Inside the Air Force One Plane from Last Night's Presidential Debate
If you watched last night's Republican presidential debate, you probably noticed the unusual backdrop: President Reagan's former Air Force One plane. That aircraft, based on Boeing's 707, was officially retired in 2001, and has been the main attraction at the Simi Valley, CA presidential library ever since.
The narrow-body 707 had a range of more than 7,000 miles, allowing it to fly nonstop from Washington, D.C. to many destinations around the world, including the Middle East and parts of Asia.
As you can see above, the president's quarters were far more compact than what's currently available on the 747-based variant.
While passengers can maintain full connectivity while flying on the 747-based Air Force One, the communications equipment on Reagan's plane was far less advanced, though still state-of-the-art for an aircraft in the 1980s.
The 707 had a cockpit crew of four, including a navigator (in the right seat above).
The President had a sofa to rest on, but other passengers had to make do with these cloth recliners. It's a far cry from flying first class on Cathay Pacific.
With not much space to stretch out, amenities were slim, though the aisle did double as a putting green from time to time.
Anyone paying the $16 admission fee (free for active-duty military) can access Air Force One, including self-guided tours of the plane's interior. Located in Simi Valley, California (about 50 miles northwest of LAX), the museum is open from 10am until 5pm every day.
[card card-name='Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card' card-id='22125056' type='javascript' bullet-id='1']
TPG featured card
at Capital One's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 2X miles | Earn 2X miles per $1 on every purchase, everywhere |
| 5X miles | Earn 5X miles per dollar on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel |
Pros
- Simple earning structure
- Bonus categories
- Annual credits
- No foreign transaction fees
- Flexible redemption options, including transfer partners
Cons
- Has an annual fee
- Fewer bonus categories than some competitors
- Lacks premium perks
- Limited-time offer: Earn up to 150,000 bonus miles—75,000 miles once you spend $7,500 in the first 3 months, and an additional 75,000 miles once you spend $30,000 in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles per dollar on every purchase, everywhere, no limits or category restrictions, and miles won't expire for the life of the account
- Receive up to $220 in credits: Receive an annual $50 travel credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel, up to an annual $50 statement credit for purchases at qualifying advertising or software merchants, plus up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® every four years. Terms and conditions apply
- Unlimited 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel
- Transfer your miles to 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Redeem your miles instantly for any travel-related purchases, from flights and hotels to ride-sharing services
- $95 annual fee
- Free employee cards which also earn unlimited 2X miles from their purchases
- Top rated mobile app