Did you know that while the United States Air Force One is valued at $1.6 billion, the next model to be built in 2024 is said to cost $3.9 billion, and that Franklin D. Roosevelt, the 32nd President of the U.S., was the first president to fly in an aircraft on January 11, 1943, while in office?

Air Force One is the official air traffic control designated call sign for a United States Air Force (USAF) aircraft carrying the president of the United States. The first aircraft obtained specifically for U.S. presidential travel was a Douglas Dolphin amphibian delivered in 1933 which was designated RD-2 by the US Navy and based at the naval base at Anacostia D.C. The Dolphin was modified with luxury upholstery for four passengers and a small separate sleeping compartment, and it remained in service as a presidential transport from 1933 until 1939.

Concerned about relying upon commercial airlines to transport the president, officials of the United States Army Air Forces, the predecessor to the US Air Force, ordered the conversion of a military aircraft to accommodate the special needs of the commander-in-chief. The first dedicated aircraft proposed for presidential use was a C-87A VIP transport aircraft. This aircraft, number 41-24159, was modified in 1943 for use as a presidential VIP transport, the Guess Where II, intended to carry President Franklin D. Roosevelt on international trips. Had it been accepted, it would have been the first aircraft to be used in presidential service. 

The Secret Service subsequently reconfigured a Douglas C-54 Skymaster for presidential transport duty. The VC-54C aircraft, nicknamed the Sacred Cow, included a sleeping area, radiotelephone, and retractable battery powered elevator to lift Roosevelt in his wheelchair. As modified, the VC-54C was used by President Roosevelt only once before his death, on his trip to the Yalta Conference in February 1945.

The National Security Act of 1947, the legislation that created the US Air Force, was signed by President Harry S. Truman while on board the VC-54C. He replaced the VC-54C in 1947 with a modified C-118 Liftmaster, calling it the Independence after his Missouri hometown. It was given a distinctive exterior, as its nose was painted like the head of a bald eagle. The plane, which included a stateroom in the aft fuselage and a main cabin that could seat 24 passengers or could be made up into 12 sleeper berths, is now housed at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio.

President Eisenhower introduced four propeller-driven aircraft to presidential service. This group included two Lockheed C-121 Constellations, aircraft Columbine II (VC-121A 48-610) and Columbine III (VC-121E 53-7885). They were named by First Lady Mamie Eisenhower for the columbine, official state flower of her adopted home state of Colorado. In addition, two Aero Commanders were also added to the fleet.

Columbine II is the first plane to bear the call sign Air Force One. This designation for the US Air Force aircraft carrying the incumbent president was established after an incident in 1953, when Eastern Air Lines 8610, a commercial flight, crossed paths with Air Force 8610, which was carrying President Eisenhower. Initially used informally, the designation became official in 1962.

In the summer of 2018, the U.S. Air Force and Boeing announced they had finalized a contract for the acquisition of two 747-8 aircraft that will eventually serve as the new Air Force One fleet. The planes, which are expected to be delivered in 2024, will undergo a thorough design review and will be modified to meet the very specific needs of the president of the United States. The program will cost tax payers $3.9 billion.

Here are some facts and the different compartments in the United Air Force One.

◼️ There are actually two entrances to the Air Force One. The president, his family and special guests use the front entrance here, near the nose of the plane; while journalists board the plane in the rear. Traveling press are seated in the very back. They don't fly for free: News organizations must reimburse the government for the cost of travel.
 

◼️ Air Force One's has a 4,000-square-foot interior and is reported to have 85 telephones and numerous televisions. The plane offers the president a lot more room than he'd get on a commercial airliner. There are even couches and phones in the hallways, allowing for impromptu meetings.

◼️ The specially configured Boeing 747-200B is arguably the most important aircraft in the world. It has now served five U.S. presidents in times of both peace and crisis, acting as a mobile While House in the sky.

◼️ The 232-foot long aircraft features four jet engines, each with 56,700 pounds of thrust. It has a max speed of 630 miles per hour (Mach 0.92) and can fly as high as 45,100 feet. Its range is 7,800 statute miles, though it can be refueled in-air in case of emergency.

◼️ There are two identical Air Force One planes. The Air Mobility Command's 89th Airlift Wing of the U.S. Air Force currently maintains two identical Boeing 747-200B planes at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland for presidential use: SAM 28000 and SAM 29000. One is always ready, even when the other is in maintenance.

◼️ The most important spaces aboard Air Force One are located near the president's entrance in the front of the plane. That's where you'll find the president's private office. The office was upgraded after the September 11, 2001 terror attacks with telecommunications equipment necessary to address the nation from the skies. The president's private suite, located in the nose of the plane, has foldable couches and a private bathroom. The southwestern decor theme seen here was designed by Nancy Reagan.

◼️ Medical staff is always on board the Air Force One in the medical compartment, staffed with a nurse, supply of blood, drugs and a defibrillator.

◼️ Down the hallway toward the back of the plane is the senior staff room. There a president can hold meetings and discuss policy with staffers. Larger meetings are held in the conference room, adjacent to the senior staff room. It often doubles as a dining room. Past the conference room is the Air Force One staff room. There are 85 phone lines and 19 televisions on each of the two identical planes, allowing the White House to stay in touch with events on the ground.

◼️ The elaborate meals served aboard Air Force One are prepared inside a special kitchen at Joint Base Andrews. Each entree is vacuum sealed and frozen on the ground; the cooking process is completed on stoves, ovens and microwaves in the plane's galley kitchen. The president can order just about any meal he'd like.

◼️ Members of Congress and other invitees of the president sit in the Air Force One's guest section. It's the front-most seating section for security reasons: Secret Service allows passengers to move freely toward the rear while in flight, but guests are never allowed to walk forward past their own seat.

◼️ Following its retirement, SAM 27000, the plane used by Presidents Nixon through George W. Bush, was disassembled and shipped to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California.

Sources: CBS News | Wikipedia

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