Air Force Two

[3][4] Richard Nixon was one of the first senior officials in American government to travel internationally via jet aircraft on official business, taking a Boeing VC-137A Stratoliner on his visit to the Soviet Union in July 1959 for the Kitchen Debates as Eisenhower's vice president.

[5][6] Domestically, non-presidential VIP travel still relied on the prop powered Convair VC-131 Samaritan aircraft until Nelson Rockefeller was named Gerald Ford's vice president in 1974.

This would prompt the 89th Airlift Wing's acquisition of three McDonnell Douglas VC-9Cs in 1975, adding to their three VC-137s jets used for senior executive international travel.

Aircraft allocated for use by the vice president and senior executives authorized to travel under the Special Air Mission designation operated by the 89th Airlift Wing can be distinguished from the distinctive Raymond Loewy Air Force One livery by the lack of the Steel blue   cheatline and cap over the cockpit.

[12][13] A similar incident in 2020 involving a bird strike in the engine during takeoff caused Air Force Two to land back at a nearby New Hampshire airport while it was carrying Mike Pence and some of his staff.