By Garth Calitz

The British Monarch was the first head of state or government to have official and dedicated air transport. In 1928, two Westland Wapitis were delivered to No. 24 Squadron at RAF Northolt specifically for transporting the Royal Family. Between 1929 and 1935, Edward, Prince of Wales, acquired 13 aircraft. Although the RAF initially maintained at least one of these aircraft, the Prince of Wales eventually took full responsibility for them.

When the Prince became King Edward VIII in 1936, The King's Flight was established as the world's first head of state aircraft unit. This unit initially used the King's own de Havilland DH.89 Dragon Rapide, which was replaced in May 1937 by an Airspeed AS.6J Envoy III.

In the United States, before World War II, it was uncommon for presidents to travel overseas or across the country. Franklin D. Roosevelt became the first sitting president to fly in an airplane. During the war, he flew on the Dixie Clipper, a Boeing 314 flying boat operated by Pan Am, to attend the 1943 Casablanca Conference in Morocco. This journey spanned 5,500 miles and was completed in three segments.

The first aircraft specifically intended for presidential use was a C-87A VIP transport aircraft. This aircraft, with the number 41-24159, was modified in 1943 to serve as a presidential VIP transport named the Guess Where II, designed to transport President Franklin D. Roosevelt on international journeys. The Secret Service later adapted a Douglas C-54 Skymaster for use as a presidential transport. This VC-54C aircraft, known as the Sacred Cow, featured a sleeping area, radio telephone, and a retractable elevator to accommodate Roosevelt in his wheelchair. President Roosevelt used the modified VC-54C only once, during his trip to and from the Yalta Conference in February 1945.

At present, the US president utilizes one of two identical Boeing 747 aircraft.

Air force One

21 Squadron SAAF was initially established on 8 May 1941 in Nakuru, Kenya, as a bomber squadron operating Maryland medium bomber aircraft. It was disbanded on 10 September 1945 but was reestablished in 1986 as the SAAF’s VIP Squadron. Stationed at AFB Swartkop, they were equipped with a Vickers Viscount and three Douglas Dakotas. The squadron added the Hawker Siddeley HS-125 in 1970 and the Swearingen Merlin in 1975. In 1985, the squadron relocated to AFB Waterkloof.

In 1983, the Viscount was moved to 44 Squadron, and the Merlin was sold in 1985. Two Beech KingAir 200Cs were acquired; however, one was later sold, and the other was transferred to 41 Squadron. The HS-125s were disposed of in 1999. Currently, the squadron operates a fleet of jet aircraft. The two Dassault Falcon 50s were acquired in 1982 and 1985, the two Cessna 550 Citation IIs in 1983, and the Dassault Falcon 900 joined the fleet in 1992.

In January 2003, the squadron acquired the new presidential Boeing BBJ called "Inkwazi," which means fish eagle in Zulu. In recent years, President Jacob Zuma has seldom used the BBJ, preferring instead to charter larger aircraft from operators within South Africa and occasionally from neighboring countries.

The Presidency has proposed buying a Boeing 777 to replace the BBJ, which would come at a significant expense to taxpayers.