JetStar

The plane President Johnson jokingly referred to as "Air Force One-Half."

NPS Photo / Jack Burton

Advances in aviation played a major role in the success of the LBJ Ranch functioning as a remote White House for President Johnson in the 1960s. At that time, aviation technology improved fuel efficiency and reduced flight times.

While the large Boeing 707—popularly known as "Air Force One"—never landed on the ranch airstrip, it did fly to either San Antonio's Randolph Air Force Base or Austin's Bergstrom Air Force Base. From there, the president would be shuttled to his ranch via helicopter ("Marine One") or by the JetStar. Of course, while the president was aboard the smaller aircraft, it was designated "Air Force One."

In 2010, the National Park Service acquired one of the JetStars used by the Johnson administration. It was found at the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base "boneyard" outside Tucson, Arizona 23 years after it was decommissioned. It is now on permanent display at the LBJ Ranch. 

The Boeing 707 on which Johnson was sworn in after Kennedy's assassination can be visited at the National Museum of the US Air Force at Wright-Patterson AFB in Dayton, Ohio.