VC-137C SAM 26000 VC-137C SAM 26000 SAM 26000 was the first of two Boeing VC-137C United States Air Force aircraft specifically configured and maintained for use by the President of the United States. It used the callsign Air Force One when the President was on board, "SAM 26000" otherwise. A VC-137C with Air Force serial number "62-6000", "SAM 26000" was a customized Boeing 707. It entered service in 1962 during the administration of John F. Kennedy and was replaced in Presidential service in 1972 but kept as a backup. The aircraft was finally retired in 1998 and is now on display at the
Boeing VC-25 H.W. Bush. The Air Force reported that the operating cost for each VC-25A in 2014 was $210,877 per hour. The VC-25 is capable of flying 7,800 miles (12,600 km)—roughly one-third the distance around the world—without refueling. The VC-25A can accommodate more than 70 passengers. Each VC-25A cost approximately US$325 million. When a VC-25 taxis to an airport's ramp for events, it stops with the port side of the aircraft facing gathered onlookers. While the VC-25 has two main decks and a cargo area, like a regular Boeing 747, its 4,000 square feet (370 m²) of floor space has been reconfigured