Presidential History

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One of the things I wanted to see at the Air Force Museum was the display of retired Air Force One planes. One of the newest segments of the museum is the collection of presidential planes. They have every retired Air Force One going back to FDR. Most of each plane is plexiglassed off, to preserve it. The thing I noticed about FDR’s plane was how incredibly narrow it was in the aisle (even without the plexiglass). I asked a guide about FDR’s wheelchair and how he managed to navigate through those narrow corridors. The guide said that there was an elevator in the back of the plane; however, Roosevelt didn’t like air travel and only used the plane one time, preferring to use trains as his primary mode of transportation. The most significant plane on display is the plane that served as Air Force One from 1960 until retirement in 1988. This was the plane that took JFK to Dallas in 1963. There’s a sign on the wall explaining that the Secret Service had to remove seats in order to make room for JFK’s casket, as Jackie did not want the coffin in the cargo hole. It also details the area where LBJ took the oath of office before departing Dallas to head back to Washington. I recently saw a documentary on Air Force One (which is a call sign: if the president is on a commercial airplane, that becomes Air Force One), which piqued my interest in seeing the display. It was definitely the highlight of an amazing museum.