Arguably most recognizable airplane call sign in the world, Air Force One is a very unique aircraft. It has a very detailed, complex, and rich history. Here are some interesting facts that may surprise you about the aircraft.

1. Although we think of a very specific plane, the term “Air Force One” can be used to refer to any Air Force aircraft the president travels on.
2. Air Force One actually has 1 more takeoff than landing. That is because on August 9th, 1974, President Richard Nixon was flying home on Air Force 1, which meant that he was no longer president. Thus, causing a change in the call sign to SAM 27000 mid-flight over Missouri.
3. Finished in 1944, the 1st airplane specifically designed to carry the president was actually a converted C-54 Skymaster, nicknamed the Sacred Cow. The plane was used for 2 years before being replaced, with a notable event was that it carried President Franklin D. Roosevelt to the Yalta Conference in February 1945.
4. The call sign we use today “Air Force One” was only crated 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.
5. The first president to fly in an airplane occurred in October 1910 at a Missouri county fair by former president, Theodore Roosevelt. He flew in a Wright Flyer.
6. Franklin D. Roosevelt was the first president to fly in an aircraft while in office.
7. The first aircraft obtained specifically for presidential travel was a Douglas Dolphin delivered in 1933.
8. JFK was the first president to fly internationally AND domestically in a jet powered airplane. Prior to October 1862, domestic trips were taken by the president in propeller powered Douglas VC-118A Liftmaster.
9. Once retired, these planes go to museums, such as presidential libraries.
10. There is the potential for Air Force 1 to become a supersonic airplane in the future, as contracts to develop a future supersonic aircraft that could be utilized as Air Force One were announced in 2020.
11. When President LBJ would use his visit his family ranch near Johnson City, Texas he was transported using an acquired Beechcraft King Air B90 (designated VC-6A). For these trips, the aircraft, which would fly between Bergstrom Air Force Base and Johnson City, Texas.

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