Why did Franklin D. Roosevelt fly aboard a Boeing 314 Clipper in January 1943?

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Mount Rushmore and Air Force One — Air Force One Air Force One, a Boeing 747 reserved for use by the president of the United States, flying over Mount Rushmore, South Dakota.

In January 1943, Franklin D. Roosevelt flew aboard a commercial Boeing 314 Clipper flying boat to attend the Casablanca Conference in Morocco during World War II. This trip marked the first time a sitting American president traveled by air while in office. The conference served as a critical meeting between Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill to plan Allied military strategy, including the decision to demand the "unconditional surrender" of the Axis powers.12