Inside the first Air Force One complete with old-school tech and FDR’s lift
Published on Sep 02, 2025 at 8:53 PM (UTC+4)
by Daisy Edwards
Last updated on Sep 02, 2025 at 8:54 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Emma Matthews
If you’ve ever wondered what the first Air Force One looked like, we’ve got you covered – the plane, the Sacred Cow, came complete with old-school tech and FDR’s lift.
While it wasn’t officially known as Air Force One back in President Roosevelt’s day, his Douglas VC-54C was purposely built for the US president himself.
Delivered in 1944, the predecessor to the now iconic Air Force One changed how world leaders traveled.
The plane came complete with loads of tech as well as a purpose-built elevator for the then wheelchair-bound US president.
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Inside the first Air Force One
Now carefully preserved at the National Museum of the US Air Force in Dayton, Ohio, the Sacred Cow is the first iteration of Air Force One, the airplane designated to carry the US president around the world.
Delivered in 1944, the Douglas VC-54C was specially built for the president at the time, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and while it wasn’t known as Air Force One at the time, it was the first US president-specific aircraft.
Like the current one, FDR’s seat came with extra protection, a special bulletproof window when all the other seats were left unprotected.
Forget GPS, the Sacred Cow had an astrodome so that the crew could navigate using the stars.
An electric fridge, old-school tech, and FDR’s lift
This plane was the peak of luxury for the time, complete with an extremely rare electric fridge, bunk beds for staff, and there was even an executive conference room.
The most amazing feature was a specially built electric elevator, which allowed the wheelchair-bound US president to get in and out of the plane with ease and dignity.
Ironically, even though the plane was built specifically for him, FDR actually only used the plane once, traveling to the 1945 Yalta Conference.
This plane is so old-school it’s actually three years younger than the official birthday of the US Air Force.
So our current Air Force One’s great-great-great-great-great-grandparent started a trend that remains to this day, keeping the US president safe and being stylish while it’s at it.
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Daisy Edwards is a Content Writer at supercarblondie.com. Daisy has more than five years’ experience as a qualified journalist, having graduated with a History and Journalism degree from Goldsmiths, University of London and a dissertation in vintage electric vehicles. Daisy specializes in writing about cars, EVs, tech and luxury lifestyle. When she's not writing, she's at a country music concert or working on one of her many unfinished craft projects.
