazzie, then pilot of Air Force One, recounted that after Gerald Ford was sworn in as president, the plane had to be redesignated as SAM 27000, indicating no president was on board the aircraft. Over Jefferson City, Missouri, Albertazzie radioed: "Kansas City, this was Air Force One. Will you change our call sign to Sierra Alpha Mike (SAM) 27000?" Back came the reply: "Roger, Sierra Alpha Mike 27000. Good luck to the President."[53]
SAM 28000 sits on the ramp as SAM 29000 descends on final approach to Hickam Field with President George W. Bush
Though Ronald Reagan's two terms as president saw no major changes to Air Force One, the manufacture of the presidential aircraft version of the 747 began during his presidency. The USAF issued a Request For Proposal in 1985 for two wide-body aircraft with a minimum of three engines and an unrefueled range of 6,000 miles (9,700km). Boeing with the 747 and McDonnell Douglas with the DC-10 submitted proposals, and the Reagan Administration ordered two identical 747s to replace the aging 707 VC-137 variants he used.[6][54] The interior designs, drawn up by First Lady Nancy Reagan, were reminiscent of the American Southwest.[54]
When President George W. Bush left office in January 2009, he flew to Texas in a VC-25 that used call sign SAM 28000, as it did not carry the current president of the United States. Similar arrangements were made for former presidents Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama.[citation needed] President Donald Trump flew to his Mar-a-Lago estate shortly before his tenure as president ended, under the Air Force One call sign.[55]
After the deaths of former Presidents Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan, VC-25 aircraft flew their remains to their home states of Michigan and California, respectively.[citation needed]
On 27 April 2009, a low-flying VC-25 circled New York City for a photo-op and training exercise, alarming many New Yorkers.[56]
During Joe Biden's 2023 visit to Ukraine, the Air Force One call sign was not used for the C-32 aircraft he flew to Poland; to increase secrecy, the call sign was SAM060.[57]
Logistical support
The presidential limousine being sent via Boeing C-17 prior to the arrival of Air Force One.
When flying with the President, Air Force One rarely flies alone. It is often accompanied by a fleet of aircraft that can include the back-up VC-25, cargo aircraft, and tankers.[58] In such cases, up to half a dozen cargo aircraft, such as the Boeing C-17 Globemaster III or the Lockheed C-5 Galaxy, precede AF1 by a couple days or more, bringing the presidential limousine and Sikorsky VH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, along with Secret Service personnel and several hundred maintenance crew. Longer trips are accompanied by tankers, such as the McDonnell Douglas KC-10 Extender, to limit the need to stop for fuel and ensure that AF1 does not take fuel from an unvetted source.[58][59]
The support aircraft will often use several airports in a region to minimize the impact to one particular airport, and Secret Service may also preposition a Gulfstream C-37B or Boeing E-4 in a neighboring region for backup.[60][61]
In addition to the President, staff, and flight crew, a VC-25A can carry 102 guests in typical domestic business-class seats. The back-up VC-25 typically flies with 14 crew, two pilots, six flight crew, two cooks, and four flight attendants. When transporting the President, the primary VC-25A has three cooks and 15 flight attendants, 20 or more Secret Service agents, and some 40 members of the presidential press pool. During international state visits, another aircraft may be chartered to accommodate another 150 or more journalists and security personnel.[58]
Some time later, air traffic controllers warned Tillman that a passenger jet was nearby and not responding to radio calls. Tillman recalls: "As we got over Gainesville, Florida, we got the word from Jacksonville Center. They said, 'Air Force One you have traffic behind you and basically above you that is descending into you, we are not in contact with them – they have shut their responder[sic] off.' And at that time it kind of led us to believe maybe someone was coming into us in Sarasota, they saw us take off, they just stayed high and are following us at this point. We had no idea what the capabilities of the terrorists were at that point."[62] Tillman then flew Air Force One over the Gulf of Mexico in order, he later said, to test whether the other aircraft would follow. The other jet continued on its route, and Tillman said that it was later explained to him that an airliner had lost its transponder, which normally broadcasts an electronic identification signal, and that the pilots on board neglected to switch to another radio frequency.
Later, Tillman received a warning of an imminent attack on Air Force One. "We got word from the vice president and the staff that 'Angel was next,' indicating the classified call sign for Air Force One. Once we got into the Gulf [of Mexico] and they passed to us that 'Angel was next,' at that point I asked for fighter support. If an airliner was part of the attack, it would be good to have fighters on the wing to go ahead and take care of us." At this point, Tillman said that the plan to fly the president back to Washington, D.C., was aborted due to concerns that Air Force One would be attacked at Andrews Air Force Base. Instead, Tillman landed at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, and Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, where the president made a speech.[62] After these stops, the president was returned to Washington, D.C.
The next day, officials at the White House and the Justice Department explained that President Bush did this because there was "specific and credible information that the White House and Air Force One were also intended targets".[63] The White House could not confirm evidence of a threat to Air Force One, and investigation found the original claim to be a result of miscommunication.[64]
Illustration of the VC-25B color scheme announced March 2023
The VC-25As are to be replaced as the cost of maintaining the aging systems on their 30-year-old airframes and less efficient GE-CF6 engines has begun to surpass the cost of acquiring a new aircraft.[65] On 28 January 2015, the Air Force announced that the Boeing 747-8 would be the next presidential aircraft.[66][67] On 6 December 2016, President-elect Donald Trumptweeted his opposition to the Air Force One replacement because of its high cost, "more than $4 billion". The US Government Accountability Office estimated the total cost at $3.2 billion, and the US Air Force's budget for the program is projected to be nearly $4 billion. In December 2016, Boeing was on contract for preliminary development worth $170 million (~$212million in 2023).[68][69][70]
On 1 August 2017, Defense One reported that, in an effort to pay less for the replacement program, the US Air Force contracted to purchase two of the bankrupt Russian airline Transaero's undelivered 747-8 Intercontinentals from Boeing, which was storing them in the Mojave Desert to prevent corrosion. These airplanes, which were completed in 2013,[71] would be retrofitted with all essential equipment to serve as the next presidential aircraft, albeit without certain capabilities such as aerial refueling.[72][73]
Supersonic aircraft
In September 2020, the US Air Force announced several Presidential and Executive Airlift Directorate contracts signed with aircraft manufacturers to begin development of a supersonic aircraft that could function as Air Force One. Contracts have been signed with Exosonic,[74]Hermeus,[75][76] and Boom.[77]
United Airlines is the only commercial airline to have operated Executive One, the call sign given to a civilian flight on which the US president is aboard. On 26 December 1973, President Richard Nixon and his family flew as commercial passengers on a United DC-10 from Washington Dulles to Los Angeles International Airport. His staff explained that this was done to conserve fuel by not having to fly the usual Boeing 707 Air Force aircraft.[82]
On 8 March 2000, President Clinton flew to Pakistan aboard an unmarked Gulfstream III while another aircraft with the call sign Air Force One flew on the same route a few minutes later. This diversion was reported by several US press outlets.[84][85][86]
Several Boeing C-17 Globemaster IIIs typically accompany the president whenever he travels, carrying the presidential limousines and other support vehicles, and have been rumored to have discreetly transported presidents and vice presidents in and out of Iraq and Afghanistan without using the Air Force One call sign.[90][91]
A Boeing C-32 (Boeing 757) that was occasionally used as Air Force One until the arrival of newer C-32s in the 2010s. Today, this plane flies the vice president (serving as Air Force Two) or other senior officials.
Since 1998, the president has occasionally flown aboard an Air Force C-32, a narrow-body jet based on the Boeing 757 airliner.[92][93] The Air Force bought four C-32s in 1996 to fly the president to airports whose runways were too small to accommodate the larger VC-25, or as emergency backup. Today, these aircraft are used to fly vice presidents and other senior officials.[94] The C-32 has also been used by Presidents when use of the VC-25 could present operational risks. For example in 2023 when President Biden traveled to Ukraine via Poland using the C-32 to avoid the publicity of the VC-25.[95]
In the 2010s, the Air Force acquired a second set of four 757s for presidential transport, assigning them tail numbers 90015, 90016, 90017, and 90018. Service officials do not acknowledge that these aircraft exist, although they are routinely photographed in presidential service.[94]
Vice presidents have used a VC-25 on longer trips, using the Air Force Two call sign.[96]
The president regularly flies in helicopters (call sign Marine One) operated by the U.S. Marine Corps.[97]
A Lockheed JetStar used by Lyndon Johnson during his presidency is on display at the LBJ Ranch (now the Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park) in Stonewall, Texas. The ranch's runway was too small to accommodate the Boeing 707, so President Johnson would fly it to Bergstrom AFB in Austin, then transfer to the smaller JetStar for the short flight to the ranch.[98] Another JetStar used during the Johnson presidency is on display at the Hill Aerospace Museum which uncovered presidential markings on the plane while stripping the paint for restoration.[99]
VC-137B SAM 970, used from 1959 to 1962 as Air Force One and until 1996 in the presidential fleet, is on display at The Museum of Flight in Seattle, Washington.[31]
A fictionalized version of Air Force One is depicted in the 1997 feature film Air Force One. The cabin was built to scale and is as accurate as the production designers could possibly make it. "There weren’t any blueprints or floor plans available, so we had to watch CNN to see what the inside looked like," said the film’s director Wolfgang Petersen.[102]
The Boeing 707 is an early American long-range narrow-body airliner, the first jetliner developed and produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Developed from the Boeing 367-80 prototype first flown in 1954, the initial 707-120 first flew on December 20, 1957. Pan Am began regular 707 service on October 26, 1958. With versions produced until 1979, the 707 is a swept wing quadjet with podded engines. Its larger fuselage cross-section allowed six-abreast economy seating, retained in the later 720, 727, 737, and 757 models.
The Douglas DC-6 is a piston-powered airliner and cargo aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company from 1946 to 1958. Originally intended as a military transport near the end of World War II, Douglas reworked it after the war to compete with the Lockheed Constellation in the long-range commercial transport market. Douglas built over 700, and many still fly in cargo, military, and wildfire control roles.
The National Museum of the United States Air Force is the official museum of the United States Air Force located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, six miles (9.7 km) northeast of Dayton, Ohio. The NMUSAF is the oldest and largest military aviation museum in the world, with more than 360 aircraft and missiles on display. The museum is a central component of the National Aviation Heritage Area. The museum draws about a million visitors each year, making it one of the most frequently visited tourist attractions in Ohio.
The Boeing VC-25 is a military version of the Boeing 747 airliner, modified for presidential transport and commonly operated by the United States Air Force (USAF) as Air Force One, the call sign of any U.S. Air Force aircraft carrying the president of the United States.
The Boeing C-32 is the United States Air Force designation for variants of the Boeing 757 in military service. Two variants exist, filling different parts of the military passenger transport role. The C-32A serves the Special Air Mission, providing executive transport and broad communications capabilities to senior political officials, while the C-32B Gatekeeper provides clandestine airlift to special operations and global emergency response efforts, a role known as "covered air".
21 Squadron SAAF is a squadron of the South African Air Force. It was formed as a bomber squadron in Kenya during World War II and became a VIP transport squadron in the 1960s, a role which it performs to this day. The squadron currently flies two Dassault Falcon 50s, two Cessna Citation IIs, a Dassault Falcon 900 and a Boeing BBJ aircraft. 21 Squadron is one of the most active squadrons in the air force with 606 VIP transport flights being made between 2009 and 2012. The Boeing BBJ is used as the presidential aircraft when the President of South Africa travels and designated callsign LMG1.
The Lockheed JetStar is a business jet produced from the early 1960s to the 1970s. The JetStar was the first dedicated business jet to enter service, as well as the only such airplane built by Lockheed. It was also one of the largest aircraft in the class for many years, seating ten plus two crew. It is distinguishable from other small jets by its four engines, mounted on the rear of the fuselage, and the "slipper"-style fuel tanks fixed to the wings.
Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth includes Carswell Field, a military airbase located 5 nautical miles west of the central business district of Fort Worth, in Tarrant County, Texas, United States. This military airfield is operated by the United States Navy Reserve. It is located in the cities of Fort Worth, Westworth Village, and White Settlement in the western part of the Fort Worth urban area.
Air Force Two is the air traffic control designated call sign held by any United States Air Force aircraft carrying the vice president of the United States, but not the president. The term is often associated with the Boeing C-32, a modified 757 which is most commonly used as the vice president's transport. Other 89th Airlift Wing aircraft, such as the Boeing C-40 Clipper, C-20B, C-37A, and C-37B, have also served in this role. The VC-25A, the aircraft most often used by the president as Air Force One, has also been used by the vice president as Air Force Two.
La Crosse Regional Airport is a public airport located 5 nautical miles northwest of La Crosse, a city in La Crosse County, Wisconsin, United States. Until August 2013 the airport was called La Crosse Municipal Airport.
Air transports for heads of state and government are, in many countries, provided by the air force in specially equipped airliners or business jets. One such aircraft in particular has become part of popular culture: Air Force One, used by the President of the United States and operated by the United States Air Force. Other well-known official aircraft include the Russian presidential aircraft, the British Royal Air Force VIP aircraft, the French Cotam 001, the Royal Canadian Air Force VIP aircraft, the German Konrad Adenauer, the Royal Australian Airforce VIP aircraft, the Japanese Air Force One, the South Korean Code One, the Indian Air India One, the Brazilian Air Force One, and the Israeli Wing of Zion.
The 1254th Air Transport Wing was a United States Air Force unit, existing between 1948 and 1966. It was last stationed at Andrews AFB, Maryland.
SAM 27000 was the second of two Boeing VC-137C United States Air Force aircraft that were specifically configured and maintained for the use of the president of the United States. It used the call sign Air Force One when the president was on board, and at other times it used the call sign SAM 27000, with SAM indicating 'Special Air Mission.' The VC-137C serial number 72-7000 was a customized version of the Boeing 707 which entered service during the Nixon administration in 1972. It served all US presidents until George W. Bush and was retired in 2001. It is now on display at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.
SAM 26000 was the first of two Boeing VC-137C United States Air Force aircraft specifically configured and maintained for use by the President of the United States. It used the callsign Air Force One when the president was on board, otherwise SAM 26000, with SAM indicating Special Air Mission.
The United States Air Force Special Air Mission provides air transportation for the president of the United States (POTUS), vice president of the United States (VPOTUS), first lady of the United States (FLOTUS), presidential Cabinet, U.S. congressional delegations (CODELs), and other high-ranking American and foreign dignitaries.
The Boeing C-137 Stratoliner is a retired VIP transport aircraft derived from the Boeing 707 jet airliner used by the United States Air Force. Other nations also bought both new and used 707s for military service, primarily as VIP or tanker transports. In addition, the 707 served as the basis for several specialized versions, such as the E-3 Sentry AWACS aircraft. The designation C-18 covers several later variants based on the 707-320B/C series. The C-137 should not be confused with the similar Boeing C-135 Stratolifter; although they share a common ancestor the two aircraft have different fuselages, among other structural differences.
The Indonesian presidential aircraft, also known as Indonesian Air Force Zero One with the serial number A-001 is the presidential aircraft carrying the president and vice president of Indonesia. The aircraft was designed to meet the minimum safety and security standards to support the VVIP air transportation needs of the Indonesian president, and includes a modest self-defense system.
↑ Price, Mark J. (23 November 2014). "Local history: Cuyahoga Falls aviator Billy Draper named 'Air Force One' as Eisenhower's pilot". Akron Beacon Journal.
1 2 Thomma, Steve (20 May 1998). "Presidential Plane Heads for History; This Air Force One Served Every President Since Kennedy. A Museum is Next". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p.A14.
↑ "Body of LBJ Lies in State in Washington". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. 25 January 1973. p.1. Lyndon B. Johnson returned in death... to a capital... aboard the presidential jet... (that) bore... serial number 26000.
↑ "President John Fitzgerald Kennedy Gravesite". Arlington National Cemetery. United States Army. Retrieved 8 December 2019. Fifty Navy and Air Force jets flew overhead, followed by Air Force One, which dipped its wing in a final tribute.
↑ Karni, Annie (5 February 2021). "After Years in Government, Biden Has a New Perk: Air Force One". The New York Times. ISSN0362-4331. Archived from the original on 5 February 2021. Retrieved 6 February 2021. Mr. Biden rode on Air Force One on Friday afternoon, but not the one that has so delighted his predecessors. He jogged up the stairs of the Boeing 757-200, which is a smaller, narrow-body jet used for smaller airports like the one Mr. Biden was set to arrive at in Wilmington.
Johnson, Lyndon Baines (1971). The Vantage Point: Perspectives of the Presidency, 1963–1969. New York: Holt, Rinehart, & Winston. ISBN978-0-03084-492-8.
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