The retrofitted Boeing 747s were made for war. Originally designed in 1973, the E-4 series planes were thought to be the best way a president during the Cold War might survive a nuclear explosion.

Narrator: Some of these makeshift firefighting planes were only able to drop 150 to 200 gallons of water at a time. Sheehy: Not really effective in today's world, but at the time, it was the best ...