"It turns out, President Harry Truman's presidential plane, a Douglas VC-118 named The Independence, was a bit of both. The aircraft was painted with the cartoon face of an eagle on the cockpit and a wing design on the fuselage. Flown from 1947 to 1953, The Independence was only the second aircraft built specifically for the use of the president of the United States. The first was a Douglas VC-54C Skymaster named " The Flying White House," also known as the "Sacred Cow.""
"Now an exhibit at the National Museum of the US Air Force in Dayton, Ohio, The Independence is one of several past presidential planes that visitors can walk through in the William E. Boeing Presidential Gallery. After its tenure as Air Force One, the plane transported other VIP passengers as an Air Force aircraft. Upon acquiring The Independence, the National Museum of the US Air Force restored its eagle-themed paint scheme to the way it looked under Truman."
"The self-guided tour began in the cockpit. The Independence was powered by four Pratt & Whitney R-2800 engines, each with 2,100 horsepower. At top speed, it traveled at 360 miles per hour. Its fuel tanks were larger than the Sacred Cow's, which allowed it to fly anywhere in the continental US without refueling. The cards displayed on the table were Air Force One-themed."
The Independence, a Douglas VC-118, served as President Harry Truman's Air Force One from 1947 to 1953. The aircraft featured a cartoon eagle on the cockpit and a wing design on the fuselage. It was the second aircraft built specifically for presidential use, following the Douglas VC-54C Skymaster known as the Sacred Cow. After presidential service the plane carried other VIPs and was acquired by the National Museum of the US Air Force in 1965. The museum restored the Truman-era eagle paint scheme and displays the plane in the William E. Boeing Presidential Gallery with public walkthrough access.
Read at Business Insider
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