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{{Short description|USAF aircraft carrying the US president}}
{{About||the current aircraft most commonly used as Air Force One|Boeing VC-25|the 1997 film|Air Force One (film){{!}}''Air Force One'' (film)|the Nike sneaker|Nike Air Force|other uses|Air Force One (disambiguation)}}
{{Use American English|date=September 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2025}}
[[File:United States Air Force Boeing VC-25 (92-9000) landing at Dayton International Airport (1).jpg|thumb|SAM 29000, one of <!--the-->two [[Boeing VC-25|VC-25As]] used as Air Force One, approaching [[Dayton International Airport]] in October 2012]]

'''Air Force One''' is the official [[air traffic control]]-designated [[Aviation call signs|call sign]] for a [[United States Air Force]] aircraft carrying the [[president of the United States]]. The term is commonly used to denote U.S. Air Force aircraft modified and used to transport the president, and as a [[metonym]] for the primary presidential aircraft, [[Boeing VC-25|VC-25]], although it can be used to refer to any Air Force aircraft the president travels on.<ref name="The White House">{{Cite web |title=Air Force One |url=https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/air-force-one/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220706062848/https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/the-grounds/air-force-one/ |archive-date=6 July 2022 |access-date=6 April 2019 |website=The White House}}</ref><ref name="AF1fact">{{cite web |title=Fact check: Any plane carrying the US president is called 'Air Force One' |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-factcheck-air-force-one-biden/fact-check-any-plane-carrying-the-u-s-president-is-called-air-force-one-idUSKBN2AC27J |website=reuters.com |date=12 February 2021}}</ref>

The idea of designating specific [[military aircraft]] to [[Transportation of the President of the United States|transport the president]] arose during [[World War II]] when military advisors in the [[United States Department of War|Department of War]] were concerned about the risk of using commercial airlines for presidential travel. In 1944, the [[Douglas C-54 Skymaster]] was converted for use as the first purpose-built presidential aircraft.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Douglas VC-54C "Sacred Cow" |url=https://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/Visit/Museum-Exhibits/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/195813/douglas-vc-54c-sacred-cow/ |website=National Museum of the U.S. Air Force}}</ref> Dubbed the ''Sacred Cow'' and operated by the [[United States Army Air Forces|U.S. Army Air Force]], it carried President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] to the [[Yalta Conference]] in February 1945 and was used for another two years by President [[Harry S. Truman]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=C-54M Skymaster – Air Mobility Command Museum |url=https://amcmuseum.org/at-the-museum/aircraft/c-54m-skymaster/ |access-date=10 July 2024 |language=en-US}}</ref>

The "Air Force One" [[military call sign|call sign]] was created in 1954, after a [[Lockheed Constellation]] carrying President [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]] entered the same airspace as a commercial airline flight using the same [[flight number]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Price |first=Mark J. |date=23 November 2014 |title=Local history: Cuyahoga Falls aviator Billy Draper named 'Air Force One' as Eisenhower's pilot |work=[[Akron Beacon Journal]]}}</ref> Since the introduction of ''[[VC-137C SAM 26000|SAM 26000]]'' in 1962, the primary presidential aircraft has carried the distinctive [[Aircraft livery|livery]] designed by [[Raymond Loewy]].<ref name=preptjb>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=p7szAAAAIBAJ&sjid=fPADAAAAIBAJ&pg=4377%2C4877909 |work=Spokesman-Review |location=Spokane, Washington |agency=Associated Press |title=Boeing 747 to receive presidential paint job |date=28 June 1990 |page=B6}}</ref><ref name="CNN Style">{{cite news |last1=Prisco |first1=Jacopo |title=Out of the blue: A look back at Air Force One's classic design |url=https://www.cnn.com/style/article/air-force-one-trump-design-history/index.html |access-date=28 June 2021 |agency=CNN |date=3 July 2019}}</ref>

Other aircraft designated as Air Force One have included another Lockheed Constellation, ''Columbine III''; three [[Boeing 707]]s, introduced in the 1960s and 1970s; and the current [[Boeing VC-25|Boeing VC-25As]]. Since 1990, the presidential fleet has consisted of two highly customized [[Boeing 747-200#747-200|Boeing 747-200B]] (VC-25A) aircraft.<ref name=preptjb/> The USAF has ordered two [[Boeing 747-8]]s to serve as the next presidential aircraft, designated VC-25Bs and expected to enter service no earlier than 2026.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Weisgerber |first=Marcus |date=27 April 2022 |title=CEO: Boeing Should Have Rejected Trump's Air Force One Deal |url=https://www.defenseone.com/business/2022/04/ceo-boeing-should-have-rejected-trumps-air-force-one-deal/366186/ |access-date=26 October 2024 |website=Defense One |language=en}}</ref>

From time to time, presidents have invited other world leaders to travel with them on Air Force One. In 1973, President [[Richard Nixon]] invited Soviet leader [[Leonid Brezhnev]] to fly with him to [[California]] from [[Washington, D.C.]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cvce.eu/viewer/-/content/8fe86885-18fa-4f21-8f47-7d5de5f8bf8f/817ef947-016a-4876-a1d3-0a2e94534c7c/en;jsessionid=038B1C04182A825C9255254872E8677C|title=Richard Nixon en route to California with Leonid Brezhnev|work=[[CVCE]]|date=22 June 1973|accessdate=14 March 2012}}</ref> In 1983, President [[Ronald Reagan]] and [[Queen Elizabeth II]] toured the [[West Coast of the United States|U.S. West Coast]] aboard the aircraft.<ref>{{harvnb|Dorr|2002|p=114}}</ref>

==History==
===20th century===
[[File:Theodore Roosevelt and Archibald Hoxsey (1910).jpg|thumb|[[Theodore Roosevelt]] and pilot [[Arch Hoxsey]] before their 1910 flight in [[St. Louis]]]]

On 11 October 1910, [[Theodore Roosevelt]] became the first US president to fly in an aircraft, an early [[Wright Flyer]] from [[Lambert–St. Louis International Airport|Kinloch Field]] near [[St. Louis]], [[Missouri]]. He was no longer in office at the time, having been succeeded by [[William Howard Taft]]. The record-making occasion was a brief overflight of the crowd at a county fair but was nonetheless the beginning of presidential air travel.<ref>{{harvnb|Hardesty|2003|pages=31–32.}}</ref>

====First presidential aircraft====
[[File:Douglas VC-54C Sacred Cow, circa in 1947 (176246706).jpg|thumb|President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]]'s [[Douglas C-54 Skymaster]] aircraft, nicknamed the ''Sacred Cow'']]
[[File:Douglas VC-118 Independence in flight c1947.jpg|thumb|The VC-118 ''Independence'' used primarily by President [[Harry S. Truman]]]]
[[File:Columbine II Undergoing Restoration.jpg|thumb|The VC-121 ''Columbine II'', shown here while undergoing restoration in 2016, used by President [[Dwight Eisenhower]]]]

[[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] was the first president to fly in an aircraft while in office. The first aircraft obtained specifically for presidential travel was a [[Douglas Dolphin]] [[Amphibious aircraft|amphibian]] modified with luxury upholstery for four passengers and a small separate sleeping compartment. Designated RD-2 by the US Navy, it was delivered in 1933 and based at the [[Naval Support Facility Anacostia|naval base at Anacostia]] in Washington, D.C.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=May 1933 |title=Mayflower of the Air Ready For President |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J-IDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA713 |magazine=[[Popular Mechanics]] |publisher=Hearst Magazines |page=713}}</ref> The aircraft remained in service as a presidential transport from 1939.<ref>{{harvnb|Donald|1997|p=364}}</ref>

During World War II, German submarines [[Battle of the Atlantic|operating in the Atlantic Ocean]] made air travel the preferred method of VIP transatlantic transportation. In 1943, Roosevelt traveled to the [[Casablanca Conference (1943)|Casablanca Conference]] in Morocco on the ''[[Dixie Clipper]]'', a Pan Am-crewed [[Boeing 314]] [[flying boat]], on a flight that covered 5,500 miles (8,890&nbsp;km) in three legs.<ref>{{harvnb|Hardesty|2003|p=38}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Hardesty|2003|p=39}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.whitehousehistory.org/the-wings-of-franklin-roosevelt-1|title = The Wings of Franklin Roosevelt}}</ref>

Concerned about relying upon commercial airlines to transport the president, officials of the [[United States Army Air Forces]], the predecessor of the US Air Force, ordered the conversion of a military aircraft to accommodate the special needs of the [[Commander-in-chief#United States|commander-in-chief]].<ref name="National Museum VC-54C">[https://web.archive.org/web/20070902053644/http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?fsID=566 "Factsheet: Douglas VC-54C Sacred Cow"]. ''National Museum of the United States Air Force''. Retrieved: 19 October 2009.</ref> In 1943, a [[Consolidated C-87 Liberator Express|C-87A]] transport, number 41-24159, was modified to carry President Franklin D. Roosevelt on international trips. But after a review of the C-87's controversial safety record, the Secret Service flatly refused to approve the aircraft for presidential carriage.  The C-87, a derivative of the [[Consolidated B-24 Liberator]] bomber, also carried more militaristic associations than aircraft designed for transport. The aircraft, named ''Guess Where II'', was used to transport senior members of the Roosevelt administration on various trips. In March 1944, it flew [[Eleanor Roosevelt]] on a goodwill tour of several Latin American countries. The C-87 was scrapped in 1945.<ref name="Dorr">{{harvnb|Dorr|2002|p=134}}</ref>

The Secret Service subsequently reconfigured a Douglas [[C-54 Skymaster]] for presidential transport duty. The VC-54C aircraft, nicknamed the ''Sacred Cow'', included a [[Aircraft cabin|sleeping area]], [[radiotelephone]], and retractable battery-powered [[elevator]] to lift Roosevelt in his wheelchair. The VC-54C flew President Roosevelt only once, to the [[Yalta Conference]] in February 1945.<ref name="National Museum VC-54C" />

The [[National Security Act of 1947]], the legislation that created the US Air Force, was signed by President [[Harry S. Truman]] aboard the VC-54C.<ref name="National Museum VC-54C" /> He replaced the VC-54C in 1947 with a modified [[Douglas DC-6|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 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. It is now housed at the [[National Museum of the United States Air Force]] in [[Dayton, Ohio]].<ref name="AF1whmuseum">{{Cite web |title=Air Force One |url=http://www.tysto.com/special/AF1/ |access-date=26 June 2019 |website=whitehousemuseum.org}}</ref>

Eisenhower introduced four propeller-driven aircraft to presidential service. This group included two [[Lockheed Constellation|Lockheed C-121 Constellations]]: aircraft ''[[Columbine II]]'' (VC-121A 48-610)<ref name="restoration">{{Cite news |last=Dagenhart |first=Jenna |date=23 March 2016 |title=First Air Force One Aircraft Lands in Bridgewater for Restorations |publisher=[[WVIR]] |url=http://www.nbc29.com/story/31552601/first-air-force-one-aircraft-lands-in-bridgewater-for-restorations |access-date=24 March 2016 |archive-date=3 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181003131711/http://www.nbc29.com/story/31552601/first-air-force-one-aircraft-lands-in-bridgewater-for-restorations |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="Villarreal">Villarreal, Phil. [http://azstarnet.com/news/local/northwest/st-air-force-one-fades-in-marana/article_ad5c6ede-200e-5960-9759-286afac692d5.html "1st Air Force One fades in Marana"]. ''[[Arizona Daily Star]]'', 11 July 2013. Retrieved: 16 July 2013.</ref><ref name="Petersen">Petersen, Ralph M. [http://www.conniesurvivors.com/N9463.htm "N9463 c/n 2602"]. ''Lockheed Constellation Survivors'', Retrieved: 16 July 2013.</ref> and ''Columbine III'' (VC-121E 53-7885).<ref name="Petersen2">Petersen, Ralph M. [http://www.conniesurvivors.com/53-7885.htm "53-7885 c/n 4151"]. ''Lockheed Constellation Survivors''. Retrieved: 16 July 2013.</ref> They were named by [[First Lady of the United States|First Lady]] [[Mamie Eisenhower]] for the [[Aquilegia coerulea|columbine]], official state flower of her adopted home state of [[Colorado]]. Two [[Aero Commander 500|Aero Commanders]] were also added to the fleet.<ref name=AF1whmuseum/>

''[[Columbine II]]'' is the first plane to bear the [[call sign]] Air Force One, it was Lockheed Constellation configured for VIP travel and replaced an earlier Constellation called ''Columbine''. This designation for the US Air Force aircraft carrying the incumbent president was established after a 1954 incident in which a commercial flight, [[Eastern Air Lines]] 8610, crossed paths with Air Force 8610, which was carrying President Eisenhower. Initially used informally, the designation became official in 1962.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2 October 2015 |title=First Air Force One plane decaying in Arizona field |work=NBC |agency=AP |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/other/first-air-force-one-plane-decaying-arizona-field-f6C10655363 |access-date=5 October 2018}}</ref><ref>{{YouTube|title=America's Lost Air Force One|id=dD8QiMlCk9U}}</ref><ref name=AF1whmuseum/><ref name="KTARnews">{{Cite news |date=26 March 2016 |title=Original Air Force One will depart Arizona for Virginia, undergo further restoration |publisher=[[KTAR-FM]] |location=Phoenix, Arizona |url=https://ktar.com/story/985643/first-air-force-one-arizona-restoration |access-date=26 June 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=firstairforceone.org/the-plane-new-layout/ |url=https://www.firstairforceone.org/the-plane-new-layout/ |access-date=7 June 2024 |website=First Air Force One|date=11 November 2022 }}</ref>

====Boeing 707s and entry to jet age====
[[File:707-based_SAM_970.jpeg|thumb|''SAM 970'' in the [[Dwight Eisenhower|Eisenhower]]-era livery]]

Toward the end of Eisenhower's second term, Secretary of State [[John Foster Dulles]] commented that Soviet premier [[Nikita Khrushchev]] and other senior Soviet officials had begun using the technologically advanced [[Tupolev Tu-114]] aircraft for their travels, and it was no longer dignified for the president to fly in a propeller-driven aircraft. This paved the way for the Air Force's initial procurement of three [[Boeing C-137 Stratoliner|Boeing 707]]-120 (VC-137A) [[jet aircraft]], designated ''SAM (Special Air Missions) 970, 971'' and ''972''.<ref>"First of 3 Jets for President and Top Aides Is Unveiled". ''[[The New York Times]]'', 28 April 1959, p. 3.</ref><ref name="Jet Age Arrives">{{cite web |last1=Stein |first1=Alan |title=Modified Boeing 747 becomes the new Air Force One on August 23, 1990 |url=https://www.historylink.org/file/21244 |website=historylink.org |access-date=29 June 2021}}</ref>

The high-speed [[Jet engine|jet]] technology built into these aircraft enabled presidents from Eisenhower through Nixon to travel long distances more quickly for face-to-face meetings with world leaders.<ref name="MoF">{{Cite web |title=Boeing VC-137B "Air Force One |url=https://www.museumofflight.org/aircraft/boeing-vc-137b-707-120sam-970-air-force-one |access-date=26 June 2019 |publisher=The Museum of Flight |location=Seattle, Washington}}</ref> Then-Vice President [[Richard Nixon]] first used a VC-137A on his visit to Russia in July 1959 for the [[Kitchen Debate]]s. The following month, Eisenhower became the first president to fly via jet airplane when he used ''SAM 970'', nicknamed ''"Queenie"'', to meet German Chancellor [[Konrad Adenauer]]. During Eisenhower's "[[Foreign policy of the Dwight D. Eisenhower administration#International trips|Flight to Peace]]" goodwill tour in December 1959, he visited 11 Asian nations, flying {{convert|22000|mi|km}} in 19 days, twice as fast as he could have covered that distance in one of the ''Columbines''.<ref name="AF1whmuseum"/><ref name="Kitchen Debates">{{cite web |last1=O'Halloran |first1=Thomas |title=U.S.S.R. Moscow, on plane, American B-707, at airport, American exhibit |url=https://www.loc.gov/resource/ds.07391/ |website=Library of Congress}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Dorr |first1=Robert |title=Air Force One: A History of Presidential Air Travel |url=https://www.defensemedianetwork.com/stories/air-force-one-a-history-of-presidential-air-travel/6/ |website=Defense Media Network |date=10 November 2016}}</ref>

''SAM 970'' to ''SAM 972'' were removed from the presidential role with the early-1960s arrival of the specially built VC-137C designated ''SAM 26000''. The older planes were repainted in the Loewy secondary livery designed for [[Air Force Two]] and other non-presidential VIP aircraft. ''SAM 970'' is now on display at [[The Museum of Flight]] in [[Seattle]], Washington.<ref name="MoF" /> ''SAM 971'', best remembered for returning the Americans held during the [[Iran hostage crisis#Release|Iran hostage crisis]] in 1981, is on display at the [[Pima Air and Space Museum]] in [[Tucson, Arizona]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.pimaair.org/collection-detail.php?cid=38 |title=Pima Air & Space Museum: ''USAF VC-137B'' |access-date=29 June 2021 |archive-date=7 July 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100707102937/http://www.pimaair.org/collection-detail.php?cid=38 |url-status=dead }}</ref> ''SAM 972'' was scrapped in October 1996.{{Citation needed|date=October 2024}}

====Loewy's livery design====
[[File:Livery_design_for_Air_Force_One.jpg|thumb|[[Raymond Loewy]]'s initial design proposal]]
The new [[Boeing C-137 Stratoliner|VC-137C]] was not yet modified for presidential service when [[John F. Kennedy]] took office in 1961. On the recommendation of his wife, [[Jacqueline Kennedy]], he contacted the French-born American industrial designer [[Raymond Loewy]] for help in designing new livery and interiors for the VC-137C.<ref name=preptjb/><ref name="SAM26000Arrival" /><ref>{{harvnb|terHorst|Albertazzie|1979|pp=200–202}}</ref>

Loewy, who had seen ''SAM 970'', complained to a friend in the [[White House]] that it "had a garish orange nose and looked too much like a military plane", Air Force One historian and former Smithsonian curator Von Hardesty told [[CNN]]. He offered Kennedy his design consultation services free of charge.<ref name="CNN Style"/><ref name="AF1 Aura">{{cite web |last1=Beschloss |first1=Michael |title=The Man Who Gave Air Force One Its Aura |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/09/upshot/the-man-who-gave-air-force-one-its-aura.html |website=The New York Times |date=15 August 2021}}</ref>

Kennedy chose a red-and-gold design from one of Loewy's initial concept sketches, and asked him to render the design all in blue. Loewy also drew inspiration from the first printed copy of the [[United States Declaration of Independence]], suggesting the widely spaced and upper case ''"United States of America"'' legend in [[Caslon]] typeface. He chose to expose the polished aluminum fuselage on the bottom side and used two blues, [[steel blue]] {{Color sample|#3C79B4}} associated with the early republic and the presidency and a more contemporary water blue {{Color sample|#C9ECF5}}, to represent an America both rooted in the past and flying inexorably into the future. The [[Seal of the President of the United States|presidential seal]] was added to both sides of the fuselage near the nose and a large American flag was painted on the tail. Loewy's work won immediate praise from the president and the press. The [[Aircraft livery#Cheatline|cheatline]] suggested a sleek and horizontal image that mirrored America's [[Jet Age]] optimism and prosperity of the era, and today signifies its legacy and tradition.<ref name="CNN Style" /><ref name="MoMAAF1">{{cite web |title=Livery design for Air Force One |url=https://www.moma.org/collection/works/196025 |website=moma.org |access-date=28 June 2021}}</ref><ref name="Color Scheme">{{cite web |last1=Naidu |first1=Keshav |title=Air Force One Color Scheme |url=https://www.schemecolor.com/air-force-one.php |website=schemecolor.com |access-date=29 June 2021}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Hardesty|2003|page=70}}</ref>

Loewy's VC-137C livery was adapted for the larger [[Boeing VC-25|VC-25A]] when it entered service in 1990, and the secondary variation (without the darker blue cheatline and cap over the cockpit) is still in use on USAF [[Boeing C-40 Clipper|C-40]], [[Gulfstream V#Variants|C-37]], [[Boeing C-32|C-32]], and [[Gulfstream IV#C-20F/G/H/J military variants|C-20]] aircraft in standard (non-presidential) VIP configurations. The presidential paint scheme can also be seen on [[Union Pacific 4141]], the locomotive used in [[George H. W. Bush]]'s funeral train.<ref>{{cite news|last=Willingham|first=AJ|title=George H.W. Bush will journey to his final resting place on a train whose engine is named for him|publisher=CNN|date=3 December 2018|url=https://www.cnn.com/2018/12/03/us/george-bush-train-union-pacific-funeral-trnd/index.html|access-date=3 December 2018}}</ref><ref name="AF1whmuseum"/>

====SAM 26000====
[[File:VC-137-1 Air Force One.jpg|thumb|upright=.90|''[[SAM 26000]]'' used for President [[John F. Kennedy|Kennedy]] through [[Bill Clinton|Clinton]], shown in AF2 livery]]
[[File:Lyndon B. Johnson taking the oath of office, November 1963.jpg|thumb|upright=.90|Vice President [[Lyndon B. Johnson]] is sworn in as president aboard ''SAM 26000'' following [[Assassination of John F. Kennedy|John F. Kennedy's assassination]]]]
{{main|VC-137C SAM 26000}}

Under [[John F. Kennedy]], presidential air travel entered the jet age.<ref>{{harvnb|Walsh|2003|page=60}}</ref> Although he could use the Eisenhower-era jets for trips to Canada, France, [[Austria]], and the United Kingdom, when he came into office, his primary aircraft domestically was still a prop powered [[Douglas DC-6#Surviving aircraft|Douglas VC-118A Liftmaster]].<ref>{{harvnb|terHorst|Albertazzie|1979||pages=198–200}}</ref> In October 1962, the modified long-range Boeing VC-137C Stratoliner ''[[VC-137C SAM 26000|SAM 26000]]'', featuring livery designed by Loewy, was delivered and immediately became an important element of the Kennedy administration's brand.<ref name="SAM26000Arrival">{{harvnb|Walsh|2003|page=63}}</ref>

''SAM 26000'' was in service from 1962 to 1998, serving presidents Kennedy to [[Bill Clinton|Clinton]]. On 22 November 1963, ''SAM 26000'' carried President Kennedy to Dallas, Texas, where it served as the backdrop as the Kennedys greeted well-wishers at Dallas's [[Dallas Love Field|Love Field]]. Later that afternoon, Kennedy was [[Assassination of John F. Kennedy|assassinated]], and Vice President [[Lyndon Johnson]] assumed the office of president. He took the [[First inauguration of Lyndon B. Johnson|oath of office]] aboard ''SAM 26000'' before departing to Washington, D.C.<ref>{{harvnb|Johnson|1971|pages=13-15}}</ref> Later, in January 1973, ''SAM 26000'' took Johnson's body home to Texas after his state funeral in Washington.<ref name="Retirement" /><ref>{{Cite news |last1=Johnson |first1=Haynes |author-link=Haynes Johnson |last2=Witcover |first2=Jules |author-link2=Jules Witcover |date=26 January 1973 |title=LBJ Buried in Beloved Texas Hills |page=A01 |newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref>

Johnson used ''SAM 26000'' to travel extensively domestically and to visit troops in South Vietnam during the Vietnam War. ''SAM 26000'' served President Nixon on several groundbreaking overseas voyages, including his famous [[1972 Nixon visit to China|visit to the People's Republic of China]] in February 1972 and his trip to the [[Soviet Union]] later that year, both firsts for an American president.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=570|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070212152936/http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=570|url-status=dead|archive-date=12 February 2007|title=Boeing VC-137C SAM 26000|work=[[National Museum of the United States Air Force]]|date=8 March 2010|accessdate=16 February 2012}}</ref> Nixon dubbed the plane the "Spirit of '76" in honor of the forthcoming bicentennial of the United States; that logo was painted on both sides of the plane's nose.<ref>{{harvnb|Dorr|2002|p=80}}</ref>

====SAM 27000====
{{main|VC-137C SAM 27000}}
[[File:Air Force One SAM 27000.jpg|thumb|''[[SAM 27000]]'' served Presidents [[Richard Nixon|Nixon]] to [[George W. Bush]].]]

SAM 26000 was replaced in December 1972 by another VC-137C, ''[[SAM 27000|Special Air Mission 27000]]'', although SAM 26000 was relegated to non-presidential VIP status (and repainted without the darker blue cap and cheatline), it served as a backup to ''SAM 27000'' until it was finally retired in 1998.<ref name="Retirement">{{Cite news |last=Thomma |first=Steve |date=20 May 1998 |title=Presidential Plane Heads for History; This Air Force One Served Every President Since Kennedy. A Museum is Next |work=The Philadelphia Inquirer |page=A14}}</ref>

In June 1974, while President Nixon was on his way to a scheduled stop in [[Syria]], Syrian fighter jets intercepted Air Force One to act as escorts. The crew was not informed in advance, so took evasive action including a dive.<ref name="washingtonpost.com">[https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/liveonline/03/special/books/sp_books_walsh052203.htm "Washington Post Online conversation with Kenneth Walsh on his ''Air Force One: A History of the Presidents and Their Planes''"]. ''The Washington Post'', 22 May 2002. Retrieved: 18 October 2009.</ref>

After announcing his intention to resign the presidency, Nixon boarded ''SAM 27000'' (with call sign "Air Force One") to travel to California. Colonel Ralph Albertazzie, then pilot of Air Force One, recounted that after [[Gerald Ford]] was sworn in as president, the plane had to be redesignated as ''SAM 27000'', indicating no president was on board the aircraft. Over Jefferson City, Missouri, Albertazzie radioed: "[[Kansas City, Missouri|Kansas City]], this was Air Force One. Will you change our call sign to Sierra Alpha Mike (SAM) 27000?" Back came the reply: "Roger, Sierra Alpha Mike 27000. Good luck to the president."<ref>{{cite news|last=Hevesi|first=Dennis|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/17/us/politics/17albertazzie.html?_r=2&hpw=&pagewanted=print|title=Ralph Albertazzie, Nixon's Pilot, Dies at 88|newspaper=The New York Times|date=16 August 2011|page=B16|accessdate=17 August 2011}}</ref>

====Boeing VC-25A====
{{main|Boeing VC-25}}
[[File:The two Boeing VC-25A Air Force One.jpg|thumb|SAM 28000 sits on the ramp as SAM 29000 descends on final approach to [[Hickam Field]] with President [[George W. Bush]]]]

Though [[Ronald Reagan]]'s two terms as president saw no major changes to Air Force One, the manufacture of the presidential aircraft version of the [[Boeing 747|747]] began during his presidency. The USAF issued a [[request for proposal]] in 1985 for two wide-body aircraft with a minimum of three engines and an unrefueled range of {{cvt|6000|mile}}. Boeing with the 747 and McDonnell Douglas with the [[McDonnell Douglas DC-10|DC-10]] submitted proposals, and the [[Reagan Administration]] ordered two identical 747s to replace the aging 707 VC-137 variants he used.<ref name=preptjb/><ref name="747-dod">Williams, Rudi. [https://web.archive.org/web/20070414073138/http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=26295 "Reagan Makes First, Last Flight in Jet He Ordered"]. United States Department of Defense, 10 June 2004. Retrieved: 23 June 2009.</ref> The interior designs, drawn up by First Lady [[Nancy Reagan]], were reminiscent of the [[American Southwest]].<ref name="747-dod" />

===21st century===
[[File:Air Force One over Mt. Rushmore.jpg|thumb|''[[SAM 28000]]'' flying over [[Mount Rushmore]] in February 2001]]
[[File:Barack Obama meets his staff in Air Force One Conference Room.jpg|thumb|President [[Barack Obama]] meets with staff mid-flight aboard Air Force One, in the [[conference room]] on 3 April 2009]]

When President [[George W. Bush]] left office in January 2009, he flew to Texas in a VC-25 that used call sign SAM 28000, as it did not carry the current president of the United States. Similar arrangements were made for former presidents [[Ronald Reagan]], [[Bill Clinton]], and [[Barack Obama]].{{Citation needed|date=October 2024}} President [[Donald Trump]] flew to his [[Mar-a-Lago]] estate aboard Air Force One on the final day of his first presidency in January 2021.<ref>{{cite web |last=Jackson |first=David |title=Donald Trump spends final minutes in office at Mar-a-Lago, is first president to skip inauguration in more than 150 years |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2021/01/20/donald-trump-plans-end-his-presidency-mar-lago-florida/4210601001/ |access-date=29 March 2021 |website=[[USA Today]]|date=20 January 2021}}</ref>

After the deaths of former presidents [[Gerald Ford]] and Ronald Reagan, VC-25 aircraft flew their remains to their home states of [[Michigan]] and California, respectively.{{Citation needed|date=October 2024}}

On 27 April 2009, a low-flying VC-25 circled New York City for a [[photo-op]] and [[military exercise|training exercise]], alarming many New Yorkers.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Rao|first1=Mythili|first2=Ed|last2=Henry|url=http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/04/28/low.flying.plane/index.html|title=Furious' Obama orders review of NY plane flyover|work=CNN|date=28 April 2009|accessdate=18 October 2009|authorlink2=Ed Henry}}</ref>

During Joe Biden's [[2023 visit by Joe Biden to Ukraine|2023 visit to Ukraine]], the Air Force One call sign was not used for the C-32 aircraft he flew to [[Poland]]; to increase secrecy, the call sign was ''SAM060''.<ref>Evan Vucci, John Leicester and Zeke Miller [https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-biden-kyiv-politics-74c9de636c489393c86ad115e5cbcb48 "How do you sneak a US president into a warzone without anyone noticing?"] AP News, 21 February 2023</ref>

====Logistical support====
[[File:Presidential limousine loaded in aircraft.jpg|thumb|The presidential limousine being sent via Boeing C-17 prior to the arrival of ''Air Force One''.]]

When flying with the President, Air Force One rarely flies alone. It is often accompanied by a fleet of aircraft that can include the back-up VC-25, cargo aircraft, and tankers.<ref name="Hardesty 2003 pages=156–157">{{harvnb|Hardesty|2003|pages=156–157.}}</ref> In such cases, up to half a dozen cargo aircraft, such as the [[Boeing C-17 Globemaster III]] or the [[Lockheed C-5 Galaxy]], precede AF1 by a couple days or more, bringing the [[Presidential state car (United States)|presidential limousine]] and [[Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk|Sikorsky VH-60 Black Hawk]] helicopters, along with Secret Service personnel and several hundred maintenance crew. Longer trips are accompanied by tankers, such as the [[McDonnell Douglas KC-10 Extender]], to limit the need to stop for fuel and ensure that AF1 does not take fuel from an unvetted source.<ref name="Hardesty 2003 pages=156–157"/><ref>{{cite news |last1=Tyler |first1=Rogoway |date=2 July 2020 |title=The Fascinating Anatomy of the Presidential Motorcade |url=https://www.twz.com/4518/the-fascinating-anatomy-of-the-presidential-motorcade |work=The War Zone}}</ref>

The support aircraft will often use several airports in a region to minimize the impact to one particular airport, and Secret Service may also preposition a Gulfstream [[C-37B]] or [[Boeing E-4]] in a neighboring region for backup.<ref name="Fleet">{{cite news |last1=Weisgerber |first1=Marcus |title=The secret history of the Air Force One shadow fleet |url=https://www.defenseone.com/policy/2024/01/secret-history-air-force-one-shadow-fleet/393372/ |work=Defense One |date=17 January 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Graff|first1=Garrett |title=The President's Secret Air Force |url=https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/05/02/the-presidents-secret-air-force-215091/ |work=Politico |date=2 May 2017}}</ref>

In addition to the president, staff, and flight crew, a VC-25A can carry 102 guests in typical domestic business-class [[Airline seat|seats]]. The back-up VC-25 typically flies with 14 crew, two pilots, six flight crew, two cooks, and four flight attendants. When transporting the president, the primary VC-25A has three cooks and 15 flight attendants, 20 or more Secret Service agents, and some 40 members of the presidential [[press pool]]. During international state visits, another aircraft may be chartered to accommodate another 150 or more journalists and security personnel.<ref name="Hardesty 2003 pages=156–157"/>

====11 September attacks====
[[File:President George W. Bush aboard Air Force One during the flight from Barksdale Air Force Base to Offut Air Force Base.jpg|thumb|President [[George W. Bush]] aboard a VC-25 on 11 September 2001, the day of the [[September 11 attacks]]]]
On [[September 11 attacks|11 September 2001]], George W. Bush was interrupted as he attended an event at [[Emma E. Booker Elementary School]] in [[Sarasota, Florida]], after [[United Airlines Flight 175|an airplane]] hit the South Tower of the [[World Trade Center (1973–2001)|World Trade Center]] in New York City. He took off on a VC-25 from [[Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport]] piloted by Colonel Mark Tillman, the senior pilot of Air Force One that day.

Some time later, air traffic controllers warned Tillman that a passenger jet was nearby and not responding to radio calls. Tillman recalls: "As we got over [[Gainesville, Florida]], we got the word from Jacksonville Center. They said, 'Air Force One you have traffic behind you and basically above you that is descending into you, we are not in contact with them—they have shut their responder{{sic}} off.' And at that time it kind of led us to believe maybe someone was coming into us in Sarasota, they saw us take off, they just stayed high and are following us at this point. We had no idea what the capabilities of the terrorists were at that point."<ref name="Tilman" /> Tillman then flew Air Force One over the [[Gulf of Mexico]] in order, he later said, to test whether the other aircraft would follow. The other jet continued on its route, and Tillman said that it was later explained to him that an airliner had lost its [[transponder (aeronautics)|transponder]], which normally broadcasts an electronic identification signal, and that the pilots on board neglected to switch to another radio frequency.

Later, Tillman received a warning of an imminent attack on Air Force One. "We got word from the vice president and the staff that 'Angel was next,' indicating the classified call sign for Air Force One. Once we got into the Gulf [of Mexico] and they passed to us that 'Angel was next,' at that point I asked for fighter support. If an airliner was part of the attack, it would be good to have fighters on the wing to go ahead and take care of us." At this point, Tillman said that the plan to fly the president back to Washington, D.C., was aborted for concerns that Air Force One would be attacked at [[Andrews Air Force Base]]. Instead, Tillman landed at [[Barksdale Air Force Base]], [[Louisiana]], and [[Offutt Air Force Base]], [[Nebraska]], where the president made a speech.<ref name="Tilman">{{Cite web |date=7 September 2011 |title=Pilot: Air Force One was 'a sitting duck' on tarmac during 9/11 |url=https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/world/pilot-air-force-one-was-a-sitting-duck-on-tarmac-during-911/news-story/d238338e39b5eafa2fe6549617f12f7b |access-date=15 July 2020 |website=[[The Courier-Mail]]}}</ref> After these stops, the president was returned to Washington, D.C.

The next day, officials at the [[White House]] and the [[United States Department of Justice|Justice Department]] explained that President Bush did this because there was "specific and credible information that the White House and Air Force One were also intended targets".<ref>[https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2001/09/20010912-8.html "Press Briefing by Ari Fleischer"]. ''White House News releases'', September 2001. Retrieved: 18 October 2009.</ref> The White House could not confirm evidence of a threat to Air Force One, and investigation found the original claim to be a result of miscommunication.<ref>{{cite news|last=Allen|first=Mike|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&node=&contentId=A32319-2001Sep26 |archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20110224024408/http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&node=&contentId=A32319-2001Sep26 |archive-date=24 February 2011 |title=White House Drops Claim of Threat to Bush|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=27 September 2001|page=A08|accessdate=28 February 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Planned replacement==
===VC-25B===
{{main|Boeing VC-25B}}
[[File:Air Force One VC-25B paint scheme 2023-03-10.JPG|thumb|Illustration of the VC-25B color scheme announced March 2023]]

The VC-25As are to be replaced as the cost of maintaining the aging systems on their 30-year-old airframes and less efficient GE-CF6 engines has begun to surpass the cost of acquiring a new aircraft.<ref>{{cite web|last=Trimble|first=Stephen|url=https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/exclusive-us-considers-airbus-a380-as-air-force-one-and-potentially-a-c-5-replacement-218681/|title=US considers Airbus A380 as Air Force One and potentially a C-5 replacement|work=[[FlightGlobal]]|date=17 October 2007|accessdate=6 December 2016}}</ref> On 28 January 2015, the Air Force announced that the [[Boeing 747-8]] would be the next presidential aircraft.<ref>[https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/562748/af-identifies-boeing-747-8-platform-for-next-air-force-one/ "AF Identifies Boeing 747-8 platform for next Air Force One"]. ''United States Air Force'', 28 January 2015. Retrieved: 28 January 2015.</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Capaccio|first=Anthony|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-01-28/boeing-to-build-air-force-one-replacement-with-bids-for-systems|title=Boeing to build Air Force One replacement with bids for systems|work=Bloomberg News|date=28 January 2015|accessdate=25 April 2015}}</ref> <!-- This is supposed to be a summary. Keep replacement details at [[Boeing VC-25]]. --> The US [[Government Accountability Office]] estimated the total cost at $3.2 billion, and the US Air Force's budget for the program is projected to be nearly $4 billion.  In December 2016, Boeing was on contract for preliminary development worth $170 million (~${{Format price|{{Inflation|index=US-GDP|value=170000000|start_year=2016}}}} in {{Inflation/year|US-GDP}}).<ref name="bbc-20161207">{{Cite news |date=7 December 2016 |title=Trump says Air Force One Boeing order should be cancelled |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-38221579 |access-date=11 December 2016}}</ref><ref name="ft-20161207">{{Cite news |last=Mark Odell |date=7 December 2016 |title=Trump speaks to Boeing chief on Air Force One replacement costs |work=[[Financial Times]] |url=https://www.ft.com/content/f3cd8ad2-bcaa-11e6-8b45-b8b81dd5d080 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210/https://www.ft.com/content/f3cd8ad2-bcaa-11e6-8b45-b8b81dd5d080 |archive-date=10 December 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |access-date=11 December 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Mehta, Aaron |date=6 December 2016 |title=Trump Tweets US Should Cancel Air Force One Replacement |work=Defense News |url=http://www.defensenews.com/articles/trump-tweets-us-should-cancel-air-force-one-replacement |access-date=11 December 2016}}</ref> 

During his first presidency, Donald Trump renegotiated aspects of the contract with Boeing, and threatened to cancel the program if the overall cost exceeded $4 billion.<ref name="new af1">{{Cite web |last=Syme |first=Pete |title=Elon Musk is trying to help Boeing out with its much-delayed new Air Force One for Trump |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-boeing-air-force-one-delivery-trump-2025-1 |date=29 January 2025 |website=Business Insider |access-date=10 February 2025}}</ref> In an effort to cut costs, the Air Force contracted to purchase two completed but undelivered [[Transaero]] 747-8 intercontinental aircraft from Boeing in 2017.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Insinna |first=Valerie |date=1 August 2017 |title=Boeing to turn undelivered 747s meant for Russian customer into new Air Force Ones |url=https://www.defensenews.com/air/2017/08/01/boeing-to-turn-undelivered-747s-meant-for-russian-customer-into-new-air-force-ones/ |access-date=20 December 2023 |website=Defense News}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last1=Ostrower |first1=Jon |last2=Browne |first2=Ryan |date=5 August 2017 |title=US finalizes deal for new Air Force One jets once destined for Russian airliner |work=CNN |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2017/08/04/politics/air-force-one-deal-russian-airliner/index.html |access-date=27 January 2018}}</ref>

The following year, Boeing struck a deal with Trump to adorn the new planes with a "patriotic color scheme" featuring a deep red stripe down the middle of the aircraft and a dark blue underbelly. Plagued by multiple delays, and the rising cost of the aircraft, this color scheme was scrapped, and a modernized version of the classic ''Air Force One'' design was made public in March 2023. The first VC-25B is scheduled to be delivered in 2027, while the second will come the following year.<ref name="new af1"/><ref>{{cite news|last=Liebermann|first=Oren|title=New color scheme unveiled for Air Force One that discards Trump's design|date=10 March 2023|url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/10/politics/air-force-one-color-scheme/index.html|publisher=CNN|access-date=10 February 2025}}</ref>

===Supersonic aircraft===
In September 2020, the US Air Force announced several Presidential and Executive Airlift Directorate contracts signed with aircraft manufacturers to begin development of a [[supersonic aircraft]] that could function as Air Force One. Contracts have been signed with [[Exosonic]],<ref>{{cite web |last1=Pawlyk |first1=Oriana |title=Military Moves Forward with Plan to Make Air Force One Supersonic |url=https://www.military.com/daily-news/2020/09/01/military-moves-forward-plan-make-air-force-one-supersonic.html |website=Military.com |access-date=15 September 2020 |date=1 September 2020}}</ref> [[Hermeus]],<ref>{{cite web |last1=Niles |first1=Russ |title=Air Force Eying Supersonic Air Force One |url=https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/air-force-eying-supersonic-air-force-one/ |website=AVweb |access-date=15 September 2020 |date=6 September 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/supersonic-air-force-one/index.html |last=O'Hare |first=Maureen |date=7 September 2020 |title=An Air Force One that flies at five times the speed of sound? |work=[[CNN]] |access-date=15 September 2020 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200914131826/https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/supersonic-air-force-one/index.html |archive-date=14 September 2020}}</ref> and [[Boom Technology|Boom]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Cook |first1=Marc |title=Boom Enters Supersonic Air Force One Race |url=https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/boom-enters-supersonic-air-force-one-race/ |website=AVweb |access-date=15 September 2020 |date=8 September 2020}}</ref>

=== Boeing 747-8 from the royal family of Qatar ===
{{Main|P4-HBJ}}
On 21 May 2025, the [[Second presidency of Donald Trump|Trump administration]] accepted a [[Boeing 747-8]] as a gift from the [[House of Thani|royal family of Qatar]]. The administration plans to use it as the new Air Force One. With an estimated value of US$400 million, this will be the most valuable gift extended to the US from a foreign government.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Karl |first=Jonathan |title= Trump administration poised to accept 'palace in the sky' as a gift for Trump from Qatar: Sources |url= https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=121680511 |access-date=11 May 2025 |website=ABC News |language=en}}</ref> For this aircraft to be used as Air Force One, it will have to undergo extensive inspection and modifications to afford the protection to the president that current Air Force One aircraft provide. These modifications will not be completed until after 2028.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Liddell |first=James |date=13 May 2025 |title=Retrofitting Trump's Qatari Boeing jet for use as Air Force One 'impossible' until after 2028, report says |url=https://www.msn.com/en-nz/news/other/retrofitting-trump-s-qatari-boeing-jet-for-use-as-air-force-one-impossible-until-after-2028-report-says/ar-AA1EG7Kq?ocid=BingNewsSerp |access-date=14 May 2025 |website=www.msn.com}}</ref>  On 28 May 2025, the ''[[Washington Post]]'' reported that no deal had been agreed because Qatar required a [[memorandum of understanding]] confirming that any transfer request had been initiated by the US in order to ensure that Qatar had no legal liability.<ref name="WAPO">{{cite news |last1=Bertrand |first1=Alex Marquardt, Kristen Holmes, Natasha |title=Sources contradict Trump narrative about Qatar offering plane as 'gift' {{!}} CNN Politics |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2025/05/19/politics/trump-adminstration-approached-qatar-jet |access-date=2 June 2025 |work=CNN |date=19 May 2025 |language=en}}</ref> On 7 July 2025, [[Pete Hegseth]] signed the memorandum of understanding.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mayes-Osterman |first=Cybele |title=Qatar's luxury jet gift to Trump is 'unconditional donation,' signed agreement says |url= https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/07/28/qatar-luxury-jet-gift-trump-pentagon-unconditional/85409640007/ |access-date=2025-07-29 |website=USA TODAY |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Other presidential aircraft==
[[File:Beech VC-6A USAF.jpg|thumb|right|VC-6A used as Air Force One]]

During the [[Lyndon B. Johnson Administration|Johnson Administration]], the United States Air Force acquired a [[Beechcraft King Air#Air Force One|Beechcraft King Air B90]] which was designated [[Beechcraft King Air#Air Force One|VC-6A]] (66-7943).<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20070917074306/http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=571 "Factsheets: Beech V-6A"]. ''[[National Museum of the United States Air Force]]'', 19 June 2006. Retrieved: 28 February 2012.</ref> The aircraft was used to transport [[Lyndon B. Johnson|President Johnson]] between [[Bergstrom Air Force Base]] and his family ranch near [[Johnson City, Texas]],<ref>{{harvnb|Hardesty|2003|p=84}}</ref> and was used at least once to transport the President to [[Princeton, New Jersey]].<ref name="Flying2000" /> It was referred to as ''Lady Bird's airplane'' and later in its service life featured a basic color scheme similar to civilian aircraft.<ref>{{harvnb|Dorr|2002|p=74}}</ref> When the President was aboard, the aircraft used the call sign Air Force One.<ref name="Flying2000">Collins, Richard L. "C90 King Airs". ''[[Flying (magazine)|Flying]]'', Volume 127, Issue 1, 2000, pp. 67–70.</ref>

[[United Airlines]] is the only commercial airline to have operated ''[[Executive One]]'', the call sign given to a civilian flight on which the US president is aboard. On 26 December 1973, President [[Richard Nixon]] and his family flew as commercial passengers on a United [[DC-10]] from [[Washington Dulles International Airport|Washington Dulles]] to [[Los Angeles International Airport]]. His staff explained that this was done to conserve fuel by not having to fly the usual Boeing 707 Air Force aircraft.<ref name="Exec1CBS">Mudd, Roger and Richard Wagner. [http://tvnews.vanderbilt.edu/program.pl?ID=226900 Vanderbilt Television News Archive "President / Commercial Airline Flight"]. [[CBS News]], 27 December 1973. Retrieved: 23 June 2009.</ref>

[[File:And-c-37a-89aw.jpg|thumb|A USAF [[Gulfstream V]] in VIP livery]]
In November 1999, President [[Bill Clinton]] flew from [[Ankara]], Turkey, to [[Cengiz Topel Naval Air Station]] outside Izmit, Turkey, aboard a marked [[Gulfstream III|C-20C]] (Gulfstream III) using the call sign ''Air Force One'', escorted by three F-16s.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Martin |first=Swayne |date=16 October 2014 |title=6 Gulfstream Missions That Have Nothing To Do With Luxury |url=http://www.boldmethod.com/blog/lists/2014/10/gulfstream-special-missions/ |work=Bold Method}}</ref>

On 8 March 2000, President Clinton flew to Pakistan aboard an unmarked [[Gulfstream III]] while another aircraft with the call sign ''Air Force One'' flew on the same route a few minutes later. This diversion was reported by several US press outlets.<ref>Sammon, Bill. "Clinton uses decoy flight for security". ''[[The Washington Times]]'', 26 March 2000, p. C.1.</ref><ref>Haniffa, Aziz. "Playing hide-and-seek on trip to Islamabad". ''India Abroad''. New York: 31 March 2000, Vol. XXX, Issue 27, p. 22.</ref><ref>"Clinton's trip to Asia cost at least $50&nbsp;million". ''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'', 9 April 2000, p. 175 A.</ref>

On 1 May 2003, President [[George W. Bush]] flew in the co-pilot seat of a Sea Control Squadron Thirty-Five ([[VS-35 (1990–2005)|VS-35]]) [[S-3 Viking|S-3B Viking]] from [[Naval Air Station North Island]], California to the aircraft carrier [[USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72)|USS ''Abraham Lincoln'']] off the California coast, where Bush delivered his [[2003 Mission Accomplished speech|"Mission Accomplished" speech]]. During the flight, the aircraft used the call sign of "[[Navy One]]" for the first time.  This aircraft is now on display at the [[National Naval Aviation Museum]] at [[Naval Air Station Pensacola]], Florida.<ref name="Donald">{{cite book|last=Donald|first=David|title=Warplanes of the Fleet|pages=168, 171|publisher=AIRtime Publishing Inc.|year=2004|isbn=1-880588-81-1}}</ref>

[[Barack Obama]] used the Gulfstream [[Gulfstream V#Variants|C-37]] variant on a personal trip in 2009 to visit the production of [[August Wilson]]'s ''[[Joe Turner's Come and Gone]]'' in New York.<ref name="Obama BWay">{{cite web |title=GOP takes aim at Obamas' NYC trip |url=https://www.politico.com/story/2009/05/gop-takes-aim-at-obamas-nyc-trip-023122 |website=politico.com|date=30 May 2009}}</ref><ref name="GV">{{cite web |last1=Pallini |first1=Thomas |title=The US Air Force recently acquired a new $64 million Gulfstream private jet for VIP government officials |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/inside-us-air-force-vip-military-aircraft-gulfstream-private-jet-2020-1 |website=[[Business Insider]]}}</ref>

Several [[Boeing C-17 Globemaster III]]s typically accompany the president whenever he travels, carrying the [[Presidential state car (United States)|presidential limousines]] and other support vehicles, and have been rumored to have discreetly transported presidents and vice presidents in and out of Iraq and Afghanistan without using the ''Air Force One'' call sign.<ref name="Trump C-17">{{cite news |last=Rogoway |first=Tyler |title=What Aircraft Snuck Trump Out Of Florida On His Way To Afghanistan For Thanksgiving? |url=https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/31257/what-aircraft-snuck-trump-out-of-florida-on-his-way-to-afghanistan-for-thanksgiving |agency=The Drive |date=2 December 2019}}</ref><ref name="Secret AF">{{cite news |last=Graff |first=Garrett |title=The President's Secret Air Force |url=https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/05/02/the-presidents-secret-air-force-215091/ |magazine=[[Politico Magazine]] |date=2 May 2017}}</ref>

[[File:USAF C-32A.jpg|thumb|A [[Boeing C-32]] ([[Boeing 757]]) that was occasionally used as Air Force One until the arrival of newer C-32s in the 2010s. Today, this plane flies the vice president (serving as [[Air Force Two]]) or other senior officials.]]
Since 1998, the president has occasionally flown aboard an Air Force [[Boeing C-32|C-32]], a [[Narrow-body aircraft|narrow-body jet]] based on the [[Boeing 757]] airliner.<ref name="dwyer">Dwyer, Devin. [https://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/10/president-obama-wraps-blitz-with-air-force-one-rally-in-ohio/ "President Obama wraps blitz with Air Force One rally in Ohio"]. ''ABC News'', 25 October 2012. Retrieved: 25 October 2012.</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Karni |first=Annie |date=5 February 2021 |title=After Years in Government, Biden Has a New Perk: Air Force One |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/05/us/politics/biden-air-force-one.html |url-access=limited |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210205170937/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/05/us/politics/biden-air-force-one.html |archive-date=5 February 2021 |access-date=6 February 2021 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |quote=Mr. Biden rode on Air Force One on Friday afternoon, but not the one that has so delighted his predecessors. He jogged up the stairs of the Boeing 757-200, which is a smaller, narrow-body jet used for smaller airports like the one Mr. Biden was set to arrive at in Wilmington.}}</ref> The Air Force bought four C-32s in 1996 to fly the president to airports whose runways were too small to accommodate the larger VC-25, or as emergency backup. Today, these aircraft are used to fly vice presidents and other senior officials.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Weisgerber |first=Marcus |date=17 January 2024 |title=The secret history of the Air Force One shadow fleet |url=https://www.defenseone.com/policy/2024/01/secret-history-air-force-one-shadow-fleet/393372/ |access-date=17 January 2024 |website=Defense One |language=en}}</ref> The C-32 has also been used by presidents when use of the VC-25 could present operational risks. For example in 2023 when President Biden traveled to Ukraine via Poland using the C-32 to avoid the publicity of the VC-25.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-02-21/joe-biden-visit-to-ukraine-behind-the-scene-zelenskyy/102001514 | title=Sneaking the US president from DC to Kyiv: How Biden's surprise visit to Ukraine played out | newspaper=ABC News | date=20 February 2023 }}</ref>

In the 2010s, the Air Force acquired a second set of four 757s for presidential transport, assigning them tail numbers 90015, 90016, 90017, and 90018. Service officials do not acknowledge that these aircraft exist, although they are routinely photographed in presidential service.<ref name=":0" />

Vice presidents have used a VC-25 on longer trips, using the ''[[Air Force Two]]'' call sign.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2002/03/10/cheney.htm |newspaper=USA Today |title=Cheney heads overseas to talk terrorism |access-date=30 January 2009 |date=10 March 2002 |agency=[[Associated Press]]}}</ref>

The president regularly flies in helicopters (call sign [[Marine One]]) operated by the U.S. Marine Corps.<ref name="NatGeo_On_Board">{{cite web|url=http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/episodes/on-board-marine-one1/video/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130126225131/http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/episodes/on-board-marine-one1/video/|url-status=dead|archive-date=26 January 2013|title=On Board Marine One, Presidential Fleet|work=National Geographic|year=2009|accessdate=5 September 2013}}</ref>

==Aircraft on display==
[[File:Lockheed JetStar Air One on Display.jpg|thumb|[[Lockheed JetStar|Lockheed VC-140B]] used by President Johnson on display at the Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park]]
[[File:President George W. Bush, Mrs. Laura Bush and Nancy Reagan.jpg|thumb|President [[George W. Bush]], First Lady [[Laura Bush]], and former first lady [[Nancy Reagan]] toured ''[[VC-137C SAM 27000|SAM 27000]]'', housed at the [[Ronald Reagan Presidential Library]] in October 2005]]

A [[Lockheed JetStar|Lockheed VC-140B Jetstar]] used by [[Lyndon Johnson]] during his presidency is on display at the LBJ Ranch (now the [[Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park]]) in [[Stonewall, Texas]]. The ranch's runway was too small to accommodate the Boeing 707, so President Johnson flew it to [[Bergstrom AFB]] in [[Austin, Texas|Austin]], then transferred to the smaller JetStar for the short flight to the ranch.<ref>[http://www.aviationmuseum.eu/World/North_America/USA/Texas/Johnson_City/Lyndon_B._Johnson_Nat._Historical_Park.htm "Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park"]. ''Aviation Museums''. Retrieved: 7 July 2012.</ref> Another VC-140B used during the Johnson presidency is on display at the [[Hill Aerospace Museum]] which uncovered presidential markings on the plane while stripping the paint for restoration.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.aerospaceutah.org/museum/our-collections/aircraft-collection/c-140b-jetstar/#:~:text=What%20is%20the%20C%2D140,as%20%E2%80%9CAir%20Force%20One.%E2%80%9D |title=Lockheed C-140B JetStar |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=<!--Not stated--> |website=aerospaceutah.org |publisher=Hill Aerospace Museum |access-date=1 June 2024}}</ref>

A [[McDonnell Douglas C-9|McDonnell Douglas VC-9C]] used by [[Ronald Reagan]] and [[Bill Clinton]] is on display at [[Castle Air Museum]] in [[Atwater, California]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Douglas VC-9C {{!}} Castle Air Museum, Atwater & Merced |url=http://www.castleairmuseum.org/douglasvc9c/ |access-date=27 January 2017 |publisher=Castle Air Museum}}</ref> next to the former [[Castle Air Force Base]]. Another VC-9C has been at [[Air Mobility Command Museum]] in [[Dover, Delaware]], since 2011.<ref>{{Cite web |title=VC-9C |url=https://amcmuseum.org/at-the-museum/aircraft/vc-9c/ |access-date=20 October 2019 |website=[[Air Mobility Command Museum]]}}</ref>

VC-137B ''SAM 970'', used from 1959 to 1962 as Air Force One and until 1996 in the presidential fleet, is on display at [[The Museum of Flight]] in [[Seattle]], Washington.<ref name="MoF" />

==In popular culture==
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{{main|Aircraft in fiction#Boeing 747}}

A fictionalized version of Air Force One is depicted in the 1997 feature film ''[[Air Force One (film)|Air Force One]]''. The cabin was built to scale and is as accurate as the production designers could possibly make it. "There weren’t any blueprints or floor plans available, so we had to watch CNN to see what the inside looked like," said the film’s director [[Wolfgang Petersen]].<ref>{{Cite web |title='Air Force One' reality check |url=https://ew.com/article/1997/08/01/air-force-one-reality-check/ |access-date=24 March 2024 |website=EW.com |language=en}}</ref>

==See also==
* {{annotated link|1254th Air Transport Wing}}
* {{annotated link|89th Airlift Wing}}
* {{annotated link|Air transports of heads of state and government}}
* {{annotated link|Army One}}
* {{annotated link|Marine One}}
* {{annotated link|Navy One}}
* {{annotated link|Presidential state car (United States)}}

==References==
===Notes===
{{Reflist}}

===Bibliography===
{{Refbegin}}
*{{Cite book |last1=Abbott |first1=James A. |title=Designing Camelot: The Kennedy White House Restoration |last2=Rice |first2=Elaine M. |publisher=Van Nostrand Reinhold |year=1998 |isbn=0-442-02532-7 |location=New York}}
* {{Cite book |last1=terHorst |first1=Jerald |url=https://archive.org/details/flyingwhitehouse00ter_evv |title=The Flying White House: The Story of Air Force One |last2=Albertazzie |first2=Ralph |publisher=McCann & Geoghegan |year=1979 |isbn=0-698-10930-9 |location=New York: Coward |author-link=Jerald terHorst |url-access=registration}}
* {{Cite book |title=The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft |publisher=Barnes & Noble Books |year=1997 |isbn=978-0-7607-0592-6 |editor-last=Donald |editor-first=David |location=New York}}
* {{Cite book |last=Dorr |first=Robert F. |title=Air Force One |publisher=Motorbooks International |year=2002 |isbn=0-7603-1055-6 |location=St. Paul, Minnesota |author-link=Robert Dorr}}
* {{Cite book |last=Hardesty |first=Von |url=https://archive.org/details/airforceone00vonh |title=Air Force One: The Aircraft that Shaped the Modern Presidency |publisher=Northword Press |year=2003 |isbn=1-55971-894-3 |location=Chanhassen, Minnesota |url-access=registration}}
* {{Cite web |last=Harris |first=Tom |title=How Air Force One Works |url=http://www.howstuffworks.com/air-force-one.htm |access-date=10 October 2006 |website=HowStuffWorks.com|date=23 May 2002 }}
* {{Cite book |last=Johnson |first=Lyndon Baines |title=The Vantage Point: Perspectives of the Presidency, 1963–1969 |publisher=Holt, Rinehart, & Winston |year=1971 |isbn=978-0-03084-492-8 |location=New York}}
* {{Cite book |last=Walsh |first=Kenneth T |url=https://archive.org/details/airforceonehisto00wals |title=Air Force One: A History of the Presidents and Their Planes |publisher=Hyperion |year=2003 |isbn=1-4013-0004-9 |location=New York |url-access=registration|authorlink=Kenneth T. Walsh}}
{{Refend}}

==External links==
{{commons}}
* [https://www.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/104588/vc-25-air-force-one/ VC-25 – Air Force One Fact Sheet on US Air Force site]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070212152936/http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=570 SAM 26000 fact sheet on the National Museum of the United States Air Force site]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070118215307/http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/exhibits/presidential/index.asp Presidential Gallery, featuring Boeing VC-137C known as SAM (Special Air Mission) 26000]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090122232607/http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/air_force_one/ Air Force One page on WhiteHouse.gov]
* {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20040812061849/http://www.707sim.com/air-force-one.html Facts and History of 707 as Air Force One and "Where they are Now?" on 707sim.com]}}
* [http://www.tysto.com/special/AF1/index.htm Air Force One page on WhiteHouseMuseum.org] 
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090212062204/http://reaganfoundation.org/airforceone/ Air Force One Pavilion on ReaganFoundation.org]
* [http://www.trumanlibrary.org/photographs/search.php?access=selectbycategory&keywords=Presidential+aircraft Truman Library & Museum] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140502021748/http://www.trumanlibrary.org/photographs/search.php?access=selectbycategory&keywords=Presidential+aircraft |date=2 May 2014 }}
* [https://www.af.mil/News/Photos/galleryID/55/ US Air Force image gallery]
* [https://www.boeing.com/defense/air-force-one/index.page Air Force One page on Boeing site]
* [http://www.0x4d.net/files/AF1/ Technical Order 00-105E-9, Segment 9, Chapter 7]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20130927125802/http://www.air-force-one.fr/ Air Force One page on air-force-one.fr]

{{U.S. presidential call signs}}
{{United States Air Force}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:1953 establishments in the United States]]
[[Category:Boeing 707]]
[[Category:Boeing 747]]
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[[Category:Raymond Loewy]]
[[Category:Transportation of the president of the United States]]
[[Category:United States Air Force]]
[[Category:United States special-purpose aircraft]]