Ike's Aero Commander
by Laurie Lips

JANUARY 2001

When President Dwight D. Eisenhower took office in 1952, he rejected using Truman's "Independence" as his presidential airplane. He chose a Lockheed Constellation, and would, during his administration, utilize three of these, which were named the Columbine I, II, and III.

Shortly after Ike suffered a heart attack in the mid-1950s, he was transported from Washington D.C. to his farm in Gettysburg, Penn., on a stretcher, and spent time recovering there.

"Ike" had a private grassy airstrip on his farm, which was 70 miles away from Washington, D.C. It, however, was too short for heavy transports, so a search was made for a plane that the government deemed safe for transporting the president and his family on weekend trips and vacations to and from the farm. A specialized U-4B (L-26C Aero Commander 680 Super) was ordered for this purpose. Two Aero Commanders were ordered. One (serial number 55-4647) would have the privilege of transporting the president. The second one would carry the secret service.

In the meantime, an Aero Commander 560 demonstrator was "loaned" to the Air Force to use as the presidential plane.

Once his Aero Commander arrived, the little airplane, which could carry a crew of two and four passengers and had a cruising speed of about 190 mph, shuttled back and forth from D.C. to Gettysburg.

Besides Ike, other VIPs flew in the U-4B including Vice President Richard M. Nixon, and President-elect John F. Kennedy and his wife Jackie. The president of Mexico traveled in the aircraft as well as several other heads of state and dignitaries from foreign nations.

After Ike left office, it was used for transporting high-ranking officials. After helicopters were approved for use, there was no longer a need for the small aircraft.

In the 1950s and the 1960s, many considered the U-4B/Aero Commander 680, which came off of an Oklahoma assembly line, as the finest corporate plane money could buy. Many Fortune 500 companies utilized it.

So, where is the Aero Commander 680 today?

In 1977, Bill Duff, the owner of J.W. Duff Aircraft Company in Denver, acquired an Aero Commander 680 as part of a trade with the Nebraska Civil Air Patrol.

Logbooks showed that the aircraft had last served the Air Force as a parachute jump aircraft at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. It flew thousands of hours over the academy, before ending at Duff's aviation graveyard.

The plane idled in Duff's salvage yard for over 15 years. Facing eminent doom as a pile of scrap metal, the famous aircraft was discovered by Colorado Aviation Hall of Fame aviation artist, Rick Broome, who knew the history of the aircraft. Broome had worked for Duff when he was a teenager and was shocked to learn Duff had the aircraft!

According to Air Force records the famous former Air Force One had been scrapped at Davis Montham AFB in 1977. Broome was doing research for a painting of the aircraft for the academy and contacted his old friend to take research photos of a scrapped Commander when the "find" was made.

Once Duff knew what he had, he allowed Broome to research the find and determine the value of the aircraft. Broome spent over 300 hours doing research that resulted in great interest from the Air Force in requiring the aircraft for their Air Force Museum at Wright Patterson AFB in Dayton, Ohio.

Following several years of negotiations, Duff reached agreement with the museum and plans were set to restore the aircraft. Under his contract with the museum, he would restore the plane completely to its original configuration. The completed museum artifact had to be represented exactly, according to the original manufacture's specifications as called out in Aero Design and Engineering Co. work release Order 2277A, Form 118B for 55-4647, and specific drawings. The restoration and repair had to have original components. An "R" would be stamped or inscribed on all reproduced parts and components used in the aircraft to differentiate them from original parts. Documentation of those items must get approval by the Museum Restoration Division. Duff's acres of salvage parts would come in handy.

Ted Smith, the original designer of the Aero Commander, worked for Douglas Aircraft Company as a senior design engineer during the war and designed the A20 Havoc and the B-26. A true visionary, Smith now set to work with his engineers to design corporate planes after the war that would be comfortable, safe, and quiet. The Aero Commander was a miniature version of the B-26 Invader with high wing design, large underslung engine pots, and tail surfaces similar to the larger plane. Bigger engines were a thing of the future, and his group started to work on designing a solid, integral unit airframe-the first of its kind. If there were an accident, however, the expense would be dramatic; the only way to repair the plane would be to remanufacture the surface.

The original 680 flew with 340-horse power Lycoming GSO-480-AIA engines. They were mechanically supercharged and geared to get maximum power. Although temperamental, these 1,100 TBO engines were considered excellent for the airframe.

In 1951, the design prototype Aero Commander flew non-stop from Santa Monica, Calif., to Washington D.C., on one engine. The original 520 series was fitted with more powerful engines and re-designated the 560. A swept tail design was also incorporated on this first series upgrade. The 680 series followed this design philosophy with even more powerful twin 340 horsepower engines. Smith combined the horsepower of both engines to name his aircraft series and thus this improved aircraft was given the aircraft designation 680.

Ike's Aero Commander was produced in April 1956. It was painted blue and white. The military Air Force Ones before the Commander were aluminum finish. (Downtown Airpark in Oklahoma City painted all the early Commanders.)

The cockpit layout was impressive. Control wheels were mounted from the floor rather than from attachments on the instrument panel and they sported an overhead panel for engine starting.

When Duff restored the aircraft all internal areas of the airframe structure and exterior surfaces had to be cleaned, chemically treated, primed, and/or coated as required in accordance with the appropriate aircraft Tech Order. The engines had to be in airworthy condition and suitable for the flight delivery. The propellers, Hartzell Model HC 83 x 20-2C/93333-c, also had to be airworthy, and had to have anti-icing shoes installed per original specs.

All cockpit controls, indicators, instruments, flight controls, lighting, etc., had to be cleaned and installed, and included specific wiring, plumbing, and cabling. The cabin interior was restored to the original Presidential configuration; the interior was configured for six (optional seating plan #5), having the rear bench seat with two seat belts, center arm rest, double pilot curtains, passenger window curtains, coat hanger in baggage compartment, collapsible table, and flight deck sun visors. Colors and fabrics had to be custom made. Don Connelly, out of Jefferson County Airport, did the upholstery. The stars and paint on the Commander had to be right too. One quart of the yellow paint used for the star cost $580.

In July 1996, the Aero Commander was flown from Denver to the U.S. Air Force Museum at Wright Patterson Air Force Museum, Dayton, Ohio.

It was formally introduced and displayed at the museum at that time, after General Metcalf, the director of the museum, formally accepted it.

This aircraft completes the whole history of the presidential aircraft to date at the museum (There are nine presidential aircraft there), where the Commander now proudly resides in the Presidential Aircraft Hangar.

This once scrapped famous aircraft is now on display parked next to the former Air Force One VC-137B (Boeing 707), tail number 26000, which is the aircraft that flew the body of our fallen president John F. Kennedy back to Washington D.C. following his assassination in Dallas on November 22, 1963.