SEATTLE -- A group of volunteers from across America spent the week in Seattle restoring the original Air Force One.
The volunteers worked from the plane's home at the Museum of Flight to polish the aluminum and the paint and get it back to its original look during its glory years in the late 1950s.
The original Air Force One flew everyone from President Eisenhower to President Nixon, and was officially retired during the Clinton administration in June of 1996.
Christian Parker and his brother Christopher flew up from Arizona for the week to take part in this unique opportunity. They work at a detailing business in Scottsdale, but they closed down their shop for the week so they could help preserve American history.
"I'm very proud that I'm looked at that I'm skilled enough, qualified enough, and blessed to be a part of this team," Christian Parker said. "If this plane breaks, if you damage it, it's irreplaceable, so it's literally a one of a kind piece of history."
Renny Doyle is a California based auto-detailer, but he is the leader of the project and the man who recruited the 34 volunteers who took part. Doyle said they spent nearly 50 hours this week making sure the plane looks perfect.
"We've worked on getting the original beauty back to the plane. We've achieved it, now it's just maintaining it for the generations to come," Doyle said.
Robert Weiner is a police captain from New Jersey during the day, but a detailer on the side. This week he traveled nearly 3,000 miles to be a part of this team.
"How many times can somebody say that they got a chance to work on a piece of American history?" Weiner said. "Just being one of the few who can say you've put your hand on it and touch it and say you've had a hand in preserving this is just beyond words."
The original Air Force One will move from the outside to an enclosed space when the renovation at the Museum of Flight takes place in 2016.
