Reagan’s Boeing 707 Air Force One marks 20 years of being on permanent display

Before the gleaming 747s that now ferry US presidents across oceans, there was a smaller, sleeker jet that carried the weight of the free world.

The last Boeing 707 to serve as the primary Air Force One — The plane that once flew President Ronald Reagan, along with six other US presidents, now sits under a stunning glass pavilion at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California.

“This was the last 707 used as a primary aircraft as Air Force One,” said David Truglio, president and CEO of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute. “After President Reagan, it became the 747.”

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Reagan flew the 707, tail number SAM 27000, more than any other president, and it remained in the presidential fleet until it was retired in 2001, making its final flight just three days before the September 11 attacks.

However, during his presidency, Reagan ordered Air Force One upgraded to the larger, more advanced 747 as the primary aircraft.

President Ronald Reagan has flown more on SAM 27,000 than any other U.S. president. (Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute)

The transition from 707-based VC-137s to the 747 fleet took place in 1990, according to the USAF, a year after Reagan’s term ended, expanding the plane’s range, communications capabilities and comfort.

Ironically, Reagan himself never flew on the newer planes he commissioned, Truglio said.

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Still, he traveled to 26 countries, logging 660,000 miles on the SAM 27000 — a plane that carries about half as many passengers as Air Force One does today, which can seat about 102 people, according to Boeing.

The 707 also shuttled flights for Presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and George H.W. George W. Bush.

President Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan waving aboard Air Force One in 1986. (Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute)

when Reagan Library When she learned that the plane would be retired, she sought to fulfill the 40th President’s wish to permanently place it where he would later be buried.

Boeing, the plane’s manufacturer, partnered with the Reagan Library to transport and reassemble the plane. The 707 was dismantled and towed to the library site. During the construction of the pavilion, each piece was brought indoors and reconstructed within the building itself.

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This year, the Air Force One suite celebrated its 20th anniversary. Since it opened to the public in October 2005, nearly seven million visitors have boarded the 27,000 Air Force One.

The three-story suite also includes a Marine One helicopter, Reagan’s 1984 presidential limousine and an authentic Irish pub. His ancestral village (Ballybourne, Ireland). An extensive mural titled “The History of the Flying White House” traces presidential air travel from its beginnings with Franklin Roosevelt to the present day.

The Air Force One suite opened to the public in October 2005.

Over the past two decades, the pavilion has been used for everything from educational programs and international summits to presidential debates and even in high schools.

Truglio said the Reagan Library’s digital reach has grown tremendously, now exceeding 1.8 million followers across platforms while expanding access to the library. Exhibitions and events For fans around the world.

The plane is a major attraction for visitors to the Reagan Library.

When visitors enter they see the huge plane, tilted slightly to give the illusion of taking off and surrounded by floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city. simi valley hills, Their first reaction is to gasp, Truglio said.

“It’s a wonderful, very vital piece of history,” he told Fox News Digital.

The Air Force One suite includes a Reagan limousine and a Marine One helicopter. (Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute)

“Any one of our visitors can come and buy a ticket and actually get on the plane and see exactly where the president, his staff, the press corps, the Secret Service, etc. used it as a functional flight office.”

The plane is Highest attractiveness Truglio pointed out the visitors to the Reagan Library.

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He added that it was the same as it was 20 years ago. Although it was once state-of-the-art, its rotary telephones and mid-century decor are a blast from the past for today’s visitors.

“For us, it feels a little like the 1980s,” Truglio said.

The CEO of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute said the former president knew that “direct conversations could be beneficial.” (J. David Ackie/AFP via Getty Images)

He added that unlike modern aircraft, Reagan’s plane was not “the most comfortable.” “There’s a conference room, there’s quite comfortable chairs — but the current Air Force One has bedrooms. This one doesn’t.”

However, it was a vehicle for direct diplomacy, helping to shape global history and continuing to teach lessons that resonate today.

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After his first meeting with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in Geneva during World War II cold war, For example, “so face-to-face conversations can be helpful,” Regan said.

Truglio said there are “tremendous similarities” between the Reagan era and today.

President Reagan places a golf ball aboard Air Force One in 1985. (Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute)

“History, it’s been saidrhymes. He added: “If you think about the 1970s and into the 1980s, it was a period of economic challenge and high inflation. We were competing with a communist regime that had global ambitions, and there was a feeling that perhaps America’s best days were behind us.”

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He continued: “President Reagan was undoubtedly a successful president.” “It’s inspiring But it is also useful to build on those successes as we reflect on the challenges and opportunities we face today.