On June 3, 1948, the United States Army Air Force and Douglas Aircraft
Company unveiled a new presidential aircraft called the
"Independence." The aircraft was designed to replace the "Sacred
Cow," a DC-4. The "Independence" was a special military prototype
of the DC-6 transport plane.
The aircraft has a cruising speed of 315 miles per hour and a range
of 4,400 miles because of extra gas tanks. The interior was modified to
carry 25 passengers and had four main sections including a large executive
state room. The special paint job carries the stylized head of an American
eagle. The feather motif was continued along both sides of the fuselage
and onto the vertical stabilizer.
(Click on the picture
of the airplane for additional information about the airplane
"Independence.")
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