In 2015, the US Air Force announced that it will order a pair of new Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental-based presidential aircraft set to enter service in 2024.
However, with more than a quarter century under its belt, the VC-25A's time as the primary presidential transport is drawing to an end.
President-elect Donald Trump will be the next president to travel aboard the VC-25A.
... George W. Bush and ...
Thus far, the VC-25As have served Presidents George H.W. Bush...
In addition, the planes feature midair refueling capabilities, advanced satellite communications, self-sufficiency capabilities at foreign airports, electronics countermeasures, and missile defense systems.
The two planes — SAM 28000 and SAM 29000 — remain in service today. The flying Oval Offices feature 4,000 square feet of interior space incorporating presidential living quarters, work areas, meeting rooms, and 2 galleys capable of serving 100 people at a time.
After several delays, the duo of Boeing 747-200 derived VC-25A jets entered service in 1990 during the administration of President George H.W. Bush.
Which is why President Reagan and the US Air Force ordered a pair of new presidential jets based on the most recognizable airplane the United States has ever produced — the Boeing 747.
By the mid-1980s, the Air Force's fleet of VC-137Cs were beginning to show their age.
Which is why the plane can now be found at the Reagan Presidential Library.
The president that clocked the most miles on board SAM 27000 was Ronald Reagan.
Unfortunately for President Nixon, the jet was also tasked with taking him home to California after his resignation in 1974. As President Ford was sworn in, the pilot of the aircraft famously called in to air traffic control to announce that the flight's call sign had changed from Air Force One to SAM 27000. As a result, SAM 27000 made 1,440 takeoffs as Air Force One, but only made 1439 landings with the presidential callsign.
In 1972, President Nixon took delivery of a second VC-137C call sign SAM 27000. The new plane took over as the president's primary aircraft with SAM 26000 serving as the backup.
During its 36-year career, SAM 26000 flew eight sitting presidents including Ford, Nixon, and Carter — pictured here.
In fact, 26000 took President Nixon on his historic trip to China in 1972.
... and the majority of the Nixon administration.
Post-Kennedy, SAM 26000 went on to serve as the primary presidential aircraft for the Johnson...
The aircraft was also tasked with transporting President Kennedy's body back to Washington. Here, the president's coffin is unloaded at Andrews Air Force Base under the guidance of the First Lady.
Unfortunately, President Kennedy didn't get to use SAM 26000 for very long. The 35th President of the United States was assassinated in Dallas on November 22, 1963. Vice-President Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn-in as the 36th commander-in-chief aboard the SAM 26000.
Decked out in blue, white, and silver with the words "United States of America" emblazoned on its side, SAM 26000's livery became the most iconic in aviation history. The airplane's look is the brainchild of legendary industrial designer Raymond Loewy. Former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy is also said to have contributed to the stunning design.
Even though President Eisenhower had been known to use Air Force Boeing VC-137A jets during his time in office, SAM 26000 was first purpose-built presidential jet transport.
That's because on October 10, 1962, the US Air Force and President John F. Kennedy took delivery a new Boeing 707-320B-based VC-137C known as Special Air Mission or SAM 26000.
The VC-121E would be the last non-jet-powered plane to serve as the official presidential aircraft.
In November of 1954, the US Air Force took delivery of a new personal aircraft for President Eisenhower — a heavily modified Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation called the VC-121E. In fact, it was the only VC-121E ever built. Christened the "Columbine III", the Lockheed plane served the president until 1961.
That year, a Lockheed Constellation — christened "Columbine II" after the state flower of Colorado — took over the presidential flying duties. In 1953, an air traffic controller confused the airplane carrying President Eisenhower with an Eastern Airlines flight using a similar call sign. The incident helped bring about the use of the designation "Air Force One."
... A full kitchen. The aircraft served in the presidential fleet until 1953.
It also features dedicated meeting space for the president and...
The VC-118 is a civilian Douglas DC-6 — the 26th to roll off the production line — that was modified on orders from the Air Force for presidential duty. The Independence has room for 24 seated passengers or 12 sleeper berths.
On July 4, 1947, Truman replaced the Sacred Cow with a new aircraft — a Douglas VC-118. The new plane was christened "Independence" after the 33rd president's hometown in Missouri. On August 31 of that year, it made its first official presidential trip to a conference in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The first aircraft to be custom built for presidential use was a Douglas VC-54C nicknamed "Sacred Cow." The Sacred Cow famously transported Roosevelt to the Yalta Conference.
Instead, the first official presidential flight took place on January 14, 1943 when FDR crossed the Atlantic Ocean in a Boeing 314 Clipper— similar to the one pictured below — on a trip to Casablanca, Morocco.
It wasn't until 1933 that the government actually acquired an aircraft specifically for presidential travel. That year, a Douglas Dolphin amphibious plane — similar to the one pictured below — was specially outfitted for President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Unfortunately, FDR never flew in the Dolphin.
It all started with Theodore Roosevelt — a true American pioneer. The 26th president was the first to fly in an airplane. More than a year after leaving office, he flew in a Wright Flyer on October 10, 1910.
Today, presidential air travel is a massive, highly coordinated operation. However, this wasn't always the case.
