Inside a Historic Air Force One Plane Used by 8 Presidents, SAM 26000

The Boeing VC-137C was a customized and modified version of a civilian 707-320B airliner. It was powered by four Pratt & Whitney TF33 engines, each with 18,000 pounds of thrust.

The first lady also added the words “United States of America” to the aircraft to signal its importance as the president’s plane.

President Lyndon Johnson was sworn in as president aboard the plane hours after Kennedy was pronounced dead.

Admission to the National Museum of the US Air Force is free.

SAM 26000 is located in the museum’s William E. Boeing Presidential Gallery, which includes other presidential planes such as the Douglas VC-54C, the first presidential aircraft, which was known as the “Sacred Cow.”

The crew consisted of a pilot, copilot, navigator, and flight engineer. The navigator and flight engineer roles were eventually replaced by GPS and computerized technology on later Air Force One planes.

A plaque above the phones read, “This telephone is subject to monitoring at all times. Use of this telephone constitutes consent to monitoring.”

The closet also had a rack to hang suits and coats.

The secure communication center allowed presidents to place calls anywhere in the world while in flight.

The galley included a stovetop, oven, and sink.

The aircraft could hold up to 40 passengers.

The seating area, like many areas of the plane, is now protected by plastic barricades.

Stationed at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, the 89th Airlift Wing is tasked with flying the president and high-ranking government officials. The group is also referred to as “SAM FOX,” which stands for “Special Air Missions Foreign.”

The benches in the hallway were hollow to offer additional storage.

In 1969, Nixon redesigned Air Force One and moved the presidential quarters over the wings, which was the quietest and smoothest part of the plane during flight.

Presidents used the white phone to communicate with crew members and other passengers on the plane, while the beige phone could be used to call anywhere in the world.

The room was furnished with throne chairs, a folding table, and another TV.

Presidents Nixon, Ford, and Carter sat here while flying to attend Egyptian President Anwar El-Sadat’s funeral in 1981.

Presidents used the electric typewriter to write and edit speeches while on board the plane.

The wall of the office space was decorated with a map of the United States.

Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963, while visiting Dallas. He was pronounced dead at Parkland Memorial Hospital at 1 p.m., and Johnson took the oath of office at 2:38 p.m.

Jacqueline Kennedy’s pink suit was still smeared with blood when Federal Judge Sarah T. Hughes administered the oath of office on Air Force One. Johnson’s wife, Lady Bird Johnson, stood to his right.

Even blocked off by plastic barricades, the plane’s cabin preserves a pivotal moment in US history.

The Secret Service had to break the handles off the casket to make it fit through the plane door.

The seating area featured six seats, a phone, and a folding table.

According to US Flag Code, an American flag decal must always be positioned so that the stars face forward.

Like many modes of presidential transportation, such as the bulletproof limousine known as “The Beast” and the Marine One helicopter, Air Force One is about more than simply getting the president from point A to point B. It symbolizes the power of the United States and its elected leader wherever it goes.

The image projected by presidential planes remains of great interest to President Donald Trump, who opted to accept a luxurious Boeing 747-8 jet from the Qatari royal family instead of waiting for Boeing to deliver its long-delayed new Air Force One jets.