How did Reagan walk out of the White House with Air Force One?

[JohnnyRingo]

Didn't the taxpayers cough up for that airborne limousine? I know it was an obsolete 707, but the scrap value alone could have funded PBS for two years and I would think the self described fiscal conservatives would have a fit if he didn't pay for it.

If Obama dared leave office with any more than the clothes on his back, I'm sure the Republicans would send federal marshals to his house. As I recall, they raised a stink over petty things they thought Clinton "stole" when he cashed his last check.

[bluestate10]

1. Presidents get a few new planes. The plane was retired by Clinton

and given to the Reagan library.

[backscatter712]

3. I thought it was Bush 41 that upgraded Air Force One to the 747.

And that's when the Reagan era 707 Air Force One got retired.

[Tx4obama]

2. It's a 'loan' to the museum from the U.S. Air Force

Excerpt:

Air Force One Pavilion
President Reagan's dream was that one day Air Force One would be shared with the American people. That dream has finally come true. We are honored by the trust the United States Air Force has placed in us to share this National Treasure. The new Air Force One Pavilion celebrates President Reagan's vision and tells the story of his important achievements during his presidential years.

http://www.reaganlibrary.net/


Excerpt:

Probably the most notable part of the Ronald Reagan Library is the Air Force One Pavilion. Air Force One, retired in 2001 and on loan from the U.S. Air Force, sits with its wheels on tall pillars dwarfing the cafe seating area and shops below it.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2113449/ronald_reagan_a_visit_to_his_presidential.html


Excerpt:

Air Force One No. 27000 will be on permanent loan from the United States Air Force Museum at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio.

http://www.seattlepi.com/default/article/Reagan-Library-lands-Air-Force-One-1082663.php

[JohnnyRingo]

5. That makes sense.

I hadn't considered how loans can be made to museums. We see it in artwork from estates and even car companies that make permanent loans of concept cars that were cluttering up the corporate garage. Thanx for the edification.

[Ineeda]

4. I wondered that, too. So I looked it up.

From Wikipedia: Air Force One Pavillion
A 90,000-square-foot exhibit hangar serves as the setting for the permanent display of the Boeing 707 aircraft utilized as Air Force One during Reagan's administration. The aircraft, SAM 27000, was also used by six other presidents in its active service life from 1973–2001, including Richard Nixon during his second term, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush. In 1990 it became a backup aircraft after the Boeing 747s were brought into service and was retired in 2001. The aircraft was flown to San Bernardino International Airport in September 2001 where it was presented to the Reagan Foundation. In what was known as Operation Homeward Bound, Boeing, the plane's original manufacturer, disassembled the plane and transported it to the library in pieces. After the construction of the foundation of the pavilion itself, the plane was reassembled and restored to museum quality, as well as raised onto pedestals twenty-five feet above ground. The pavilion was dedicated on October 24, 2005 by Nancy Reagan, President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush.

There's also an F-14 on the grounds and Sikorsky VH-3 Sea King, call sign Marine One, and a presidential motorcade — Reagan's 1984 presidential parade limousine, a 1982 Los Angeles Police Department police car (as well as two 1980s police motorcycles), and a 1986 Secret Service vehicle used in one of President Reagan's motorcades in Los Angeles.

I assume this was all paid for from the library funds. :sarcasm:

[OffWithTheirHeads]

6. In my mind, King Tut's tomb looks modest in comparison.

But what the fuck, we haven't evolved all that far since then.

[doc03]

7. Ok why is that Air Force One doing in Reagan's library

instead of at the Air Force Museum in Ohio like the others? Why isn't Clinton's plane at the Clinton Library?
Why is that the only Air Force One in the possession of a former President?

[markpkessinger]

8. The moniker "Air Force One" is not attached to any particular plane . . .

Any airplane the sitting President happens to be traveling in is designated "Air Force One" (although there is typically one airplane that is, at any given time, most frequently used for that purpose).