Columbine II

Columbine II
A large four-engined aircraft flying overhead during take-off
Columbine II taking off from Davis–Monthan Air Force Base en route to private ownership and further restoration
Type Lockheed VC-121A-LO Constellation (Model 749-79-36)
Manufacturer Lockheed Aircraft Corporation
Registration N9463
Serial 48-0610
In service January 1953 to November 1954 as President Eisenhower's personal aircraft
Preserved at As of 2014 located at Marana Regional Airport, Arizona

Columbine II is a Lockheed VC-121A-LO Constellation (military serial number 48-0610, Lockheed Model 749-79-36); the aircraft that was to become the first Air Force One and the only Presidential aircraft ever sold to a private party. As of 2014 it resides in the Sonoran Desert at Marana Regional Airport, Arizona, pending a home to restore and display it properly.[1]

Presidential aircraft

Columbine II was built as a C-121A at Burbank, California and bailed to Lockheed to support the Lockheed Air Service International maintenance facility at Keflavík, Iceland. Early in 1953 this aircraft was converted to VC-121A-LO standard for use by President-elect Dwight D. Eisenhower until replaced by VC-121E-LO Columbine III (s/n 53-7885), operated by the 1254th Air Transport Squadron United States Air Force (USAF).[2]

Preservation

Columbine II starting engines at Davis-Monthan AFB in 1990 for her final flight to Marana Airport

After being replaced, Columbine II continued in service with the United States Air Force until retired to Davis–Monthan Air Force Base for storage, during the late 1960s. The aircraft was sold as part of a package lot to Mel Chrysler, an Idaho businessman who owned a crop-dusting service and was made airworthy for a ferry flight to its present location at Marana Airport, Arizona, where it was used for spare parts. The aircraft owner was considering cutting the aircraft up as scrap, when the Smithsonian Institution, during a research project contacted the owner and informed him that 48-610 was, in fact, a former presidential aircraft. The owner then, in the hope of finding a new owner willing to display the aircraft, attempted to sell the plane at auction, but it was not sold. The current owner of Columbine II is looking for a permanent home for the aircraft with the ability to continue its restoration.[3]

Call-sign Air Force One

Over New York City in 1953, Eastern Airlines Flight 8610, a commercial flight, had a near miss with Air Force Flight 8610 while carrying President Dwight D. Eisenhower, prompting the adoption of the unique call sign Air Force One whenever the President was on board any aircraft.

References

  1. ↑ "First Air Force One plane decaying in Arizona field". NBC news. nbcnews.com. 17 July 2013. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
  2. ↑ Francillon, René J. (1987). Lockheed aircraft since 1913 (Repr. ed.). Annapolis, Md.: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-897-2.
  3. ↑ The First Air Force One (Adobe Flash streaming video). YouTube. Retrieved 2014-09-12.

External links

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