Simi Valley has a presidential plane on a hilltop

Simi Valley’s Reagan Library is already hard to miss. It sits high above the valley, with long views in almost every direction. The Air Force One Pavilion makes it feel even more unusual. Inside is tail number 27000, the presidential plane used by seven presidents from the 1970s through 2001.

For Ronald Reagan, that plane was part office, part meeting room, and part symbol. He used it often, flying hundreds of thousands of miles while the Cold War was still shaping world politics. Seeing the aircraft in person makes that history feel less far away. It was speeches and summits, but also travel, timing, security, maps, phone calls, and long flights from one serious talk to the next.

The pavilion also has other presidential travel pieces, including a Marine One helicopter and motorcade items. The visit has a strong physical side. You can picture how a presidency moves through the world.

For Simi Valley, the library adds a national story to a local hillside. It is one of the clearest examples in California of a suburb holding a major piece of presidential history.