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By Land, By Sea, By Air

Whether by hoof, air, waterway, road, or rail, the President’s access to reliable transportation is essential during their time in the Executive Mansion. Modes of transportation have varied over the course of time as technology and the individual presidents’ needs have changed. While George Washington may have thought a well-bred horse was the pinnacle of mobility, subsequent presidents would find that the steamboat, train, and later cars and air travel would further increase the effectiveness of travel to and from the White House. Even today, White House transportation continues to shift based on the needs of the modern presidency. In 2014, the Navy announced that a new fleet of Sikorsky Marine One helicopters would replace the existing aircraft over the course of the next decade. Sikorsky helicopters were first used by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1957.

Gallery

White House Transportation

Horses as a Form of Transportation

The Floating White House

Incorporating New Technology

Motor Cars Come to the White House

Traveling Across the Country in the 19th Century

President Cleveland's Goodwill Tour of 1887

The Dixie Clipper and the Sacred Crow

The Wings of Franklin Roosevelt

Eisenhower and the First Presidential Helicopters

Franklin Roosevelt's Presidential Yact

The USS Potomac

U.S. Train Car Number One

The Ferdinand Magellan

The "Sunshine Special"

The Presidential Cars of Franklin D. Roosevelt