Air Force One: A Visual History of the Presidential Jet

Since the mid-20th century, US presidents have flown on special planes designated Air Force One while carrying out official duties. Nicknamed the "flying Oval Office," the aircraft has long functioned as the president's flying command center, office, and private quarters.

Any Air Force plane carrying a US president is called Air Force One. The modern aircraft is equipped with everything the president might need, including office spaces, two kitchens, a stateroom with sleeping quarters, and a fully functional operating room.

Here's how the design of Air Force One has changed through the years, from the earliest propeller-driven planes to the latest luxury jet donated by the Qatari royal family.

Before presidents traveled on jet planes, the first-ever aircraft built for US presidents was a Douglas VC-54C Skymaster. Nicknamed "Sacred Cow," the aircraft operated from 1944 to 1961, flying Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry Truman.

The plane featured an elevator shaft for Roosevelt's wheelchair, an executive conference room with a bulletproof window, and an electric refrigerator—a rare luxury for planes built in the 1940s.

President Dwight D. Eisenhower was the first president to travel on a jet aircraft in 1959. His Boeing 707 Stratoliner, nicknamed "Queenie," featured a section for telecommunications, room for 40 passengers, a conference area, and a stateroom.

President John F. Kennedy was the first to use a jet specifically designed for the US president, known as SAM 26000. This customized and modified version of a civilian 707-320B airliner was known as a Boeing VC-137C.

The plane included a living room, bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen. Renowned designer Raymond Loewy designed the plane's blue-and-white exterior, which 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 board the SAM 26000. This marked the first and only time a presidential swearing-in ceremony took place on an airplane.

In 1972, Richard Nixon was the first president to use a Boeing 707 plane with the tail number 27000 as Air Force One. 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. Ford's office, just off the stateroom, also featured striped furniture.

Presidents would occasionally make their way back to the rear cabin to chat with reporters. Ford is pictured with Candice Bergen, the first female photographer to shoot a behind-the-scenes story on an American president.

President Ronald Reagan used 27000 as his primary presidential aircraft. In 1983, he 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.

In 1990, George H. W. Bush began using new Boeing 747 planes with tail numbers 28000 and 29000 as Air Force One. The new plane's annex could also be configured for medical use.

President George W. Bush flew 27000 one last time in August 2001 before it was retired to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. The plane flew 444 missions and logged over 1 million miles.

When the World Trade Center and Pentagon were attacked on September 11, 2001, the Secret Service kept President George W. Bush in the air aboard the new Air Force One. In a 2016 interview, 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."

President Barack Obama took office in 2009, and Air Force One's conference room had been updated with a TV screen and leather chairs. The plane has 85 phone lines as well as encryption and scrambling devices to ensure secure communication.

President Donald Trump proposed new paint colors for the exterior of Air Force One in 2019, but the Air Force ultimately rejected Trump's darker color scheme because it would have been more costly and caused overheating issues.

In May 2025, the Trump administration accepted a gifted Boeing 747-8 jet from Qatar that could serve as the new Air Force One. The luxurious plane previously functioned as a Qatari private business jet.

It features a large primary bedroom with loveseats and an en-suite bathroom, guest bedrooms, office space, a dining room, and a salon lounge with plush couches. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that the Qatari royal family donated the jumbo jet to the US Air Force.

The US Air Force secretary said in June it will cost less than $400 million to retrofit the jet for the office of the president. Trump said he'd be "stupid" to turn down the Qatari plane, worth an estimated $400 million.

The new VC-25B Air Force One planes are expected to be ready by 2027, according to the Air Force. The long-delayed project has already cost Boeing over $2 billion due to various manufacturing and supply-chain issues.

President Joe Biden selected a baby-blue color scheme similar to the current model for the new planes. In Biden's Air Force One, the conference room had the same star carpeting as the plane's presidential office.

As the presidential fleet continues to evolve, the Qatari jet represents a potential new chapter in the history of Air Force One, offering unprecedented luxury and capability for future commanders-in-chief.