The silver plane was slowly crumbling. The Arizona desert was taking its toll. By 2014, grime covered the aircraft’s aluminum panels. Inside, the ceiling and walls sagged and split.  

Columbine II could have been lost forever. But today, workers are restoring the 76-year-old plane. They hope to make it look as it did in its prime. 

Dwight Eisenhower was the 34th U.S. president. He was also one of the first presidents to regularly travel by air. From 1952 to 1954, Columbine II served as his aircraft. It was the first plane to be called “Air Force One.” That call sign is used for the plane carrying the current President. 

Columbine II was retired in 1968. Eventually, the plane ended up in an airport field in Arizona.  

Now it is in Bridgewater, Virginia. It is getting much-needed attention. 

Lead mechanic William Borchers works steadily. A few volunteers help.  

One day, Mr. Borchers fixes one of the plane’s three drinking fountains. Another day, he’s tearing out some of the wooden walls. 

Wood once covered nearly the entire inside of the plane. It made up the walls, the floor, and two giant heating ducts. Mr. Borchers cuts and shapes thin aluminum sheets. Those replace the wall pieces. A carbon fiber and aluminum material goes on the floors.  

What’s the goal? “Make it look like it did when President Eisenhower was in the airplane,” says Mr. Borchers. First Air Force One is the organization restoring the plane. It needs to raise more than $11 million to finish the project. After that, the plane will take to the skies once again. This time, it will be a flying museum.  

Why? Restoring Columbine II to its original glory is a big job. Workers use their skills to fix the plane after the desert and time contributed to its decay.