VC-137C SAM 27000
Encyclopedia
SAM 27000 was the second of two Boeing VC-137C United States Air Force
aircraft that were specifically configured and maintained for the use of the President of the United States
. It used the call sign
Air Force One
when the President was on board, and at other times it used the call sign SAM 27000. The VC-137C serial number 72-7000
was a customized version of the Boeing 707
which entered service during the Nixon administration in 1972. It served all US presidents until George W. Bush
and was retired in 2001; it is now on display at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library
.
as the primary means of presidential travel, although SAM 26000 remained as a back-up plane. SAM 27000 served seven presidents in its twenty-nine years of service: Richard Nixon
, Gerald Ford
, Jimmy Carter
, Ronald Reagan
, George H. W. Bush
, Bill Clinton
and George W. Bush
. In 1990, it was replaced as the primary presidential plane by two Boeing VC-25
jumbo jets—SAM 28000 and SAM 29000
.
Nixon was the first president to utilize this Air Force One, dubbing it and its sister plane, SAM 26000, the "Spirit of '76;" President Nixon had that phrase painted on the nose of the two aircraft (later removed by President Carter.). Although SAM 27000 replaced SAM 26000 as Nixon's primary mode of aerial transportation, he chose to ride SAM 26000 when his family flew with him. Nixon garnered much attention for his frequent flying aboard Air Force One, usually flying to his homes in California and Florida, but also made many foreign trips abroad, such as his trip to China in 1972. Top presidential aides and cabinet ministers used the plane as well, including Secretary of State Henry Kissinger
. When President Nixon resigned the presidency on August 9, 1974, he flew to his home Orange County, California aboard SAM 27000. While flying over Missouri
en route to their destination, Colonel Ralph Albertazzie, the pilot, contacted Kansas City Center and had the aircraft's call sign changed from Air Force One to SAM 27000 due to Gerald Ford being sworn in.
Gerald Ford
used SAM 27000 somewhat frequently, especially for his trips abroad, such as his meeting with Soviet Premier Leonid Brezhnev
in Vladivostok in 1974. After experiencing two assassination attempts, Ford returned to the plane to hear his wife Betty
quip, "Well how did they treat you in San Francisco?" During the Ford years, there was a growing number of airline hijackings and the threat of terrorism expanded, so both SAM 27000 and 26000 were equipped with defense systems to detect heat-seeking missiles. It was President Ford who first decided that the name of the aircraft itself should be Air Force One, along with the call sign.
Jimmy Carter
made some changes to Air Force One that reflected his personal values. Carter preferred a more simplistic style of living, something he made apparent on SAM 27000; he even insisted that he and his family carry their own luggage aboard. Carter made regular use of the plane both for domestic use and for use abroad. In 1980, after the American Hockey Team defeated the Soviet Team
, Carter sent SAM 27000 to pick up the team and bring them back to Washington, D.C. for a congratulatory ceremony. Carter's last trip aboard 27000 was actually taken as a former president, when Ronald Reagan sent Carter to Germany
on behalf of the American people, to welcome home the 52 American hostages that were held captive in Iran
.
Ronald Reagan
was SAM 27000's most frequent flyer, flying longer and farther than all the other presidents who flew on it, traveling more than 675,000 miles aboard it. Reagan used Air Force One to travel to all parts of the world to pursue his ambitious diplomatic goals, taking three trips to Asia, six to Europe, and twelve trips to foreign places in the Western Hemisphere. Reagan flew to three of his four summit meetings with Soviet Leader Mikhail Gorbachev
aboard SAM 27000: Geneva, Reykjavík, and Moscow (one was held in Washington, D.C.).
While traveling on SAM 27000, Reagan spent most of his time in his forward cabin, but occasionally made visits to senior staff lounge for meetings with his aides. Reagan seldom slept on the plane, even on long journeys. First Lady Nancy Reagan
was also enthusiastic about Air Force One, recalling the first time she flew on the plane: "Ronnie read reports and attended to paperwork, while I kept busy writing letters to friends back home on Air Force One letterhead. Look at me, I'm flying on Air Force One!" The Reagans' last flight aboard the plane was on January 20, 1989, when the now-former President and First Lady flew back to California.
George H.W. Bush was the last president to utilize SAM 27000 as the primary means of presidential travel, for in 1990 the plane was replaced by two Boeing 747-200B jumbo jets, designated VC-25, although SAM 27000 was kept as a backup plane for Bush during the remainder of his presidency, as well as those of Bill Clinton
and George W. Bush
.
Former President Richard Nixon died on April 22, 1994 in New York City
. SAM 27000 brought his body to the Marine Corps Air Station El Toro
in Orange County, California
four days later. His body was then taken to the Richard Nixon Library and Birthplace (now Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum) to lay in state before a funeral service and burial.
Its last Presidential voyage was August 29, 2001, when it delivered George W. Bush
and Laura Bush
to TSTC Waco Airport
en route to their Prairie Chapel Ranch
. On September 8, 2001, SAM 27000 was decommissioned and flown to San Bernardino International Airport
in California. It was dismantled there and later driven in pieces to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library
in Simi Valley, California
, where it was reassembled and is currently on public display in the museum. There is a book available, which covers the entire process of disassembly and reassembly written by Co-Authors Joel Haskel Cohen and Michael Steven Cohen, titled Air Force One: The Final Mission . Their book is the only title the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation Library allowed to document the transformation of Air Force One - SAM27000 final days toward permanent residence at the Library. It took five years for this transformation to take place, but was originally intended to take two years.
Former First Lady Nancy Reagan insisted the aircraft be disassembled bolt by bolt with "no" re-fabrication or tears in the fabric of SAM27000. This resulted in a pain-staking engineering process where the authors became part of a solutions process involving complex requirements, which had no precedence. In her forward to the book covering SAM27000's transformation Former First Lady Nancy Reagan states, "Whenever and wherever that majestic plane touched down, everyone who saw it knew it represented the greatest democracy in the world and it carried aboard the promise of a better future in the person of the president."
President Gerald Ford, President Jimmy Carter, President George H. W. Bush, President Bill Clinton, and President George W. Bush each provided private letters and sentiments in regard to their time aboard SAM27000 in the book, Air Force One: The Final Mission. Each disclosed personal accounts and feelings regarding time spent on the "Traveling White House." It appears the Presidents developed a fondness for SAM27000 equating the Boeing 707
to "their home away from home." SAM27000 delivered a solid transport housing decades of key decision-making of global proportions now decommissioned and housed at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation Library.
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
aircraft that were specifically configured and maintained for the use of the President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
. It used the call sign
Call sign
In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign is a unique designation for a transmitting station. In North America they are used as names for broadcasting stations...
Air Force One
Air Force One
Air Force One is the official air traffic control call sign of any United States Air Force aircraft carrying the President of the United States. In common parlance the term refers to those Air Force aircraft whose primary mission is to transport the president; however, any U.S. Air Force aircraft...
when the President was on board, and at other times it used the call sign SAM 27000. The VC-137C serial number 72-7000
United States military aircraft serials
In the United States, all military aircraft display a serial number to identify individual aircraft. Because these numbers are located on the aircraft tail, they are sometimes referred to unofficially as "tail numbers"...
was a customized version of the Boeing 707
Boeing 707
The Boeing 707 is a four-engine narrow-body commercial passenger jet airliner developed by Boeing in the early 1950s. Its name is most commonly pronounced as "Seven Oh Seven". The first airline to operate the 707 was Pan American World Airways, inaugurating the type's first commercial flight on...
which entered service during the Nixon administration in 1972. It served all US presidents until George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
and was retired in 2001; it is now on display at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library
Ronald Reagan Presidential Library
The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Center for Public Affairs is the presidential library and final resting place of Ronald Wilson Reagan, the 40th President of the United States. Designed by Hugh Stubbins and Associates, the library is located in Simi Valley, California, about northwest of...
.
Operational history
The plane first entered service in 1972 during the administration of Richard Nixon. SAM 27000 replaced the aging SAM 26000VC-137C SAM 26000
SAM 26000 was the first of two Boeing VC-137C United States Air Force aircraft specifically configured and maintained for use by the President of the United States. It used the callsign Air Force One when the President was on board, SAM 26000 otherwise.A VC-137C serial number 62-6000, SAM 26000 was...
as the primary means of presidential travel, although SAM 26000 remained as a back-up plane. SAM 27000 served seven presidents in its twenty-nine years of service: Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
, Gerald Ford
Gerald Ford
Gerald Rudolph "Jerry" Ford, Jr. was the 38th President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977, and the 40th Vice President of the United States serving from 1973 to 1974...
, Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
, Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
, George H. W. Bush
George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...
, Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
and George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
. In 1990, it was replaced as the primary presidential plane by two Boeing VC-25
Boeing VC-25
The Boeing VC-25 is the designation of a United States Air Force passenger transportation aircraft, a military version of the Boeing 747 airliner. The A-model is the only variant of the VC-25....
jumbo jets—SAM 28000 and SAM 29000
Boeing VC-25
The Boeing VC-25 is the designation of a United States Air Force passenger transportation aircraft, a military version of the Boeing 747 airliner. The A-model is the only variant of the VC-25....
.
Nixon and Ford
Henry Kissinger
Heinz Alfred "Henry" Kissinger is a German-born American academic, political scientist, diplomat, and businessman. He is a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. He served as National Security Advisor and later concurrently as Secretary of State in the administrations of Presidents Richard Nixon and...
. When President Nixon resigned the presidency on August 9, 1974, he flew to his home Orange County, California aboard SAM 27000. While flying over Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
en route to their destination, Colonel Ralph Albertazzie, the pilot, contacted Kansas City Center and had the aircraft's call sign changed from Air Force One to SAM 27000 due to Gerald Ford being sworn in.
Gerald Ford
Gerald Ford
Gerald Rudolph "Jerry" Ford, Jr. was the 38th President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977, and the 40th Vice President of the United States serving from 1973 to 1974...
used SAM 27000 somewhat frequently, especially for his trips abroad, such as his meeting with Soviet Premier Leonid Brezhnev
Leonid Brezhnev
Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev – 10 November 1982) was the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union , presiding over the country from 1964 until his death in 1982. His eighteen-year term as General Secretary was second only to that of Joseph Stalin in...
in Vladivostok in 1974. After experiencing two assassination attempts, Ford returned to the plane to hear his wife Betty
Betty Ford
Elizabeth Ann Bloomer Warren Ford , better known as Betty Ford, was First Lady of the United States from 1974 to 1977 during the presidency of her husband Gerald Ford...
quip, "Well how did they treat you in San Francisco?" During the Ford years, there was a growing number of airline hijackings and the threat of terrorism expanded, so both SAM 27000 and 26000 were equipped with defense systems to detect heat-seeking missiles. It was President Ford who first decided that the name of the aircraft itself should be Air Force One, along with the call sign.
Carter and Reagan
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
made some changes to Air Force One that reflected his personal values. Carter preferred a more simplistic style of living, something he made apparent on SAM 27000; he even insisted that he and his family carry their own luggage aboard. Carter made regular use of the plane both for domestic use and for use abroad. In 1980, after the American Hockey Team defeated the Soviet Team
Miracle on Ice
The "Miracle on Ice" is the name in American popular culture for a medal-round men's ice hockey game during the 1980 Winter Olympics at Lake Placid, New York, on Friday, February 22...
, Carter sent SAM 27000 to pick up the team and bring them back to Washington, D.C. for a congratulatory ceremony. Carter's last trip aboard 27000 was actually taken as a former president, when Ronald Reagan sent Carter to Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
on behalf of the American people, to welcome home the 52 American hostages that were held captive in Iran
Iran hostage crisis
The Iran hostage crisis was a diplomatic crisis between Iran and the United States where 52 Americans were held hostage for 444 days from November 4, 1979 to January 20, 1981, after a group of Islamist students and militants took over the American Embassy in Tehran in support of the Iranian...
.
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
was SAM 27000's most frequent flyer, flying longer and farther than all the other presidents who flew on it, traveling more than 675,000 miles aboard it. Reagan used Air Force One to travel to all parts of the world to pursue his ambitious diplomatic goals, taking three trips to Asia, six to Europe, and twelve trips to foreign places in the Western Hemisphere. Reagan flew to three of his four summit meetings with Soviet Leader Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev is a former Soviet statesman, having served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991, and as the last head of state of the USSR, having served from 1988 until its dissolution in 1991...
aboard SAM 27000: Geneva, Reykjavík, and Moscow (one was held in Washington, D.C.).
While traveling on SAM 27000, Reagan spent most of his time in his forward cabin, but occasionally made visits to senior staff lounge for meetings with his aides. Reagan seldom slept on the plane, even on long journeys. First Lady Nancy Reagan
Nancy Reagan
Nancy Davis Reagan is the widow of former United States President Ronald Reagan and was First Lady of the United States from 1981 to 1989....
was also enthusiastic about Air Force One, recalling the first time she flew on the plane: "Ronnie read reports and attended to paperwork, while I kept busy writing letters to friends back home on Air Force One letterhead. Look at me, I'm flying on Air Force One!" The Reagans' last flight aboard the plane was on January 20, 1989, when the now-former President and First Lady flew back to California.
Missions after replacement
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
and George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
.
Former President Richard Nixon died on April 22, 1994 in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. SAM 27000 brought his body to the Marine Corps Air Station El Toro
Marine Corps Air Station El Toro
Marine Corps Air Station El Toro was a United States Marine Corps Air Station located near Irvine, California.Before it was decommissioned in 1999, it was the home of Marine Corps aviation on the West Coast. Designated as a Master Jet Station, its four runways could handle the largest aircraft...
in Orange County, California
Orange County, California
Orange County is a county in the U.S. state of California. Its county seat is Santa Ana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,010,232, up from 2,846,293 at the 2000 census, making it the third most populous county in California, behind Los Angeles County and San Diego County...
four days later. His body was then taken to the Richard Nixon Library and Birthplace (now Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum) to lay in state before a funeral service and burial.
Its last Presidential voyage was August 29, 2001, when it delivered George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
and Laura Bush
Laura Bush
Laura Lane Welch Bush is the wife of the 43rd President of the United States, George W. Bush. She was the First Lady of the United States from January 20, 2001, to January 20, 2009. She has held a love of books and reading since childhood and her life and education have reflected that interest...
to TSTC Waco Airport
TSTC Waco Airport
TSTC Waco Airport is an airport located within city limits, northeast of central Waco, Texas. Before 1968, it was known as James Connally Air Force Base....
en route to their Prairie Chapel Ranch
Prairie Chapel Ranch
Prairie Chapel Ranch is a 1,583 acre ranch in unincorporated McLennan County, Texas, located seven miles northwest of Crawford. The property was acquired by President George W...
. On September 8, 2001, SAM 27000 was decommissioned and flown to San Bernardino International Airport
San Bernardino International Airport
San Bernardino International Airport is a public airport located two miles southeast of the central business district of San Bernardino, California, in San Bernardino County, California, USA. The airport covers and has one runway. It is currently a general aviation and cargo airport located on...
in California. It was dismantled there and later driven in pieces to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library
Ronald Reagan Presidential Library
The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Center for Public Affairs is the presidential library and final resting place of Ronald Wilson Reagan, the 40th President of the United States. Designed by Hugh Stubbins and Associates, the library is located in Simi Valley, California, about northwest of...
in Simi Valley, California
Simi Valley, California
-2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Simi Valley had a population of 124,237. The population density was 2,940.8 people per square mile...
, where it was reassembled and is currently on public display in the museum. There is a book available, which covers the entire process of disassembly and reassembly written by Co-Authors Joel Haskel Cohen and Michael Steven Cohen, titled Air Force One: The Final Mission . Their book is the only title the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation Library allowed to document the transformation of Air Force One - SAM27000 final days toward permanent residence at the Library. It took five years for this transformation to take place, but was originally intended to take two years.
Former First Lady Nancy Reagan insisted the aircraft be disassembled bolt by bolt with "no" re-fabrication or tears in the fabric of SAM27000. This resulted in a pain-staking engineering process where the authors became part of a solutions process involving complex requirements, which had no precedence. In her forward to the book covering SAM27000's transformation Former First Lady Nancy Reagan states, "Whenever and wherever that majestic plane touched down, everyone who saw it knew it represented the greatest democracy in the world and it carried aboard the promise of a better future in the person of the president."
President Gerald Ford, President Jimmy Carter, President George H. W. Bush, President Bill Clinton, and President George W. Bush each provided private letters and sentiments in regard to their time aboard SAM27000 in the book, Air Force One: The Final Mission. Each disclosed personal accounts and feelings regarding time spent on the "Traveling White House." It appears the Presidents developed a fondness for SAM27000 equating the Boeing 707
Boeing 707
The Boeing 707 is a four-engine narrow-body commercial passenger jet airliner developed by Boeing in the early 1950s. Its name is most commonly pronounced as "Seven Oh Seven". The first airline to operate the 707 was Pan American World Airways, inaugurating the type's first commercial flight on...
to "their home away from home." SAM27000 delivered a solid transport housing decades of key decision-making of global proportions now decommissioned and housed at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation Library.