A trade with the Smithsonian Museum in Washington D.C. has landed the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force a unique aircraft with lots of history.

Restoration has begun on the B-17D “Swoose,” the only early “shark fin” B-17 known to exist. It is also the only surviving B-17 to have seen action in the Philippines in the opening days of World War II in the Pacific.

Chad Vanhook, a restoration lead at the museum, said they are restoring it to eventually go on static display with an emphasis on conservation and preserving its originality.

The B-17, a model D, was manufactured in 1940 as a heavy bomber and then was converted into a VIP transport.

One such very important person was Lynden B. Johnson, who at the time was a Congressman and a U.S. Navy Reservist. While on assignment from President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the plane became lost over Australia and had to make an emergency landing, museum research curator Meghan Anderson said.

Anderson said this plane, nicknamed “The Swoose,” has a cool place in history as the only U.S. military aircraft to fly on the first day of the United States entering into World War II, just hours after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

During its last combat flight, in January 1942, it shot down two Japanese fighters, Anderson said. However, that it was converted to the VIP transport.

Vanhook said the Air Force museum traded a B-17G to the Smithsonian for this D model. He said this plane had been in outdoor storage for years and had issues with corrosion and even some vandalism. Now, the Air Force Museum is concentrating first on preserving its fuselage.

Restoration of “The Swoose” is expected to take at least seven years, before it can go on display at the museum.