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U.S. Army King Air 90’s.
Before departing the pattern, Karl oversaw the pur- chase of the first Air Force One and led its restoration. From Brittanica.com: President Eisenhower’s first per- sonal transport, starting in 1953, was a customized C-121, the military version of the Lockheed Constellation airliner. Designated VC-121E, it was christened the Columbine II – the columbine being the official flower of Colorado, the adopted home state of Mamie Eisenhower. (The Columbine I had been Dwight D. Eisenhower’s personal transport when he was a general in the army.) The call sign Air Force One was cre- ated by Gen Eisenhower’s pilot, Col Draper, as a result of a flight to Florida, when he was concerned that air traffic controllers might confuse the presidential plane’s call sign, Air Force 8610, with a similar call sign of a nearby com- mercial airliner.
Columbine II was replaced as the primary presi- dential plane in 1954 by Columbine III, a modified Super Constellation. Columbine II, the first Air Force One, now sits proudly in Bridgewater, Virginia, at Dynamic Aviation’s facility.
Today, Dynamic Aviation employs more than 650 enthusiastic aviators, owns over 140 aircraft, and operates from 18 locations in 11 countries across five continents. In 2020 the company announced plans to invest $47.9 million to expand its opera- tion in Rockingham County in partnership with the
Virginia Economic Development Partnership and the Virginia Jobs Investment Program. The employees at Dynamic Aviation will tell you this about their company: We are a band of brothers, sisters, and friends who stay rec- onciled, care for one another and live out our shared values, interests, and objectives together. Many of us are motorheads. We enjoy airplanes and all things mechanical. We like being in the environment and supporting, working on, and operat- ing airplanes. We love to serve. We love saving and protecting lives, property, and the environment – and inspiring the next generation. We are motivated by knowing that what we do everyday matters. Our values are ownership, unity, the golden rule, urgency, and doing the right thing. We solve big problems with airplanes. We save and protect lives, property, and the environment; and we inspire the world.
22 • TWIN & TURBINE / July 2022
Turbines
http://turbinesinc.com