Photos show how Air Force One has changed through the years
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President Dwight D. Eisenhower was the first president to travel on a jet aircraft in 1959.Air Force One taking off. Terry Fincher/Mirrorpix/Getty Images Eisenhower's Boeing 707 Stratoliner, nicknamed "Queenie," featured a section for telecommunications, room for 40 passengers, a conference area, and a stateroom, according to Encyclopedia Britannica.John F. Kennedy was the first to use a jet specifically designed for the US president. It had the tail number 26000.President John F. Kennedy's pilot and copilot in Air Force One's cockpit. John Rous The Boeing 707 included a living room, bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen.Raymond Loewy designed theplane's blue-and-white exterior.President John F. Kennedy and first lady Jacqueline Kennedy in San Antonio. Kennedy Library Archives/Newsmakers/Getty Images The plane's design featured an American flag on the tail and presidential seals on the nose.After Kennedy's assassination in 1963, President Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn in on Air Force One.President Lyndon Baines Johnson took the oath of office on Air Force One. Universal History Archive/Getty Images It marked the first and only time a presidential swearing-in ceremony took place on an airplane.Johnson met with Cabinet members on the presidential aircraft in 1966 in a small seating area.President Lyndon Johnson met with Cabinet members on Air Force One. Bettmann/Contributor/Getty Images The small alcove was decorated with a globe decal on the wall and curtains lining the windows.In 1972, Richard Nixon was the first president to use the Boeing 707 plane with tail number 27000 as Air Force One.President Richard Nixon aboard Air Force One. Wally McNamee/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images Nixon stood behind the plane's bar while meeting with military and civilian leaders en route to Vietnam.When President Gerald Ford took office after Nixon resigned, seats in the rear cabin were upholstered with striped fabric.President Gerald Ford held a mini news conference aboard Air Force One. Bettmann/Contributor/Getty Images Presidents would occasionally make their way back to the rear cabin to chat with reporters.Ford's office, just off the stateroom, also featured striped furniture.President Gerald Ford with Candice Bergen on Air Force One. David Hume Kennerly/ Getty Images Ford is pictured with Candice Bergen, the first female photographer to shoot a behind-the-scenes story on an American president.President Jimmy Carter outfitted the press area with blue carpeting.President Jimmy Carter spoke to reporters aboard Air Force One. Bettmann/Contributor/Getty Images Carter talked to reporters on his way back from a trip to Europe in 1978.President Ronald Reagan used 27000 as his primary presidential aircraft.President Ronal Reagan met with advisors aboard Air Force One. Bill Fitz-Patrick - White House via CNP/Getty Images In 1983, Reagan met with Secretary of State George P. Shultz and the national-security advisor designate Robert McFarlane in a meeting space that featured a magazine rack, teal chair, wood-grain table, and photos of him and the first lady, Nancy Reagan.Reagan also hung pictures of himself in Air Force One's rear cabin.President Ronald Reagan with reporters aboard Air Force One. Bettmann/Contributor/Getty Images The photos showed Reagan toasting with a champagne glass and waving while boarding Air Force One.New blue-striped curtains matched the blue carpeting and furniture in another meeting area.President Ronald Reagan with staff aboard Air Force One. CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images The meeting room also included a television set.In 1990, George H. W. Bush began using new Boeing 747 planes with tail numbers 28000 and 29000 as Air Force One.The presidential office of Air Force One. Consolidated News Pictures/Getty Images The presidential office was updated with a stately desk, gray carpeting, and leather chairs.The staff and secretarial area was decorated with neutral whites and grays.The staff and secretarial area of Air Force One. Consolidated News Pictures/Getty Images The staff area featured plenty of phones for official business. Air Force One is also known as the "flying Oval Office."The new plane's annex could also be configured for medical use.The annex of Air Force One. Consolidated News Pictures/Getty Images The annex is pictured in executive configuration, with seating for meetings.The new planes featured over 4,000 square feet of space, which President Bill Clinton often used to hold meetings.President Bill Clinton in a meeting aboard Air Force One. LUKE FRAZZA/AFP via Getty Images Clinton met with a delegation from North and South Dakota in 1997 to address flooding in the area.In the guest area, Clinton's Air Force One featured tan chairs and blue carpeting.President Bill Clinton on Air Force One. DAVID SCULL/AFP via Getty Images Clinton met with members of Congress to discuss nuclear-waste management in 1999.President George W. Bush flew 27000 one last time in August 2001 before it was retired to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.President George W. Bush and first lady Laura Bush aboard Air Force One on the plane's last mission. Rick Wilking/Getty Images The plane flew 444 missions and logged over 1 million miles, according to the Bush White House.When the World Trade Center and Pentagon were attacked on September 11, 2001, the Secret Service kept Bush in the air aboard the new Air Force One.President George W. Bush on the telephone on September 11, 2001, as senior staff huddled in his office aboard Air Force One. Eric Draper, Courtesy of the George W. Bush Presidential Library/Getty Images Bush insisted on returning to Washington, but the Secret Service refused since they were unsure if more attacks were coming.In a 2016 interview with Politico, Bush's assistant White House press secretary Gordon Johndroe described Air Force One that day as "the safest and most dangerous place in the world at the exact same time."Bush conferred with his chief of staff, Andy Card, in the stateroom, designed by Nancy Reagan.President George W. Bush and Andy Card on September 11, 2001. Eric Draper, Courtesy of the George W. Bush Presidential Library/Getty Images The president's suite included a small bed, light-pink couch and carpeting, and a desk with a brown leather chair.Bush walked down a hallway arm-in-arm with Harriet Miers, the assistant to the president and staff secretary.President George W. Bush and Harriet Miers on September 11, 2001. Eric Draper, Courtesy of the George W. Bush Presidential Library/Getty Images The hallway was lined with a beige couch with side tables and lamps on either side.When President Barack Obama took office in 2009, Air Force One's conference room had been updated with a TV screen and leather chairs.President Barack Obama talks with his staff aboard Air Force One. Pete Souza/White House via Getty Images The plane has 85 phone lines as well as encryption and scrambling devices to ensure secure communication, CNBC reported.On the other side of the conference room, a decal that read "Air Force One" was displayed on wood paneling.President Barack Obama on the phone aboard Air Force One. Official White House Photo by Pete Souza Food and drinks are provided by the plane's galley kitchen.The plane's senior staff room featured more phones, a coat closet, and leather chairs.President Barack Obama with senior staff and President Bill Clinton on Air Force One. Official White House Photo by Pete Souza Obama met with his chief of staff, Jack Lew, his senior advisors David Axelrod and David Plouffe, and former President Bill Clinton in the senior staff room in 2012.The presidential office furniture was also updated, with mahogany chairs and sofas replacing the gray.President Barack Obama with staff on Air Force One. Official White House Photo by Pete Souza The carpeting was updated to a subtle star pattern, which also appeared in the conference room.The plane's guest section was reserved for special visitors like members of Congress.President Barack Obama with a congressional delegation aboard Air Force One. Official White House photo by Pete Souza The chairs featured a subtle polka-dot pattern, and the tables folded down to make more space.The rear cabin for press looked like a standard commercial airliner.President Barack Obama briefed journalists on Air Force One. JEWEL SAMAD/AFP via Getty Images Journalists can wander the rear cabin freely, but they aren't allowed to walk forward to speak to the president the president has to come back to them.President Donald Trump proposed new paint colors for the exterior of Air Force One in 2019.A model of the proposed paint scheme of the next generation of Air Force One. Alex Wong/Getty Images As part of the Air Force's Presidential Aircraft Recapitalization program to update Air Force One planes, Trump proposed a red, white, and navy-blue color scheme for the new models.The Air Force ultimately rejected Trump's proposed color scheme because it would have been more costly and caused engineering issues.Air Force One in February. Brittany Murray/MediaNews Group/Long Beach Press-Telegram via Getty Images The darker paint color would have caused overheating issues and been too costly. Instead, President Joe Biden selected a baby-blue color scheme similar to the current model.The new VC-25B Air Force One planes are expected to be ready by 2027, according to the Air Force. The project has already cost Boeing over $2 million due to various manufacturing and supply-chain issues.In President Joe Biden's Air Force One, the conference room had the same star carpeting as the plane's presidential office.President Joe Biden met with staff aboard Air Force One. Official White House Photo by Adam Schultz Plain beige carpeting continued down the hallway.The placard in the conference room was updated to read "Aboard Air Force One" with an image of the iconic aircraft.
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