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Air Force One

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OverviewOverviewVideoVideoPhotosPhotosThe PlaneThe PlaneBuild ItBuild ItFactsFacts

Lt. Col O'Boyle flying Air Force One

INSIDE AIR FORCE ONE

Fifty years after its debut, Air Force One is still flying high.

Air Force One’s inaugural flight took place on January 11, 1959, and the first model was a Boeing 707-320B airliner.

First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy selected the color scheme for Air Force One’s signature paint job.

Lyndon Johnson took the the presidential oath of office aboard Air Force One on the tarmac in Dallas following John F. Kennedy’s assassination on November 22, 1963.

First Lady Nancy Reagan designed the interior of the current Air Force One, styling it in a Desert Southwest motif.

The current Air Force One flew its first presidential mission on September 6, 1990, flying President George H.W. Bush first to Kansas, then to Florida, and finally back to Washington, D.C.

The Air Force operates two identical planes that are used to carry the President. Neither aircraft can be called “Air Force One” until the President steps aboard. The second plane, which carries the Vice President, is referred to as “Air Force Two.”

During presidential tours, Air Force One is accompanied by at least two C-5 Galaxy aircrafts carrying cargo that includes a bulletproof limousine; a top-of-the-line ambulance; at least one backup limo, often with many more for use as decoys; and occasionally even the President’s personal helicopter, Marine One.

Many of the more outlandish gizmos featured in Hollywood films owe more to artistic license than to airborne fact. For example, unlike in the film Air Force One, the real thing has no super-secret escape pod. It isn’t equipped with parachutes, either -- the massive slipstream created by an aircraft of its size makes them impossible to use.

When he left office, President Ronald Reagan stated that he hoped one day to be able to share Air Force One with the American people. In 2005, his wish was granted. Visitors to the Reagan Library are able to board the Air Force One that served as the “Flying White House” for President Reagan and six other U.S. presidents from 1973-2001.

National Geographic Channel