I Visited America’s First ‘Air Force One’ And Saw Volunteers Fixing It To Its Former Glory

From test flights on aircraft made of wood and canvas to gleaming aluminum hulls to the massive transcontinental flights of today, airplanes have undergone an evolution over the past 100 years that few other mechanical technologies can match. Unfortunately, as progress marches on, the technologies of yesteryear are often left to rot, and such was the case for the first plane to bear the title “Air Force One.”

Built as a Lockheed C-121A Constellation and originally named Columbine II, the aircraft served as President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s personal plane from its completion in 1952 until 1954. After serving some other owners, it would eventually land in an aircraft graveyard in Arizona in the 1970s. It would sit there for about 40 years before the owner of an aircraft maintenance firm in Bridgewater, Virginia would decide to save it.

Karl Stolzfus, Sr., the owner of Bridgewater-based Dynamic Aviation, purchased the aircraft in 2014, eager to restore it to its former glory. 

[Ed Note: Meet Richard Hronik, a reporter for Harrisonburg, Virginia’s Daily News-Record. As I’m a fan of local news, a fan of Harrisonburg (where my brother attended college: JMU), and a fan of American history, I figured we’d give this story a go. -DT]. 

“I grew up around round engine airplanes [radial engines], in fact I literally grew up on an airport,” Stolzfus says on the First Air Force One website (whose mission is “to restore First Air Force One to its original grandeur as it was when President and Mrs. Eisenhower were flying on her.”).

“When I saw this airplane was available, I took a look at it and eventually decided we ought to do something.”

After some repairs and restoration to get the plane flight-worthy, Columbine II flew for the first time in decades from Arizona to Texas. After more extensive repairs in Texas, the aircraft finally flew north to Bridgewater, Virginia, where I visited to learn more.

Escorted by more modern aircraft with only a handheld radio to communicate with other pilots, Columbine II landed at Dynamic Aviation after a mostly-uneventful flight. The only issue, according to Bill Borchers, lead mechanic on the project, was that one of the engines landed with a few gallons of oil less than it took off with.

Once completed, the Dynamic team hopes to turn Columbine II into a “flying museum,” dedicated to helping people across the country learn about Eisenhower’s work and legacy. In addition, once restored, the aircraft would be a living example of the innovations of the time.

“The sextant will go back in,” Borchers told me upon my visit. “We also have a drift meter. It’s like an upside-down periscope. It has a set of crosshairs and graduated lines so that, as the wind blows you off-course, you can actually watch the Earth’s surface below the airplane, so the guy watching can tell the pilot how to adjust their course.”

Borchers has been working on restoring the plane along with volunteers like Fred Good and Jim Menard. While Borchers has been a part of the project since 2016, Menard said he had been volunteering for two years, while Good only joined in November.

One difficult step the three said they had been struggling with was applying soundproofing to Columbine II’s interior. While low-tech solutions like wool-felt insulation exist for aircraft cabins, Borchers said the team at Dynamic is using an adhesive synthetic material to keep noise from the engines and the wind out of the cabin. While the material should be effective, it has its downsides.

Borchers explained that the adhesive on the soundproofing material is unforgiving. It sticks to itself or anything other than the inside of the plane if anyone working with it makes even a small mistake, not unlike plastic cling wrap. This is only made worse by the high cost of the material, Borchers added.

“There’s a lot of renovation involving the replacement of World War II-era vintage materials with modern parts,” Menard told me.

Despite these difficulties, Good said working on the plane was a great way to learn new skills in his retirement.

“To me, it’s just been a wonderful learning experience,” Good said. “All my life, I’ve always preferred a hands-on experience compared to what I could read in a book.”

Once the soundproofing material is applied, Dynamic crews and volunteers will work on replacing bulkheads to separate the different compartments and “rooms” of the plane. Once made of plywood, crews will install bulkheads made from lightweight, and, crucially, fireproof, aluminum. Borchers said the bathroom’s bulkheads would be among the first to be installed.

“It’s a vast difference between this plane and the aircraft that I’m working on,” Menard said, referring to his Van’s RV-9 airplane project. “Compared to the kit, where I’m using pre-fabricated metal parts, on this, I’m bending metal, shaping it, and deburring it. It gives you a real appreciation for the patience and precision needed for these older assembly methods.”

However, plenty of work is still to be done on the plane. The wires that connect the controls in the cockpit to the control surfaces on the wings and tail were removed, and will need to be replaced before Columbine II can fly again. Borchers said the removed wires filled nine 55-gallon drums, and, if stretched out end to end, would measure at least two miles long. The turn buckles that connect the ends of the wires, and the tensioners to keep them tight, will also need to be repaired or replaced, with the originals succumbing to corrosion.

“A piece of brass, sitting in the heat and all that for almost 70 years, things deteriorate,” Borchers explained. “We’ve looked through all ours [turn buckles] and I don’t see any problems with them, but it’s one of those things where you’re better safe replacing them than be sorry when you don’t.”

Borchers also said replacing the aircraft’s interior would present a unique challenge. Where much of the trim and other panels were stapled to wooden bulkheads and panels, a new solution, like gluing or sewing materials together, will be needed.

“There’s nothing to staple into,” Borchers explained.

As crews and volunteers worked on restoring Columbine II, they found a flight log with the names of passengers from each of the plane’s flights when it was used as the first Air Force One. While many flights only carried Eisenhower, some included other guests, such as his family or foreign dignitaries. The book was scanned and, by exploring a digital copy, Borchers and other volunteers found signatures from famous world figures such as Queen Elizabeth II.

Not long after Dynamic began the project, the team began contacting any people still alive who might have a connection to Eisenhower or the plane. They eventually got in touch with Mary Jean Eisenhower, the late president’s granddaughter.

Mary Jean Eisenhower visited Dynamic’s hangar in November 2023 as a guest of honor at a fundraising gala meant to help garner support for the project. She and David Garner, a 100-year-old retired Navy chief who worked on Columbine II during his career, spoke to guests about the importance of the project. 

Mary Jean Eisenhower also spoke with local news media about her memories of riding in her grandfather’s plane.

“I’m thrilled to death that it’s being restored,” said Eisenhower in a Nov. 8, 2023 story for the Daily News-Record. “Not just because it’s a childhood memory, but because of what it symbolizes. I hope there are still some Korean War veterans, because he took that plane over for the negotiations. We could put them in the plane, and my family still has the dishes that used to go in there. I would love to see them eat off of the same dishes that I ate off of. They should get their due.”

More information about the First Air Force One project can be found on Dynamic Aviation’s website.

Top Photo: Dynamic Aviation