U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Congressman Mike Turner, Chairman of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces, today applauded the assurance from the U.S. Air Force that it intends to permanently house SAM 26000, which formerly served as Air Force One for multiple presidents, at the National Museum of the United States Air Force (NMUSAF) in Dayton.
In letters to Portman and Turner, U.S. Air Force officials write, "On behalf of the Secretary of the Air Force, we want to reassure you that the United States Air Force plans to permanently house SAM 26000 at the National Museum of the United States Air Force."
This announcement comes in response to a letter from Portman and Turner to the Secretary of the Air Force expressing serious concerns about reports of Air Force One's removal from the NMUSAF and relocation to the LBJ Presidential Library in Austin, Texas.
"I applaud the Air Force's assurance to permanently house this fixture of history at the National Museum of the United State Air Force," said Portman. "Keeping this aircraft in Dayton will ensure it continues to be exposed to the greatest number of visitors as part of the museum's renowned Presidential Aircraft Gallery."
"The Air Force museum in Dayton is a national treasure and our community appreciates the Air Force recognizing that President Johnson's Air Force One rightly belongs among the historical collection displayed there," said Congressman Turner.