Air Force One 26000 and 27000 (1962-2001) | |||
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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.
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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.
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.
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| President Kennedy and the First Lady arrive at a rally in Houston |
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| 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. This aircraft was also used to return President Johnson's body to Texas following a State funeral in Washington, D.C., Jan. 24, 1973.
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| LBJ visits Vietnam in 1965 unannounced while attending the Manila Summit Conference |
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.
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| Air Force One at El Toro MCAS while visiting San Clemente |
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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| President Ford on one of his overseas trips on SAM 27000 in 1975 |
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| 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.
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| President Reagan stops by the Communications Center aboard SAM 27000 |
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| 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.
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| SAM 27000 at the Reagan Library |
The Presidential Aircraft SAM 27000 with the Air Force designation C-137C. was officially retired in 2001.
President Richard Nixon first used the Presidential Aircraft SAM 27000 in 1972, when he made his historic trip to China and famously his final trip to his San Clemente, California home following his resignation in 1974.
President Ronald Reagan sent predecessor President Jimmy Carter to West Germany to greet the 52 American hostages freed from Iran in 1981.
Reagan used Air Force One more than any other president, registering over 660,000 miles aboard the plane.
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| SAM 27000 Cockpit |
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| USAF VC-137C Communications Systems Operator using Kleinschmidt terminal (1970s or early 1980s) President George H.W. Bush was the last to use the SAM 27000 model as a primary means of transportation, and President George W. Bush was the last to use it as Air Force One when he and First Lady Laura Bush flew to TSTC Waco Airport in 2001. The Presidential Aircraft SAM 26000 with the Air Force designation C-137C. was officially retired in 1998 and is on display at Wright-Patterson AFB, near Dayton OH while SAM 27000 has been on display at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Semi Valley CA since 2005 |
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
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
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