VC-137C SAM 27000
| SAM 27000 | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| SAM 27000 taking off from Heathrow Airport | |
| Other name(s) | "Air Force One" |
| Type | VC-137C (Boeing 707-353B) |
| Construction number | 20630 |
| Manufactured | 1972 |
| Serial | 72-7000 (tail code "27000") |
| First flight | July 31, 1972 |
| Owners and operators | United States Air Force |
| In service | August 9, 1972 - August 29, 2001 |
| Fate | Retired |
| Preserved at | Ronald Reagan Presidential Library |
SAM 27000 was the second of two Boeing VC-137C United States Air Force aircraft that were specifically configured and maintained for the use of the President of the United States. It used the call sign Air Force One when the President was on board, and at other times it used the call sign SAM 27000. The VC-137C serial number 72-7000 was a customized version of the Boeing 707 which entered service during the Nixon administration in 1972. It served all US presidents until George W. Bush and was retired in 2001; it is now on display at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.
The plane first entered service in 1972 during the administration of Richard Nixon. SAM 27000 replaced the aging SAM 26000 as the primary means of presidential travel, although SAM 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 and George W. Bush. In 1990, it was replaced as the primary presidential plane by two Boeing VC-25 jumbo jets — SAM 28000 and SAM 29000.
Nixon was the first president to use this Air Force One, dubbing it and its sister plane, SAM 26000, the "Spirit of '76;" President Nixon had that phrase painted on the nose of the two aircraft (later removed by President Carter). Although SAM 27000 replaced SAM 26000 as Nixon's primary mode of aerial transportation, he chose to ride SAM 26000 when his family flew with him. Nixon garnered much attention for his frequent flying aboard Air 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 ministers used the plane as well, including Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. When President Nixon resigned the presidency on August 9, 1974, he flew to his home in Orange County, California aboard SAM 27000. While flying over Missouri en route to their destination, Colonel Ralph Albertazzie, the pilot, contacted Kansas City Center and had the aircraft's call sign changed from Air Force One to SAM 27000 due to Gerald Ford being sworn in.
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