Inside the First Presidential Aircraft, ‘the Flying White House’

The first presidential plane was built at the order of General Henry “Hap” Arnold, one of the world’s first military aviators who learned to fly from the Wright brothers, according to the US Air Force.

Only one VC-54C plane was ever built using a fuselage from a C-54A and wings from a C-54B.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt flew on the plane just one time — a visit to Crimea for the Yalta Conference in 1945 — before his death later that year. His successor, President Harry Truman, took more frequent trips.

The nickname “Sacred Cow” was a nod to “the high security surrounding the aircraft and its special status,” according to a plaque at the museum.”

The Douglas VC-54C is now one of several presidential planes on display in the museum’s William E. Boeing Presidential Gallery.

The plane was powered by four Pratt and Whitney R-2000 engines, each with 1,450 horsepower. At top speed, it flew at 300 miles per hour.

The radio room featured a telephone that the president could use to communicate with staff on the ground. In the days before air traffic control, a navigator worked at the fold-out table to determine the plane’s positioning and flight path.

The galley, where crew members prepared meals, also featured a sink and stovetop.

The cabin wasn’t pressurized, so passengers had to wear oxygen masks when flying at high altitudes.

The plane featured seven crew members and could hold 15 passengers.

The square window behind the desk where the president sat was the only bulletproof window on board.

The room also featured a fold-out bed hidden behind the sofa and a private bathroom.

The elevator shaft was located across from the executive conference room, allowing Roosevelt easy access to the space.

The area also featured another lavatory.

Staff at the National Museum of the US Air Force spent 10 years and 34,000 hours restoring the Sacred Cow to its former glory. The display provides a rare look inside an early presidential aircraft and shows how far Air Force One has come in under a century.