When first built in 1948, this plane which would later be known as "Columbine II" was just a cargo transport. After serving in Iceland for a brief period of time, she was converted for government VIP use. Then in 1952 President Eisenhower selected her as his personal transport, becoming the first plane to to use the call sign "Air Force One". Interestingly enough, Eisenhower never had the plane armed with weapons or escorted, believing that to be a sign of weakness.
Eventually she was retired from her duty in November of 1954, becoming the backup transport, and was sold in 1970 to farmers who used her as a parts donor for agricultural sprayers.
Later she was briefly restored to flying condition in 1990 and was flown at several air shows. She was then put back in storage until 2016, when Dynamic Aviation flew her to their facility in Virginia. At the time of this recording she is being lovingly restored, with the hope of soaring through the sky once again.
#antique #airplane #airforceone #restoration #1940s #eisenhower
A big thanks to Dynamic Aviation for letting me film this.
All credit for this video goes to God.