As soon as my photographer’s alarm went off at 6:00am in our Dayton, Ohio hotel room, I couldn’t wait to hit the road. It was Friday November 25, 2022; which was more than just Black Friday to me. That’s because 59 years ago, November 25th was a day of national mourning – President John F. Kennedy was laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery after an emotional funeral procession through Washington D.C. I’ve heard my camera guy’s story many times about how his family was glued to their black and white television set as JFK’s horse-drawn flag-draped casket slowly made its way to Arlington. He recalled being a seven-year-old kid coloring in a Bugs Bunny coloring book as he sat on the floor in front of the TV. Exactly 59 years later, on a nearly cloudless morning in Dayton, Ohio, the JFK assassination was about to come back to life for us once again. And I couldn’t wait!
My companions had the Jeep packed and we were mobile by 8:30am. During the 11-mile trip from the hotel to the National Museum of the United States Air Force, I laughed to myself when Tom once again recited his “Bugs Bunny coloring book” story. I could tell my photographer was just as excited as I was to get back to the museum. After all, it had been over eight years since we last saw SAM-26000, which was Air Force One that transported President Kennedy to Dallas on November 22, 1963. But this visit would be different – we would have an unlimited amount of time to see Air Force One, as well as the other Presidential airplanes that were on display.
In 2014, my photographer and I, along with our favorite travel companion Bob Moldenhauer, went through a required security protocol before we were shuttled onto the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base where the Presidential planes were housed in a special hanger. Once inside that hanger, the three of us, along with about 30 other tourists, had roughly 45 minutes to see all of the aircraft – and that wasn’t nearly enough time. Tom and I managed to get onboard JFK’s ‘SAM-26000’, Eisenhower’s ‘Columbine III’, and Truman’s ‘Independence’, but that was about it. Things have changed since then, and in my opinion, they’ve changed for the better. Roughly two years after our visit, all of the Presidential airplanes were removed from the highly secured Air Force Base and relocated in the public museum on the base’s property where they’re displayed today.
Vicki pulled into the parking lot of National Museum of the United States Air Force at 8:45am. We had 15 minutes to wait before the doors opened, but there was already a small handful of folks waiting at the entrance. Once the doors opened and we made it through security, the three of us high-tailed it towards the furthest building on the sight – the place where the Presidential airplanes were on display. Once inside that large building, we had the entire place to almost to ourselves. There were a couple of other tourists in the area – ones who were a bit quicker than my two companions.
There were four major Presidential planes on display – JFK’s SAM-26000 Air Force One, Ike’s ‘Columbine III‘, Truman’s ‘The Independence‘, and FDR’s ‘Sacred Cow‘. Visitors were allowed to walk through each of those large Presidential planes, but Plexiglass walls lined both sides of the main aisle from floor to ceiling. The extremely narrow passageways made it difficult for larger people, like my photographer, to get from the entrance of each plane to the exit. And for those folks who suffered from claustrophobia, they would’ve been advised to stay out of the planes altogether. Besides those four large Presidential aircraft, there were four smaller planes used in the past by the Chief Executives as well. Due to their smaller size, the public were prohibited from walking onboard those airplanes.
The National Museum of the United States Air Force is one place I highly recommend visiting. However, start your visit when the doors first open in the morning. Since entrance is free, the museum draws thousands of visitors each day and the place is usually crawling with people by 11am.
SAM – 26000 AIR FORCE ONE
Used by John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George HW Bush, and Bill Clinton
This Boeing VC-137C was the first jet aircraft built specifically for use by the President of the United States. First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, along with industrial designer Raymond Loewy, created the paint scheme for Air Force One in 1962.
President Kennedy and his wife were photographed as they exited Air Force One in May of 1962, shortly before the First Lady helped redesign the paint scheme.
President Kennedy was transported in SAM-26000 to West Berlin, Germany on June 26, 1963 where he delivered his famous “Ich bin ein Berliner” speech.
The SAM designation of the plane stood for Special Air Missions. Three of the most famous air missions of SAM-26000 were when President Nixon flew to China in 1972; JFK went to West Berlin in 1963; and JFK arrived in Dallas on the morning of November 22, 1963.
After landing in China, President Richard Nixon and his wife Pat were photographed as they left Air Force One on February 21, 1972. Shortly before they departed for Asia, Nixon had the words “The Spirit of ’76” applied to the nose of SAM-26000.
It was a true honor for me to pose in front of the Presidential seal painted on the side of SAM-26000.
President Richard Nixon and his wife Pat posed for a final time in front of Air Force One SAM-26000 before they departed Washington on August 9, 1974. The Nixon’s were in the air over Missouri when Gerald Ford took the Oath of Office, which was immediately followed by pilot Colonel Ralph Albertazzie sending a radio message to the Kansas City air traffic control to inform them that Air Force One would now have the call signal SAM-27000.
Tom allowed me to pose with the same Air Force One backdrop as JFK had in Dallas.
The President and First Lady were greeted by one of the thousands of people on hand at Love Field in Dallas.
From my position just outside of the plane’s rear door, I had an amazing view of the vertical stabilizer of SAM-26000.
President Kennedy waveD to the crowd in Fort Worth, Texas as he was about to board Air Force One on November 22, 1963. Next stop – Dallas.
Everywhere I posed near Air Force One, I thought about the images of President Kennedy at Love Field roughly 45 minutes before he was shot and killed.
President and Mrs. Kennedy and Vice President and Mrs. Johnson near Air Force One at Love Field in Dallas. Roughly 45 minutes after this image was taken, all four lives, and our nation’s history, were changed forever.
When I posed near the tail section of Air Force One, it gave me an eerie feeling. It was though I could see JFK’s casket being removed from the plane at Andrews Air Force Base before it was loaded into an awaiting hearse.
The coffin containing the body of slain President Kennedy as it was loaded into the awaiting hearse at Andrews Air Force Base.
Once on-board SAM-26000, I had a great view of the plane’s cockpit. The pilot of Air Force One on that fateful day in Dallas was Colonel James B. Swindal.
Due to the Plexiglass partitions that kept visitors squished like sardines, it was difficult for me to pose in the spot where Lyndon B. Johnson took the Presidential Oath of Office on Air Force One after the death of President Kennedy.
At 2:38pm CST, Lyndon B. Johnson took the Presidential Oath of Office from Judge Sarah T. Hughes. The new President was flanked by his wife, Lady Bird Johnson to his right, and by Jacqueline Kennedy on Johnson’s left.
From this area near the rear of Air Force One, it’s easy to see how narrow the visitor’s passageway was. It was in this section of the airplane where the casket of JFK was placed for transport back to Washington D.C.
The four seats behind me were removed by the flight crew to make room for the slain President’s casket for the trip back to Washington.
I’m standing alongside President Kennedy’s personal cigar box and a cigar from SAM-26000. I laughed to myself as I thought: “No wonder Bill Clinton liked JFK so much!”
COLUMBINE III
Used by Dwight D. Eisenhower
The aircraft behind me, the only Lockheed VC-121E built, served as President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s personal airplane from 1954 until he left office in January 1961.
Eisenhower named this aircraft, his third Constellation, Columbine III, after the official state flower of Colorado in honor of his wife Mamie.
An adopted daughter of that state, Mrs. Eisenhower formally christened the Columbine III on November 24, 1954, with a flask of water from Colorado instead of the traditional bottle of champagne.
This photograph was captured on November 24, 1954 as First Lady Mamie Eisenhower christened Columbine III.
Tom took this photo of me near Columbine III’s galley, which was near the front of the plane.
During my first visit inside Columbine III, I saw a mannequin of President Eisenhower seated in the seat behind me. Perhaps the likeness of Ike was removed because it frightened small children. I know it scared me when I first saw it.
Ike sat in the back of the plane and at times, watched film footage shown from the 16mm film projector on the opposite side of the aisle.
THEINDEPENDENCE
Used by Harry S Truman
This Douglas VC-118 was the military version of the Douglas DC-6 commercial airliner of the day. This aircraft was built specifically to transport the President of the United States.
President Harry S Truman was photographed as he shook the hand of the Shah of Iran on November 16, 1949 at Washington National Airport.
President Truman made his first flight aboard The Independence on August 31, 1947 when he travelled to Brazil for a conference. The plane’s most historic flight came in October 1950 when Truman flew to Wake Island to discuss the Korean War situation with General MacArthur.
The Douglas Aircraft Co. suggested the paint scheme that consisted of an American eagle with feathers that carried down the fuselage to the vertical stabilizer.
This iconic image featured The Independence as it flew over the United States Capitol.
At the suggestion of the pilot, President Truman named the craft The Independence after his hometown in Missouri. As I stood at the doorway before entering the plane, I thought to myself: “It’s a good thing Truman didn’t live in Toad Suck, Arkansas!”
Once inside The Independence, Tom carried me down the narrow aisleway where I saw a table and some playing cards that featured an image of the Presidential airplane on back.
Once again, my photographer had a difficult time as he navigated the extremely narrow walkway through the aircraft. In this image, I’m standing near the rear of the plane.
SACRED COW
Used by Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S Truman
This Douglas VC-54C Skymaster was the first aircraft specifically built to fly the President of the United States. Its official name was The Flying White House. However, the plane became better known by its unofficial nickname, Sacred Cow, which was a reference to the high security that surrounded the plane wherever it went.
The Sacred Cow transported President Franklin D. Roosevelt to the Yalta Conference in February 1945. That trip to Yalta was FDR’s only flight aboard the plane before his untimely death two months later.
Following FDR’s death, President Truman used this aircraft exclusively for the first 27 months of his administration. On July 26, 1947, Truman signed the National Security Act of 1947 aboard the Sacred Cow. That act, which became effective two months later, established the U.S. Air Force as an independent service, making the Sacred Cow the “birthplace” of the United States Air Force.
Near the rear of the plane was where I saw the elevator used to transport President Roosevelt onto the Sacred Cow in his wheelchair.
In this image, I’m standing near the Sacred Cow’s extended elevator entrance and a replica of FDR’s wheelchair.
LOCKHEED JETSTAR
Used by Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, and Ronald Reagan
In 1961, the U.S. Air Force acquired six Lockheed VC-140B JetStars to transport the President of the United States, high-ranking government officials, and other heads of state. Those JetStars could operate from runways too small for larger USAF jet transports.
President Lyndon Johnson used the JetStars while serving as Vice President and President when he flew to his ranch in Texas. Although he never flew on this specific plane behind me, he called the one he did use “Air Force One Half”.
While this JetStar did carry Presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, and Ronald Reagan a number of times, it never served as their primary Presidential aircraft.
GULFSTREAM III
Used by Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, and Bill Clinton
In the early 1980s, the Gulfstream Aerospace C-20B was selected to replace the Air Force’s aging Lockheed JetStars.
Besides being used by Presidents Ford, Carter, Bush 41, and Clinton during and after their terms, this Gulfstream III behind me was also used to transport Cabinet members, First Ladies, and other VIPs as well.
President Bill Clinton was photographed after arriving in Queenstown, New Zealand for a two-day APEC meeting on September 14, 1999.
The Gulfstream behind me was in service for 30 years before being retired in 2015.
T-39 SABRELINER
Used by Lyndon B. Johnson
From August 1968 until early 1973, this T-39A Sabreliner behind me was assigned to Bergstrom AFB, Texas, in support of former President Lyndon B. Johnson as he traveled to and from his ranch in nearby Stonewall.
Following President Johnson’s death in 1973, the plane continued to fly to test advanced equipment. During those tests of the Speckled Trout research program, the plane behind me was given the nickname Speckled Minnow due to its small size.
AERO COMMANDER U-4B
Used by Dwight D. Eisenhower
This Aero Commander U-4B behind me was used by President Dwight D. Eisenhower from 1956 to 1960 for short trips.
A pilot himself, President Eisenhower would often take the controls, primarily during trips between Washington, D.C. and his farm in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
The first Presidential aircraft to have only two engines, the U-4B was also the first Presidential aircraft to carry the familiar blue and white paint scheme.
After President Eisenhower left office, the aircraft transported high-ranking government officials, including the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of the Air Force.
We spent roughly two hours in the building where the Presidential planes were on display. I laughed to myself each time my photographer tried to squeeze his fat frame through the narrow passageways of the first three planes, but I got worried during our tour of the fourth one – the Sacred Cow. Somewhere in the center of the aircraft, the narrow walkway made a 90-degree left turn followed by an immediate 90-degree right turn. I became claustrophobic in the dark and narrow confines, and I could tell Tom wasn’t feeling well either. One thought did pop into my head, however. How in the heck-fire did Franklin Roosevelt navigate that turn in his wheelchair? Well, it turned out FDR only flew once in that plane, and he likely didn’t venture much past the State Room at the rear of the aircraft.
By 11 o’clock, our freedom inside the museum was in jeopardy as hundreds of visitors had poured into the place like ants at a picnic. Luckily, we had finished the Presidential airplane section first and Tom had only two historic vehicles left to see – the Apollo 15 Command Module and Bockscar, the bomber that flew over Nagasaki, Japan to drop the second atomic bomb.
We didn’t have far to go to see Endeavour, the Command Module for Apollo 15, as it was in the same building as the Presidential planes. Although there were numerous space-related items on display to see in the Space Gallery, it was the small capsule that was the sole focus for my photographer. When I posed as close as I could to Endeavour, it was hard to believe how small it looked. After all, the interior of the capsule was roughly the size of a minivan where three adult men made their home-away-from-home during their 12-day mission that began at launch on July 26, 1971 and ended on August 7th with splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. I wanted Tom to set me on one of Endeavour’s windows, the same windows Command Module pilot Al Worden looked out of when his colleagues David Scott and James Irwin headed for the lunar surface aboard the Lunar Module Falcon. Unfortunately, a Plexiglass fortress, built around the capsule, prevented my photographer from reaching the historic space craft.
APOLLO 15 COMMAND MODULE
I’m standing just outside of the Plexiglass barricade that surrounded Endeavour, which was the Command Module of Apollo 15.
Apollo 15’s Command/Service Module Endeavour as seen from the Lunar Module Falcon during rendezvous.
It was cool when Tom and I discovered that all three Apollo 15 astronauts, Scott, Worden, and Irwin, were United States Air Force officers, which was the likely reason Endeavour was on display in that particular museum.
Endeavour was photographed seconds before splashdown in the North Atlantic Ocean. One of the three main parachutes had malfunctioned, but only two were needed for a safe landing.
At 6:54am local time on August 7, 1971, Apollo 15’s Command Module Endeavour splashed down about 287 nautical miles north of Honolulu, Hawaii.
During our time alongside the Apollo 15 Command Module, I thought about the three astronauts who flew inside Endeavour. Moonwalkers Scott and Irwin were the first to drive on the lunar surface as they covered over 17 miles in their rover. Those two also found and collected the legendary Genesis Rock, which was thought to be part of the Moon’s early crust; and Scott validated Galileo’s theory by dropping a falcon feather and hammer to prove they would hit the ground at the same time due to lack of air resistance on the Moon. But their flight wasn’t void of controversy, however, as Scott and Irwin carried unauthorized postal covers to the lunar surface. Some of those covers ended up in the hands of a West German stamp dealer, who in turn sold them for righteous bucks. Reprimanded for their poor judgement, the all-Air Force crew members of Apollo 15 never flew for NASA again.
The three of us had a long walk to get from the Presidential and Space Galleries of Building 4 to the World War II Gallery, which was located near the front of the museum. But at some point during the hike, my companions decided they needed to land some grub onto the runway of their stomachs. Tom and Vic found the Valkyrie Cafe on the second level of Building 1 and their goal was to devour a hot pretzel and Diet Coke before we made our way to Bockscar. I heard my photographer say he didn’t want to eat a lot because he had scheduled a late lunch at a Triple D joint near Cincinnati, but Tom knew he had to have something to keep his stomach from making a scene in public. When we arrived at the cafe, however, there were no pretzels and no Diet Coke. Tom and his wife had to settle for ham and cheese sandwiches and Gatorade, which was not exactly the cuisine they had hoped for.
Once their sandwiches were choked down, my companions and I took the elevator back downstairs where we searched for the final aircraft on our visit – the historic and controversial Boeing B-29 Superfortress known as Bockscar. As I posed for the first of a handful of photos near the giant silver bird, I couldn’t help but think of the role Bockscar played in ending World War II. Following in the footsteps, or contrails, of the Enola Gay (which had dropped a uranium-based atomic bomb on Hiroshima three days earlier), Bockscar pilot Major Charles Sweeney navigated that same B-29 roughly 29,000 feet over Nagasaki, Japan on August 9, 1945. At precisely 10:58am local time, bombardier Captain Kermit K. Beahan opened the plane’s doors and dropped the plutonium-based Fat Man atomic bomb, which detonated 43 seconds later at an altitude of 1,600 feet above the city’s industrial valley. Six days after the second atomic bomb detonation on his country, Japan’s Emperor Hirohito surrendered to the Allied Forces. On September 2, 1945, surrender papers were officially signed onboard the USS Missouri – thus putting an end to World War II.
BOEING B-29 SUPERFORTRESS
Unlike the Enola Gay, which was on display in Chantilly, Virginia, I was able to get very close to Bockscar in Dayton, Ohio. The nose art was added to the fuselage after the Nagasaki bombing mission.
Boeing B-29 crew photo taken August 11, 1945, two days after the Nagasaki mission. Note there is no nose art on the aircraft. Pictured from left were M/S John Kuharek, Sgt Albert “Pappy” Dehart, 2nd Lt Fred Olivi, S/S Edward Buckley, Capt Kermit Beahan, Maj Charles Sweeney (pilot), S/S Raymond Gallagher, Capt James Van Pelt, 1st Lt Charles “Don” Albury, and Cpl Abe Spitzer. (U.S. Air Force photo)
It’s unimaginable the amount of fury that was unleashed after the bomb bay doors were opened on this plane on August 9, 1945. While the U.S. government justified the atomic attack by estimating tens of millions of lives were saved by ending the war that way, there were still 129,000 to 226,000 Japanese people who perished in the two attacks.
Bockscar en route to Japan with the atomic bomb on board. (National Museum of the U.S. Air Force)
As I stood near the cockpit of Bockscar, I thought about the unfortunate and unlucky people of Nagasaki. After all, their city was the secondary target. Bad weather and zero visibility had forced the crew to abandon their primary target of Kokura, Japan.
The name Bockscar was derived from the pilot who usually flew the B-29, Capt. Frederick Bock, Jr. On the historic day when Nagasaki was destroyed, Bock piloted The Great Artiste – a B-29 that served as an observation plane during both atomic bombing missions.
Tom wanted me to pose alongside his namesake, the Fat Man atomic bomb. Obviously, this was an exact replica and not the bomb that was dropped over Nagasaki, Japan.
This was the mushroom cloud over Nagasaki, Japan on August 9, 1945. Thankfully, Fat Man was the last atomic weapon detonated during wartime.
As the three of us finished our time near Bockscar, I nearly laughed out loud when I heard Vicki nonchalantly say to my photographer: “When you kept saying we were going to see Bockscar, I thought you meant a railroad boxcar, not a huge airplane. I kept wondering to myself why a train car would be on display at an Air Force Museum.”
My time near that B-29 bomber gave me a huge dose of reality – a wake-up call, so to speak, about the evils of war. In my resin mind, over 99 percent of the human population on this planet are good people who just want to live life and take care of their families the best way possible. In some nations, however, it’s the folks in a leadership role who have made the world an unstable environment in which to co-exist. Those leaders do their best to squash the freedom of their own citizens and then they threaten war against others who try to help those citizens live free. And since that summer day in 1945, when the Fat Man was dropped over Nagasaki and the mushroom cloud billowed skyward, our world has been changed forever.
At a dinner party for some friends in the late 1940s, Albert Einstein was asked what weapons he thought would be used in World War III. After a moment of reflection and deep thought, he said he wasn’t sure what weapons would be used in that war. Einstein continued, however, by saying there was no doubt which weapons would be used in World War IV. “Stone spears.”
When the three of us were back in the Jeep and headed south towards North Bend, Ohio, a final thought popped into my head that was fueled by my visit alongside Bockscar. It was something I heard while my photographer watched the movie ‘Iron Man’ on television in the recent past. In one scene, Tony Stark was asked about world peace. Stark said to the reporter: “My old man had a philosophy – peace means having a bigger stick than the other guy.”
For the sake of our planet and everyone on it, let’s hope Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un have “sticks” the size of their…. well, let’s just think of a word that rhymes with ‘Venus’.
My name is Thomas Watson and I've been a U.S. history fanatic since I was 9 years old. In 2013, I decided to take my passion to the next level when I purchased a Thomas Jefferson bobble head with the sole intention of photographing that bobble head at Presidential sites. From that first day on July 10, 2013 at Spiegel Grove in Fremont, Ohio, this journey has taken on a life of its own. Now, nearly 40,000 miles later, I thought it was time to share the experiences, stories, and photos of Jefferson's travels. Keep in mind, this entire venture has been done with the deepest respect for the men who held the office as our President; no matter what their political affiliations, personal ambitions, or public scandals may have been. This blog is intended to be a true tribute to the Presidents of the United States and this story will be told Through the Eyes of Jefferson. I hope you enjoy the ride!
