Original Air Force One - Columbine II

Lowflynjack

Lowflynjack

Final Approach
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Jack Fleetwood
Very cool story about two museums working to save part of our history.

Daily Tribune's Story on the journey.

Mid-America Flight Museum's Facebook Page

Photo by Tyson Rininger, who is going to document trip with his exceptional photography skills!
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Waitaminit…..

I thought the "first AF1" was sitting in the "experimental" hangar at the Air Force museum in Dayton. Complete with FDR's elevator.
 
MAKG1 said:
Waitaminit….. I thought the "first AF1" was sitting in the "experimental" hangar at the Air Force museum in Dayton. Complete with FDR's elevator.
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This is not the first plane a President flew in, but he first one that was officially Air Force One.

The presidential call sign "Air Force One" was established for security purposes during the administration of Dwight D. Eisenhower. The change stemmed from a 1953 incident where an Eastern Airlines commercial flight (8610) had the same call sign as the flight the president was on (Air Force 8610). The airliner accidentally entered the same airspace, and after the incident, the unique presidential aircraft call sign "Air Force One" was introduced. The first official flight of Air Force One was in 1959, during the Eisenhower administration.
 
denverpilot said:
Columbine II flew this weekend. Very cool.
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Yep. Yesterday was a test flight.

It's actually flying today. It just passed El Paso on it's way to Mt. Pleasant, TX for one day, then on to Virginia to it's new home.
 
I toured a TWA super Connie that is at a museum at KC. Very cool aircraft.
 
I've been following this wonderful story. Glad to see someone with enough money to save this beautiful old bird. They were so damn elegant and those engines were incredible pieces of wild engineering. Saw a cut away version at Reno one year, makes your head spin!
 
Yep, I was there for the arrival at KVBW in Virginia yesterday. Posted a thread with photos elsewhere on PoA. Two fly-bys with those big radials cranking and then landing. She's a sight to see.... So glad I made the effort to make the 2 hour ride.
 
Taken over last weekend at PIMA This was Truman's AF1
 

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Tom-D said:
Taken over last weekend at PIMA This was Truman's AF1
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I got to go in that one at Pima. I really need to get back out there. It was 108 degrees that day and I wasn't feeling it... no humidity and this Texan was enjoying every bit of it!
 
I love those big birds. There was one at the Air and Missle Museum in Florence, SC, many years ago. It was part of an eclectic collection, to say the least. Sad to say everything got carted away. Not sure what happened to the Connie. Glad there's at least one still flying.
 
I'm glad it was saved. I had several trans-Pacific trips in the WV version while serving in the Marine Aviation Detachment at Pt. Mugu years ago.
Paul
Salome, AZ
 
Tom-D said:
Taken over last weekend at PIMA This was Truman's AF1
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That one was Ike's. The name "Columbine" was for the state flower of Mamie's home state, Colorado. HST's airplane was a DC-6, named after his home town of Independence MO, and with a bold, eagle-head graphic on the forward fuselage.

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Columbine I is at Pima - it's the one in Toms photo. Columbine II is the one just moved to Virginia. Columbine III is at the AF museum at Wright-Patt. Columbine III is a stretched version and one-of-kind.
 
pmanton said:
I'm glad it was saved. I had several trans-Pacific trips in the WV version while serving in the Marine Aviation Detachment at Pt. Mugu years ago.
Paul
Salome, AZ
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What years was that? I was there 1969-1973, flying with PMR the big black birds at hangar 34.
 
Trivia question, what's the difference between a Connie, and a super Connie?
 
Mason said:
The super Connie is, well, super.

My first airliner ride was in an Eastern DC-7B from
Midway to Miami. My second was the return flight on a Connie.
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I first saw one when I was E3,checking into Auxiliary Naval Station Andrews AFB. (1962)
 
I took this picture of her at Marana while I was taxiing by, a couple weeks before she left, still missing an engine.
 

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Tom-D said:
What years was that? I was there 1969-1973, flying with PMR the big black birds at hangar 34.
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Probably 59-62. That tour was the only time in my life when I didn't go to work. I went to fun. From there I went to MCRD San Diego as an instructor UGH
Paul
Salome, AZ
 
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