The U.S. Government is auctioning off a jet from the presidential air fleet that had at times acted as Air Force One when it was in operation from 1975 to 2005.
The Government Services Administration is organizing the auction for the McDonnell Douglas DC9-32, currently stored at an airport in Mesa, Arizona, and the auction begins on May 15.
The starting bid for the aircraft is $50,000.
History: The Government Services Administration is auctioning off this McDonnell Douglas DC9-32, currently stored at an airport in Mesa, Arizona. The bidding starts on May 15
Roomy: The main cabin, likely where the press and members of staff would travel, holds 32 leather seats for passengers
VIP: The forward cabin, likely where the dignitaries would travel, seats 10. The plane was assigned to the 89th Airlift Wing at the Andrews Naval Air Facility in Maryland
The aircraft, with the tail number N681AL - serial number 731681, has 32 seats in the main cabin and it seats 10 in the VIP section in the forward cabin, according to photographs on the GSA website.
Spanning the administration of six U.S. presidents, the plane was assigned to the 89th Airlift Wing at the Andrews Naval Air Facility in Maryland, from February 1975 to September 2005, Ori Hoffer, from the GSA, wrote on the Facebook posting for the auction.
Though it was not the main aircraft used for the president, it is described as serving as Air Force One on various occasions for unspecified presidents.
It also transported the Vice President, First Lady, members of the cabinet, military leaders, Congressional leaders and Foreign Heads of State during the 30 years it was in operation.
Presidential: Air Force One refers to the air traffic control sign of the Air Force plane that carries the President (pictured the cockpit of the McDonnell Douglas DC9-32 going up for auction)
Historic: Still bearing the insignia of the presidential fleet, the plane is now sitting at the Phoenix/Mesa Gateway Airport as it awaits its future
For sale: Spanning the administration of six U.S. presidents, the plane was assigned to the 89th Airlift Wing at the Andrews Naval Air Facility in Maryland, from February 1975 to September 2005
Democrat Franklin Delano Roosevelt was the first president to fly in an aircraft while in office.
Prior to the 1940s, rail was seen as the most effective mode of transport.
The concept of having a presidential plane began in 1943, when the military grew concerned over the safety of the president flying commercially during World War II.
President Roosevelt was the first Commander-in-Chief to be transported on Air Force One, when he was flown in a C-54 Skymaster to the Yalta Conference in February 1945.
Modern: President Barack Obama is transported around on one of two Boeing VC-25As, a military version of the Boeing 747 airliner
Security: President Barack Obama, in Austin, Texas on May 9, primarily travels by air in the secure aircraft
Multiple planes in the presidential fleet have been used to carry the president.
In the sixties, the Air Force designated Boeing 707 as the primary plane for the president.
Since the 1990s, two Boeing VC-25As, a military version of the Boeing 747 airliner, have been used to carry the president.
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