| SAM 27000 | |
|---|---|
 SAM 27000 taking off fromHeathrow Airport | |
| General information | |
| Other name | "Air Force One" |
| Type | Boeing VC-137C |
| Status | Preserved, on display |
| Owners | United States Air Force |
| Construction number | 20630 |
| Serial | 72-7000 |
| History | |
| Manufactured | 1972 |
| First flight | July 31, 1972 |
| In service | August 9, 1972 - August 29, 2001 |
| Last flight | August 29, 2001 |
| Preserved at | Ronald Reagan Presidential Library |
SAM 27000 is the second of the twoBoeing VC-137C aircraft that were specifically configured and maintained for the use of thepresident of the United States. It used thecall signAir Force One when the president was on board, and at other times it used the call signSAM 27000 (spoken as 'SAM two-seven-thousand'), with SAM indicating 'Special Air Mission.' The VC-137Cserial number72-7000[a] is a customized version of theBoeing 707 which entered service during theNixon administration in 1972. It served all US presidents untilGeorge W. Bush and was retired in 2001. It is now on display at theRonald Reagan Presidential Library.
The aircraft first entered service in 1972 during the administration of Richard Nixon.SAM 27000 replaced the agingSAM 26000 as the primary means of presidential travel, althoughSAM 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, andGeorge W. Bush. In 1990, it was replaced as the primary presidential plane by twoBoeing VC-25A jumbo jets —SAM 28000 and29000.
Nixon was the first president to use thisAir Force One, dubbing it and its sister plane,SAM 26000, the "Spirit of '76", having that phrase painted on the nose of the two aircraft, although later removed by President Carter.[1][2] AlthoughSAM 27000 replacedSAM 26000 as Nixon's primary mode of aerial transportation, he chose to ride SAM 26000 when his family flew with him.[3] Nixon garnered much attention for his frequent flying aboardAir Force One, usually flying to his homes in California and Florida, but also made many trips abroad, such as his trip to China in 1972. Top presidential aides and cabinet secretaries used the plane as well, includingSecretary of StateHenry Kissinger. When President Nixon resigned the presidency on August 9, 1974, he flew to his home in Orange County, California aboardSAM 27000.[4] While flying overMissouri en route to their destination, ColonelRalph Albertazzie, the pilot, contacted Kansas City Center and had the aircraft's call sign changed fromAir Force One to SAM 27000 due to Gerald Ford being sworn in.
Gerald Ford usedSAM 27000 somewhat frequently, especially for his trips abroad, such as his meeting with Soviet PremierLeonid Brezhnev in Vladivostok in 1974. After experiencing two assassination attempts, Ford returned to the plane to hear his wifeBetty quip "Well, how did they treat you in San Francisco?"[5] During the Ford years, there was a growing number of airline hijackings and the threat of terrorism expanded, so bothSAM 27000 and26000 were equipped with defense systems to detect heat-seeking missiles.[citation needed] It was President Ford who first decided that the name of the aircraft itself should beAir Force One, along with the call sign.[citation needed]
Jimmy Carter made some changes to the aircraft that reflected his personal values.[6] Carter preferred a simpler style of living, something he made apparent onSAM 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 theAmerican Hockey Team defeated the Soviet Team, Carter sentSAM 27000 to pick up the team and bring them back to Washington, D.C. for a congratulatory ceremony.[7] Carter's last trip aboard27000 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 wereheld captive in Iran.[8]
Ronald Reagan wasSAM 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.[9] Reagan usedAir 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 LeaderMikhail Gorbachev aboardSAM 27000: Geneva, Reykjavík, and Moscow (the other being held in Washington, D.C.). The Reagans' last flight aboard the plane was on January 20, 1989, when the then-former President and First Lady flew back to California.[10]
George H. W. Bush was the last president to useSAM 27000 as the primary means of presidential travel, as in 1990 the plane was replaced by two Boeing 747-200B jumbo jets, designated VC-25, althoughSAM 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, inNew York City.SAM 27000 brought his body to theMarine Corps Air Station El Toro inOrange County, California, four days later. His body was then taken to the Richard Nixon Library and Birthplace (nowRichard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum) to lie in state before afuneral service and burial.
Its last Presidential voyage was August 29, 2001, when it delivered George W. Bush andLaura Bush toTSTC Waco Airport en route to theirPrairie Chapel Ranch.[11]
SAM 27000 was decommissioned and flown toSan Bernardino International Airport (formerlyNorton Air Force Base) in September 2001, where it was presented to the Reagan Foundation. In what was known as Operation Homeward Bound,Boeing, the plane's manufacturer, disassembled the plane and transported it to the library in pieces.[12] After the construction of the foundation of the pavilion itself, the plane was reassembled and restored to museum quality,[12] as well as raised onto pedestals 25 ft (7.6 m) above ground.[13] The pavilion was dedicated on October 24, 2005, by Nancy Reagan, President George W. Bush, and First LadyLaura Bush.[14]
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