Air Force One SAM 26000 and SAM 27000 (1962-2001)

Air Force One 26000 and 27000 (1962-2001)
Air Force One SAM 26000
Type Of Activity	Presidential Transport
Location
Location	Worldwide
Date of Activity	Oct 1962 to  June 2001
Coordinates	33°40′34″N 117°43′52″W

The primary presidential aircraft, number SAM s Air Force Base, Md.

When the president is aboard either aircraft, or any other Air Force aircraft, the radio call sign "Air Force One" is used for all communications and air traffic control identification purposes.

Principal differences between the C-137C and the standard Boeing 707 aircraft are the electronic and communications equipment carried by the presidential aircraft, and its interior configuration and furnishings. Passenger cabins are partitioned into several sections: a communications center, the presidential quarters, and a staff/office compartment. There is limited seating for passengers,

including members of the news media.

Background

Aircraft SAM 26000 is the most famous and widely known Air Force aircraft. It joined the presidential fleet on Oct. 12, 1962.

Originally painted red the Kennedys had the aircraft redesigned

 into the iconic blue it is today

In May 1963, on a trip to Moscow with a U.S. delegation, aircraft SAM 26000 set 14 speed records, including the Washington to Moscow record of 8 hours, 38 minutes, 42 seconds.

President Kennedy and the First Lady arrive at a rally in Houston

This was the same  aircraft  in  which President John F. Kennedy flew  to  Dallas, Texas, on Nov. 22, 1963, and in which his body was returned to Washington, D.C., following his assassination.

LBJ becomes President aboard SAM 26000

Lyndon B. Johnson was  sworn into office as the 36th president of the United States on board the aircraft at Love Field  in Dallas the same  day.  

LBJ visits Vietnam in 1965 unannounced while attending the Manila Summit Conference

This  aircraft  was  also used to return President Johnson's  body  to Texas following a State funeral in Washington, D.C., Jan. 24, 1973.

In 1967, Don Cammel was departing Camp David for Andrews AFB to await departure of AF-1 to the LBJ Ranch. He was a month shy of 21 years old, and really didn't understand the magnitude of flying on AF-1 as a passenger with the President on board. He blinked when Lady Bird was asking if anyone played Bridge, so he ended up became her partner in the back Suite for a Bridge game enroute to the Ranch (landed at Randolph AFB). He still remembers that first trip TDY like it was yesterday. During the Bridge game, He was so focused on the cards, he never saw the President walk past their table multiple times. 

President Richard M. Nixon used aircraft SAM 26000 extensively during the first four years of his administration. 

Air Force One at El Toro MCAS while visiting San Clemente

My first experience in working with SAM 2600 was while I was assigned to San Clemente in 1970 our detachment worked all of the arrivals and departures at El Toro,  We plugged in the ramp phone and  the other circuits into the nose of SAM 2600 for the onboard telephones to connect the aircraft to the San Clemente switchboard.  When the President departed we disconnected all of the phones.

His most widely  heralded trips included the around-the-world trip in July 1969, to the Peoples Republic of China in February 1972, and to the  Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in May· of that same year.

President Nixon dubbed SAM 2600 the Spirit of 76 a short time before leaving for Beijing

Aircraft SAM 27000 has established its own history and reputation. This aircraft was accepted by the Air Force on Aug. 4, 1972 and was placed into service after nearly 200 hours of service testing and evaluation. It was first used by President Nixon on Feb. 8, 1973.

President Gerald R. Ford first used aircraft SAM 27000 on Aug. 19, 1974, when he flew from Andrews Air Force Base to Chicago to address the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention. 

President Ford arrives in Chicago Note: The state of the art Ramp Phone

He later traveled overseas on a 7-day State visit to the Far East and visited Tokyo and Osaka, Japan,  Seoul, Korea, and Vladivostok, Russia.

President Ford on one of his overseas trips on SAM 27000 in 1975

Also, in May 1975, he made his first trip to Europe, visiting Belgium, Spain, Austria, and Italy. In July and August 1975, President Ford returned to Europe to visit the Federal Republic of Germany, Poland, Finland, Hungary, and Yugoslavia. He flew to France in November 1975; and to the Peoples Republic of China, Indonesia, and the Philippines in December 1975.

President Jimmy Carter made his first trip aboard aircraft SAM 27000 on March 16, 1977

President Carter visited three states, including New York where he addressed the United Nations General Assembly when he first used SAM 27000. His first overseas trip was made to England and Switzerland in May 1977. In December 1977 and January 1978, President Carter flew to Poland, Iran, India, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, France, and Belgium. He flew to Venezuela, Brazil, Nigeria and Liberia in March 1978; Panama in June 1978; the Federal Republic of Germany in July 1978; Israel in March 1979; Austria, Japan, and Korea in June 1979; and Italy, Yugoslavia, Spain, and Portugal in June 1980.

On Feb. 19, 1981, President Ronald W. Reagan first flew in aircraft SAM 27000 for a  brief trip to Santa Barbara, Calif. He returned to Andrews Air Force Base, Md., on Feb. 22, 1981. In March 1981, President Reagan flew to Canada.

President Reagan stops by the Communications Center aboard SAM 27000

President Reagan aboard SAM 27000

Ronald Reagan was SAM 27000's most frequent flyer, flying longer and farther than all the other presidents who flew on it, traveling more than 675,000 miles aboard it. Reagan used Air Force One to travel to all parts of the world to pursue his ambitious diplomatic goals, taking three trips to Asia, six to Europe, and twelve trips to foreign places in the Western Hemisphere. Reagan flew to three of his four summit meetings with Soviet Leader Mikhail Gorbachev aboard SAM 27000: Geneva, Reykjavík, and Moscow (one was held in Washington, D.C.).

The Reagans' last flight aboard the plane was on January 20, 1989, when the now-former President and First Lady flew back to California.

SAM 27000 at the Reagan Library

The Presidential Aircraft SAM 27000 with the Air Force designation C-137C. was officially retired in  2001 and has been on display at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library since 2005.

SAM 27000 Cockpit

USAF VC-137C Communications Systems Operator using Kleinschmidt terminal
(1970s or early 1980s)

Specifications

         Primary function: Presidential transportation

Prime contractor: The  Boeing Company

Thrust: 18,000 lb. each engine

Power plant/manufacturer: Four Pratt & Whitney JT3D-3B turbofan engines

Dimensions: wingspan 145 ft. 9 in, length 152 ft. 11 in, height 42 ft. 5 in

Speed: 540 mph

Ceiling: 42,000 feet

Range: 7,140 miles

Load: up to 50 passengers

Crew: 18

Maximum takeoff weight: 336,000 lb

Status: Retired