I toured an Air Force One plane used by 4 US presidents. Take a look inside the ‘flying Oval Office.’

• Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon used an Air Force One plane known as SAM 970.
• The first jet-powered presidential aircraft featured an office and a safe for the nuclear codes.
• The retired plane, used from 1959 to 1996, is on display at the Museum of Flight in Seattle.

President Dwight Eisenhower became the first US president to travel by jet when he flew on a new Air Force One plane in 1959.

The jet, known as SAM (Special Air Missions) 970, was customized to meet the needs of the president and White House staff. It included a presidential stateroom, a conference room, seats for members of the press, and a safe for the nuclear codes.

Retired in 1996, SAM 970 now lives at the Museum of Flight in Seattle. I visited the museum in July to tour the old Air Force One and see how presidents once traveled.

Take a look inside.