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No doubt everyone has heard of the 89th Airlift Wing Special Air Missions unit—or “SAM”—based at Andrews AFB in Maryland. This is the unit that flies Air Force One and other VIP aircraft. When the U.S. Air Force was created as a separate service in 1947, one small part of the act stipulated that senior Army VIPs would still have access to dedicated air transportation. Several squadrons were formed to support the numbered Army commands and other senior Army units. These units, or “Little SAMs,” were geographically based.
The 4433rd Air Transportation Squadron at Dobbins AFB, Georgia, supported the Third Army at Fort McPherson, Georgia, and the First Army at Fort Meade, Maryland. A similar squadron at Chanute AFB, Illinois, supported large Army units in the Midwest and Great Lakes area. Another squadron at Randolph AFB, Texas, supported Army units in the Southwest, and one at Hamilton AFB, California, supported the Presidio and other western region units.
For reasons unknown to me, these four squadrons’ parent unit was the 4440th Aircraft Delivery Group at Langley AFB, Virginia. The 4440th fell under Tactical Air Command (TAC) at the time. These “Little SAM” squadrons operated until mid-1973. Each aircraft carried a SAM call sign and received the usual great treatment wherever they went.
Each unit operated either VT-29Bs (Convair 240s) or VC-131Ds (Convair 340s) as support aircraft. The Dobbins unit, where I was assigned from 1966 to 1969, had three VT-29Bs and one VC-131D. The aircraft were outfitted solely for VIP travel, each with a galley and other amenities. The VT-29Bs had standard airline seating, while the VC-131D was particularly luxurious, featuring ground heat, ground air conditioning, and an autopilot coupled to a flight director.
As a fairly new pilot who had flown nothing but C-47s in Europe—mostly cargo models with troop seats—I really enjoyed all the high-tech equipment and the novelty of a flight attendant bringing me coffee and snacks during flight.
The forward cabin of the VC-131D (SAM 42805) had four sets of club seats with tables that could seat 16 passengers in groups of four. The rear compartment was the general’s lounge and office, furnished with a plush seat in front of a walnut desk. Along each side of the cabin were two longitudinal couches that could fold out into beds with custom-fitted sheets and blankets. When we couldn’t find quarters elsewhere, we stayed in what we called the “Convair Hilton.”
That compartment also included a staff table with four seats that could be used for meetings—though not for takeoffs or landings. The airplane even had built-in electric shavers in each of the two lavatories and a dedicated set of dishes in the galley.
We typically flew with two pilots, a flight engineer, and a flight attendant. Our flight attendants (stewards, as they were called at the time) were men—and excellent cooks and bartenders. On many trips we were authorized by some higher authority to sell alcoholic beverages to passengers, and we would often announce “happy hour” over the PA system. One of our regular three-star passengers kept his own supply of Rebel Yell bourbon aboard, which was restocked by one of his aides. You might wonder if we ever sampled the general’s supply after a long flight? I’ll never tell!
Missions were under the strict operational control of the Army. We often flew to Andrews AFB and occasionally swapped stories with the “Big SAM” crews of the 89th Airlift Wing—stories about our high-ranking passengers, never to be repeated of course. We flew in and out of Army airfields throughout the Southeast and beyond. I once spent a week flying the commander of the Third Army and never left the state of Georgia. Civilian guests of Army VIPs sometimes included governors, business leaders, and other politicians.
During the Detroit riots in 1967, the Third Army commander was named to head the military guard and reserve contingents called up to control the chaos. We flew the general from Atlanta to Detroit on Sunday afternoon or Monday morning and picked him up again on Friday.
We also supported the Army’s “Operation Understanding” missions—public relations trips designed to give groups of civilians a greater appreciation for Department of Defense capabilities. The Army typically invited mayors, city council heads, and business leaders on these flights. We’d start with a pickup in some southeastern city, then fly to either the Air Force Museum in Dayton or the Space Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Next stop was El Paso, where the crew laid over for two days while the Army entertained the group with missile demonstrations at White Sands Range, New Mexico.
We’d then pick up the group at Holloman AFB and fly them to Colorado Springs for a tour of the underground NORAD facility, before returning them home with a fuel stop along the way. These trips lasted five or six days, and by the end, we were all “best friends forever.” Since the statute of limitations has surely expired, I’ll admit that a few of the other pilots occasionally let passengers sit in the co-pilot’s seat for photo ops.
Unlike today, there seemed to be no limit on flight hours or budgets. We operated strictly on an as-needed basis. I logged as many as 75–80 hours per month and averaged about 50. I could tell you about our “training flights” to Eglin AFB to pick up oysters and shrimp for squadron parties—but I’ll leave those out.
All told, it was a plush assignment for a young captain with less than a thousand hours of flight time. I felt almost guilty, so I volunteered for Vietnam and helicopters. That was 1969—over fifty years ago.
- Fifty Years Ago Flying With Little SAM - October 24, 2025
I enjoyed the story, thank you for sharing
Thanks for reading. I enjoyed flying with Little SAM.
Ray,
I keep learning more and more interesting things about you.
Reminds me of the Shuttle Service between WPAFB and Andrews AFB using the C-131’s. IIRC the East bounds were called the Capitol Flyer and the West bounds were the Wright-Patt Flyer. Some of the planes used rear facing seats in “the interest of safety”. Regular airline seats but Backwards. Lot easier than Commercial ops and when the planes were retired there, was great weeping and gnashing of teeth by both passengers and the Pilots assigned to fly as an additional duty from their “Day Job” at WPAFB.
Outstanding story and description of your flying duties and escapades in the good old days.
Thanks you for your service.
In the late 70s I flew the T-39a out of Eglin AFB up and down the east coast. I may have made it as far west as Kansas City, but don’t recall for sure. What I do remember was that we used classified call signs so that the airlines wouldn’t catch on that we were taking business from them.
Most of the VIP passengers we served allowed us to carry space available passengers. Many of the space-A’s were Vietnam returnees. On more than one occasion on return flights without VIPs on board, we diverted and flew the space available passengers directly to their home towns or as close as possible given weather and airfield suitability. The good old days!
Ray,
Interesting and fun story. Thanks for your service.