Air Force One: History and timeline

President Trump's controversial decision to accept a luxury jetliner from Qatar and turn it into Air Force One is the latest milestone in 82 years of presidential flying.

What to Know About the History of Air Force One (courtesy: Britannica)

Any aircraft of the U.S. Air Force that is carrying the president of the United States is referred to as ‘Air Force One’, although that hasn’t always been the case. There have many different planes that have transported U.S. presidents and President Trump recently decided to add another: a 747-8 gifted to the Pentagon by the Gulf state of Qatar. Trump has grown impatient waiting for Boeing to finish building two new planes that he commissioned in his first term. Thus, he is flying on the same two identical Boeing 747-200B jumbo jets (bearing the tail numbers 28000 and 29000) that have now been in service since 1990/91.

Here is some history and notable dates for Air Force One:

1943

The first American president to fly while in office was Franklin D. Roosevelt, who in January 1943 flew aboard a commercial Boeing 314 Clipper flying boat to Morocco, during WWII. Late in the war, the U.S. Army Air Forces took possession of a Douglas C-54 Skymaster that had been specially built for presidential use. This four-engine transport plane had a range of 4,000 miles and could land at any sizable airfield in the world. It was officially designated VC-54A but was known among irreverent journalists as the “Sacred Cow.” It remained in service until 1947 and is now on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio.

1947

President Harry S. Truman’s dedicated airplane was a modified Douglas C-118 Liftmaster (a military version of the DC-6 airliner) and was officially designated VC-118. Truman, however, named it the Independence after his hometown in Missouri. Among other advances, the plane had pressurized cabins and could carry 24 passengers outside of the presidential stateroom.

1953

President Dwight Eisenhower’s first personal transport, starting in 1953, was a customized C-121, the military version of the Lockheed Constellation airliner. Designated VC-121E, it was christened the Columbine II—the columbine being the official flower of Colorado, the adopted home state of Mamie Eisenhower.

1959

The Eisenhower era saw Air Force One brought into the jet age. In August 1959 Eisenhower first flew aboard VC-137A, a Boeing 707 Stratoliner nicknamed “Queenie” that had been part of the administration’s air fleet. Queenie contained a special telecommunications section, forward and aft passenger compartments (a total of 40 passengers could be accommodated), a conference area, and a stateroom. Replaced as the primary presidential airplane in 1962, it remained in the presidential fleet until retirement in 1996.

1962

During the administration of John F. Kennedy, the first jet specifically built for presidential use was delivered—another Boeing 707, given the tail number 26000 and the official designation VC-137C but known universally as Air Force One. This jet, with its distinctive blue-and-white color scheme, became a lasting symbol of the power and prestige of the U.S. presidency. Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn in on this plane in 1963 after Kennedy’s assassination. It continued to serve as the primary or backup Air Force One during the administrations of Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush.

1972

 A sister aircraft, with tail number 27000, was added to the Air Force One ‘fleet’. Both planes went through several refittings before being replaced for duty as Air Force One in 1990–91 by the current pair of 747s.