LBJ's Old 'Air Force One-Half' Plane Now on Display in Texas

September 2, 2010 at 9:04 AM | by kjb | Comments (0)

It�s no secret that we have a thing for airplanes, but our love for the flying contraptions goes beyond the typical commercial planes. That�s why we�re glad to know one pretty important plane has been rescued from an airplane graveyard in the desert and restored to its former glory. This plane is a Lockheed JetStar that served as Air Force One at times for President Lyndon Johnson.

The plane was often used to whisk the President where he needed to be if he was coming and going from his Western White House in Texas, and The National Park Service is getting the plane just in time for what would have been LBJ�s 102nd birthday.

The jet was rotting away in Arizona as other planes stole its parts and pieces over the years; however, it has been restored to showroom new and it will now be on display for all to see at the Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park. The only thing that isn�t perfect is the inside, as only the exterior was brought back to its former glory. There are some plans to fix up the inside as well, but that's just more time and money sunk into an airplane which will never fly again.

Most of the time the President used a Boeing 707 to serve as his official plane, but he apparently liked this one as well, referring to it as "Air Force One-Half." We�d probably prefer this one as well, as LBJ used it like a route straight out of Washington to Texas for R&R.

[Photo of a different presidential plane: http2007]

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