DAYTON, Ohio — The National Museum of the U.S. Air Force will temporarily close Air Force One (SAM 26000) from Jan. 23-Feb. 3, 2017, to complete a lighting upgrade with new LED lights and other conservation work.
The VC-137C was used by eight presidents, including Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, George H.W. Bush and Clinton.
However, it is most widely known as the aircraft that carried President Kennedy’s body back to Washington, D.C. from Dallas after his assassination on Nov. 22, 1963, and served as the location where President Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn in as the new president.
According to museum curator Christina Douglass, while the short-term inconvenience is regrettable, the new lighting upgrades and conservation work will greatly enhance the visitor experience.
“The new LED lights will illuminate the interior much better than the current fixtures, are more cost effective than conventional lighting and also more artifact-friendly, which will help ensure SAM 26000’s long-term preservation,” said Douglass.
Additional conservation work is also scheduled to take place while the aircraft is closed, including general cleaning, repairs and installing additional plexi-glass to further protect the aircraft.
The aircraft is scheduled to re-open to the public on Feb. 4, 2017.