By: Joseph M. Seymour
I've flown executives, dignitaries, and critical cargo across the country and around the world. But this spring I carried a responsibility that was uniquely meaningful: I piloted the inaugural leg of the Freedom Plane from Washington, D.C. to Kansas City as it began a national tour bringing nine of America’s original founding documents to Atlanta and other American cities.
When I learned I'd help lead this historic mission, I was honored; seeing the cases containing a rare copy of the Declaration of Independence, a secret printing of the Constitution and other founding documents carefully loaded onto our Boeing 737 left me humbled. These aren't just documents, they're the blueprints of American liberty, the parchment proof from when a group of ordinary people chose to do something extraordinary. They represent not just ideals proclaimed in 1776, but ideals fought for, expanded, and defended across generations.
Atlanta will be the tour’s second stop, and there's something remarkably fitting about displaying America's founding documents at the Atlanta History Center. This city has always understood the weight of history: how the past shapes the present, how principles written on parchment become living realities in people's lives.
Atlanta rose from ashes to become a symbol of American resilience and renewal. It became the cradle of the Civil Rights Movement, where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. called America to live up to the self-evident truths Jefferson penned: that all men are created equal, endowed by their Creator with unalienable rights. Those words aren’t just philosophical—they became the moral foundation for America's greatest social transformation.
As I walked through my pre-flight checklist, I thought about what we were entrusted to carry. I thought about Thomas Jefferson's hand moving across parchment in a Philadelphia boarding house, writing words that would change human history. I think about the 39 brave souls who signed their names to the Constitution.
These documents have endured 250 years. They've been a constant through wars, depressions, social upheaval, and tremendous change. But they've endured because the principles they contain are timeless.
Our job at Boeing is important yet straightforward: deliver these treasures safely so Atlanta families can stand before them. So parents can show their children the actual signatures of the Founders. So students can see some of the most important documents in American history.
From Friday, March 27 through Sunday, April 12, 2026, these documents will be on display at the Atlanta History Center. It's the perfect setting: a city that understands both the promise and the struggle of American freedom, displaying the documents that made that freedom possible.
Growing up in Michigan, and now raising my family on a farm in Illinois, I've always believed that part of America's strength comes from its heartland values and its founding principles. Flying the Freedom Plane connects both, bringing the documents that defined our nation to the communities that embody its spirit.
I've flown plenty of important missions. But carrying our nation’s founding documents? That's not just a mission. It's a privilege. It's history in motion.
We hope to see you there.
Joseph M. Seymour is Boeing's Chief Pilot for Executive Flight Operations
