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History of Air Force One Trivia Quiz

This is a short quiz about some historical and trivial history of "The Flying White House". Put on your thinking caps and this shouldn't be very hard.

A multiple-choice quiz by DieHard. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
DieHard

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
141,983

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
7 / 10

Plays
840

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Who was the first President to fly while in office? Hint

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Dwight D. Eisenhower

Herbert Hoover

Woodrow Wilson

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Question 2 of 10

2. Boeing began providing jet aircraft to be used as Air Force One under which President? Hint

Franklin Roosevelt

Woodrow Wilson

John F. Kennedy

Jimmy Carter

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Question 3 of 10

3. Who came up with the idea of having a special plane designated solely for flying the President? Hint

Howard Hughes

NASA

the Army Air Corp

Mamie Eisenhower

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Question 4 of 10

4. Who is the only President to receive the oath of office aboard an aircraft? Hint

Bill Clinton

Gerald Ford

Lyndon Johnson

Harry Truman

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Question 5 of 10

5. When Truman received his new plane, a Douglas VC-116/DC-6, he nicknamed it after his hometown. What was the nickname of this presidential plane? Hint

The Independence

The Spirit of St. Louis

The Chicago

The Sacramento Sopwith

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Question 6 of 10

6. Who flew to West Germany on Air Force One to greet the newly released embassy hostages from Iran in 1981? Hint

Jesse Jackson

Jimmy Carter

George Bush

Gerald Ford

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Question 7 of 10

7. Who was the first American President that was also a licensed pilot? Hint

Harry S. Truman

George H. W. Bush

Dwight D. Eisenhower

John F. Kennedy

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Question 8 of 10

8. Air Force One was used by Henry Kissinger to engage in secret meetings with the President of North Vietnam during the Nixon administration. Kissinger referred to these meetings as what? Hint

tet-a-tet

shuttle diplomacy

the Tet Offensive

shangri la

9. The call sign of presidential planes was forever changed during an Eisenhower flight. The control tower called Eisenhower's presidential plane "Columbine II" by its call name, Air Force 610, but was answered by flight Eastern 610. This potentially dangerous situation prompted the change to Air Force One.

True

False

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Question 10 of 10

10. Which man started a flight on Air Force One as President, and landed several hours later as a private citizen? Hint

Ronald Reagan

Richard Nixon

Gerald Ford

Jimmy Carter

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Who was the first President to fly while in office?

Answer: Franklin D. Roosevelt

In 1943, Roosevelt traveled on a Pan Am transoceanic Clipper from Miami to Casablanca for a meeting with Winston Churchill. This was the first time an American President had traveled on a plane while in office. Roosevelt was listed on the passenger manifest as Mr. Jones. In 1943, that transoceanic flight took 3 days.

2. Boeing began providing jet aircraft to be used as Air Force One under which President?

Answer: John F. Kennedy

The first jet used for presidential travel was a SAM 26000 Boeing VC-137C Intercontinental 707. This is the plane that took Kennedy on his famous trip to Berlin and carried his body back from Dallas.

3. Who came up with the idea of having a special plane designated solely for flying the President?

Answer: the Army Air Corp

Shortly after Roosevelt's flight to Casablanca, Army Air Corps brass came up with the idea of customizing a plane for presidential travel. The first choice was a C-87A Liberator Express that they nicknamed "Guess Where II". However, Roosevelt never flew on this plane.

It was shortly replaced by a customized Douglas C-54C/DC4 nicknamed the "Sacred Cow". This plane also served Truman for a time.

4. Who is the only President to receive the oath of office aboard an aircraft?

Answer: Lyndon Johnson

Johnson took the oath of office aboard an aircraft (which then became Air Force One) on its somber trip from Dallas to Andrews Air Force base with the slain body of John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jackie Kennedy on board.

5. When Truman received his new plane, a Douglas VC-116/DC-6, he nicknamed it after his hometown. What was the nickname of this presidential plane?

Answer: The Independence

Named after Truman's hometown of Independence, Missouri. While Roosevelt was the first President to fly while in office, Truman was the President that established the routine use of a presidential plane for official travel.

6. Who flew to West Germany on Air Force One to greet the newly released embassy hostages from Iran in 1981?

Answer: Jimmy Carter

The hostages were released on January 20, 1981, moments after Ronald Reagan takes the oath of office for the first time. President Reagan asked Jimmy Carter to fly to Germany on Air Force One to greet the hostages and welcome them home. Carter greets the hostages on January 21, 1981.

This was a magnanimous gesture on the part of Reagan to honor Carter for his hard work in securing the hostages' release.

7. Who was the first American President that was also a licensed pilot?

Answer: Dwight D. Eisenhower

While Ike felt at home in the air, First Lady Mamie Eisenhower did not like to fly and often was frightened by the specter of stormy weather. Eisenhower nicknamed his presidential planes Columbine II and Columbine III after the state flower of Colorado.

8. Air Force One was used by Henry Kissinger to engage in secret meetings with the President of North Vietnam during the Nixon administration. Kissinger referred to these meetings as what?

Answer: shuttle diplomacy

Kissinger would show up at a Washington function with a beautiful woman on his arm, make an appearance, and shortly leave. Everyone thought he was quite a ladies man but he would take the woman home, hop aboard Air Force One, and fly across the Atlantic to meet with the President of North Vietnam.

He would return to Washington on Monday all bleary-eyed and everyone had thought it was the result of an amorous weekend.

Answer: True

It was obvious that a better control system was needed and Columbine II pilot Bill Draper met with the FAA and other agencies to suggest the use of Air Force One.

10. Which man started a flight on Air Force One as President, and landed several hours later as a private citizen?

Answer: Richard Nixon

Nixon's resignation was not official until he was halfway home on his final flight. The plane left Washington as Air Force One but landed in San Clemente as SAM 27000.

Source: Author DieHard

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor DakotaNorth before going online.
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