[Hallicrafters] Hallicrafters Digest, Vol 69, Issue 30

[Tom Clarke]

Hi All,
> 
> Former President JFK loved his Hallicrafters SX-62. So much that he had one 
> installed aboard Air Force #1.
> 
> I wonder what became of it, and its twin? In case some of you slept through 
> that decade, Air Force #1 has an almost identical twin. Which raises another 
> question - how it be called an identical twin when it is not identical?

-----------------------Tom sez--------------------------

If you visit the Pima Air Museum, just south of Davis-Monthan AFB (the 
"boneyard")in Tucson AZ, you can get up close and personal (well 
almost-the SX-62, which is in the president's compartment, is behind a 
plexiglas window/wall).  This particular aircraft was a VC-118, which is 
a civilian Douglas DC-6B in uniform.  Ike use a Constellation, which was 
a much classier airplane IMHO.

FYI Air Force 1 is a call sign and not an airplane.  Anytime the 
president is on an Air Force airplane, it becomes AF 1, otherwise it is 
just plain old SAM 28000 or whatever the side number is.  Remember when 
GW Bush landed aboard the carrier to declare "we won!"??  He was flying 
in a Navy S-3B Viking (Hoover) with the callsign "Navy One".

Back before the  president's stable (89th MAS) moved up to the VC-25 (B 
747), they had two VC-137s (B707-300 series) (and a handful of VC-135s 
as backups) rigged up for POTUS use.  Side numbers were AF 26000 and AF 
27000.  I think 27000 is at the USAF Museum at Wright-Pat in Ohio - a 
magnificent museum BTW.  I don't recall whether or not there is an SX-62 
is installed in the VC-137 or not. My guess is no and probably none on 
the VC-25 s either, since the president (either party) would be so busy 
figuring out how to win the next election, he would have no time for SWLing!

Long answer to a short question!

73 Tom/W4OKW