1960’s Airforce One
 

Watching a programme about Kennedy and was struck by the fact I have no idea what happened to the 707 he travelled in.

After such a momentus event I would have thought it would be preserved as a piece of history.

Was it just scrapped?

Check out the website of the National Museum of the USAF (USAF Museum) Dayton, Ohio, USA
Boeing VC-137C SAM 26000 > National Museum of the US Air Force? > Display

SAM 26000 bears an intimate connection to one of the nation’s greatest tragedies, a moment that forever altered the course of American history. On Nov. 22, 1963, President Kennedy was assassinated while traveling in a motorcade through downtown Dallas, Texas. Hours later, Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn in as the new president aboard SAM 26000. The aircraft then carried Kennedy’s body and President Johnson back to Washington, D.C., and a grieving nation

I saw it at Gatwick 29 June 1963.

I think the airplane currently resides and the Museum of Flight at Boeing Field in Seattle. I have gone through it there.

The aircraft at Seattle’s museum is SAM970, predecessor to SAM26000.

86970 May have been in service before 26000 & have been retired before it; but, didn’t it stay in service for a very long time ?

LBJ also had a Lockheed Jetstar (VC140?) which took him from nearest full airforce base to the private runway on his Texas ranch where he spent much of his time. It was known as Air Force One-half. Visited the 'Western White House' while over there earlier this year including a look on board it.

https://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/me...e-one-half.jpg

(not my picture though I have several)

SAM 26000 was in service until 1998 before going to the USAF museum at Wright-Patterson. It was a 707-353B, USAF designation VC-137C. It was preceded by three 707-153s, which were VC-137As 970, 971 and 972 until being re-engined with turbofans and becoming -153Bs/VC-137Bs. These were not specifically presidential aircraft. In 1972 SAM 26000 was joined by another VC-137C, SAM 27000, which was in service until 2001 and now resides in the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California.

Thanks for all that info., but do you know when 86970 entered service & was retired ?

The correct (full) serials indicate a FY 1958 purchase for 970, 971 and 972 (58-697...) So I would imagine an in-service date of late 58, early 59.

Out of service dates are a little difficult to pin down - as some were downgraded from 'VC-' to 'C-' status but remained in service. I'm sure that someone with more data to hand may be able to provide more.

As others have indicated they're dotted around in Ohio (62-6000), Seattle (58-6970), California (72-7000) and 58-6971 is in Pima Az. 58-6972 is reported as broken up at McConnell AFB Wichita KS in '96.

HTH

It was normal for the aircraft to stay in secondary VIP usage after being displaced.


58-6970 was an early 707-120 turbojet, new in May 1959. It would have the original medium range of these, where London to Washington would be about the limit. It was converted to fanjet engines only after it was displaced, in February 1963. It seems to have then lasted for another 30 years until being sent to a museum (as they all seem to be) in January 1996.

62-6000 was a "proper" intercontinental 707-320B, new in October 1962. Like its predecessor, it was one of the first of the models. It lasted in front line service for 10 years, was then the second aircraft, and went to a museum in May 1998.

72-7000 was another 707-320B, new in August 1972. This one went to a museum in August 2001.

82-8000 and 92-9000 are the two current 747s which came at the end of 1990. With the much larger size, an equivalent sized backup aircraft was chosen.

It's apparent that the old 707s all continued in use until the late 1990s, when all three were cleared out pretty much together.

The three original VC-137A (B707-100's) were originally "water wagons with JT3C engines. All the Presidnetial aircraft and SAMFLEET (VIP transport) including the VC-118, VC-121 (L749 and L1049) and the VC-140 (Jetstar) were maintained at KIDL NY by Lockheed Aircraft Service (LASI, later LASNY) up until the President Johnson ere when the contracts were moved to a Texas company (surprise!).
The three water wagon VC-137A were not converted by Boeing but in New York by Lockheed. The conversion also involved upgrading the pylons, wing leading edges and vertical fin/rudder to the latest configurations. Boeing of course supplied the mod kits. It was a huge project. I did not personally work on the project being on the "Gate Crew" at the International Arrival Building but I later received Security Clearance for Green Valley and Access Presidential Aircraft in case one of the SAMFLEET aircraft dropped in.

Interesting paint job!

....which leads to another question why the change from red to blue?

Jackie didn't like it.

JFK Redesigns Air Force One - New England Historical Society

Have to say the blue scheme looks far more presidential, the red has absolutely nothing going for it.

So what was AirForce One in August 1959 when President Eisenhower came to the UK for talks with PM Macmillan and visited HM the Queen at Balmoral?

I ask this because in an earlier thread here on PPRuNe I mentioned I'd seem Ike at Benson aboard an RAF 216 Sqn Comet. Here's what I said then.

President Eisenhower Arrives at RAF Benson in a 216 Sqn Comet

A couple of photos taken at RAF Benson on Saturday 29th August 1959.
The occasion was when President Eisenhower was on a visit to the UK for talks with prime minister Harold Macmillian. During his visit Ike flew up to Scotland to see the Queen and rather than flying in Air Force One (or whatever it was called in those days), he was flown to Aberdeen and back by an RAF Comet of 216 Sqn.
At the time I was at RAF Abingdon awaiting my posting to 99 Sqn at RAF Lyneham and was in touch with one of my drinking friends who worked in ATC at Benson who told me that President Eisenhower was due to land at Benson to have talks with prime minister Macmillan at Chequers on his return from a visit to the queen at Balmoral and would I like to see a real live US president?
Nothing ventured nothing gained I grabbed my Rolleiflex camera, hopped on my motorcycle and drove over to Benson. Wearing uniform and with a rather large "professional" camera around my neck it was assumed I was an "official photographer" and I was ushered to the scaffolding erected for photographers and duly took my photographs.


http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r...ne-Thisone.jpg


http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r...gdon/Ike1a.jpg


http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r...don/Ike-2a.jpg

Ike doffs his hat as he alights from the 216 Sqn Comet at Benson


http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r...keatBenson.jpg
Press cutting about the visit

A visit to the National Archives at Kew and a look at 216 Squadron’s Operations Record Book for August 1959 provided the itinerary and crew details as below:

Comet XK 715
Flight No. Spec 1416
Crew:
S/Ldr P. E. Pullen
F/O J. Byrne
F/S D. Rance
F/S J. Hayley
M. Eng J. Clark
Sgt M.C. Wendler
Sgt (W) M. Wood


Routing:
27th August 1959 Lyneham — LHR 1600 - 1620
28th August 1959 LHR — Dyce (Aberdeen) 0845 - 1005
29th August 1959 Dyce — Benson 1045 - 1205
29th August 1959 Benson — Lyneham 1305 - 1400

Well the first USAF VIP 707 had been delivered just a few months previously. If it wasn't ready yet, not that the extended outfitting that takes place nowadays used to happen so much then, and given that jets had been around for a year or so, I would guess they could charter from Pan Am. But my bet would be the new aircraft, and the trip may have been timed around its availability. It would be embarrassing to go propeller then.

The predecessor aircraft were a pair of DC6 and L-749 Constellation, 46-0505 and 48-0610, delivered in 1947-8, and a replacement pair of DC6B and L-1049 Constellation, 53-3240 and 53-7885, delivered in 1954. All four lasted well into the jet era on backup duties. As a presidential visit commonly requires more than one aircraft overall, some of these likely came over at some stage as well.