- President Dwight Eisenhower flew on Columbine III, a Lockheed VC-121E, for most of his presidency.
- The plane was named after the state flower of Colorado, his wife Mamie Eisenhower's home state.
- It featured multiple seating areas, a presidential stateroom, and a spacious bathroom.
Columbine III, President Dwight D. Eisenhower's Air Force One plane, remains the only aircraft of its kind ever built.
The Lockheed VC-121E was a militarized version of a commercial Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation, nicknamed "Super Connies" for their powerful engines and large fuel capacities.
Columbine III was also the first plane to carry the Air Force One designation from the beginning of its service.
Now on display at the National Museum of the US Air Force in Dayton, Ohio, Eisenhower's Air Force One is open for members of the public to board and walk through.
I visited the museum in August to take a look inside the "Super Connie" that Eisenhower flew around the world. Follow along on my tour.
President Dwight D. Eisenhower flew on Columbine III from 1954 until 1961, when his second term ended.
Eisenhower named Columbine III after the state flower of Colorado in honor of his wife, Mamie Eisenhower, who was raised there.
The first lady christened the plane in 1954 with spring water from the Rocky Mountains in Colorado instead of the traditional Champagne.
The National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio, acquired Eisenhower's plane in 1966.
After Columbine III retired from service as Air Force One, it spent a few years serving as an Air Force transport for VIPs. The aircraft was then flown to Dayton to join the museum's collection in 1966.
It is now one of several historic Air Force One planes on display in the William E. Boeing Presidential Gallery.
The cockpit featured seats for the pilot, copilot, and flight engineer.
The flight crew also included a navigator who plotted the aircraft's course and tracked its location before GPS existed.
The radio operator worked out of this room behind the cockpit.
The radio operator was in charge of communicating with Air Traffic Control. The president could also send and receive teletype messages during flight.
The first seating area featured two tables, each with six chairs, for crew members.
The seating area was furnished with fans, lights, and curtains on the windows.
The galley included a toaster, stovetop, oven, and urns for hot water and ice water.
Flight attendants prepared meals for the crew and VIP passengers in the small kitchen.
Storage areas separated the crew from Eisenhower's presidential workspace.
The hallway featured space to store luggage and oxygen masks.
This seating area was used by members of Eisenhower's staff.
One of Columbine III's most famous flights was in 1955, when Eisenhower and Secretary of State John Foster Dulles flew to Switzerland for the Geneva Summit between the leaders of the US, Britain, France, and the Soviet Union, known as the "Big Four."
Eisenhower's presidential stateroom was located toward the back of the plane.
Two rotary phones were located next to the president's desk.
The museum displayed the actual 16-millimeter film projector that Eisenhower used on board the plane.
The projector was transferred from Andrews Air Force Base in Washington, DC, so it was likely used for military planning purposes rather than movie nights.
The stateroom also featured two couches that could fold down into beds.
The plane could hold a total of eight crew members and 24 passengers.
The most luxurious part of the plane was the president's spacious lavatory.
The bathroom was much larger than the lavatories on previous Air Force One planes, with the toilet and sink vanity in separate spaces.
As the only aircraft of its kind ever built, Columbine III remains an important artifact from the early years of Air Force One planes.
Columbine III featured four Wright R-3350 engines with 3,400 horsepower each and a larger fuel capacity than earlier Air Force One planes, allowing it to travel at a higher speed of 330 miles per hour.
Modern VC-25 Air Force One jets fly at 630 miles per hour, nearly the speed of sound.
