Update (Monday, 5:56 p.m.): The three parts of the answer I was looking for are as follows. 1. It's a Boeing VC-137B. 2. It's located at the Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona. 3. It is a notable plane because it was used to fly the hostages home to the United States from Iran in 1981. And that's why its nickname is "Freedom One." Amazingly, though I got dozens and dozens of responses--by far the most for any Picture of the Day challenge so far--just three people got all three parts of the question right. Most people believed it is a VC-137C based at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio, that was used to fly JFK home after he was assassinated, and on which Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn in as president. Many others thought the plane is based at the Museum of Flight in Seattle, Washington. And more than a few thought it is based at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California. The wisdom of the crowds did not play out in this case, most likely because the plane's tail number was not readable. Please come back tomorrow for another Picture of the Day challenge.
If I've learned one thing about CNET readers over the last few years, it's that lots and lots of you, like me, love airplanes.
That's why I've spent a lot of time over the years doing stories about planes, both old and new. And that's been no less true on my Road Trips.
This leads me to Monday's Picture of the Day challenge. The airplane in this picture is a special one. Perhaps you recognize it or can figure out what it is. What I need from you is the type of aircraft it is, where it's located, and, most importantly, what its special place in history is.
If you know all three of those and e-mail me the correct answers (at daniel--dot--terdiman--at--cnet--dot--com, and use "Picture of the Day" in your e-mail subject line) you could win Monday's prize. I'll draw a name at random from all of those who have all three parts of the answer correct.
One caveat: no individual can win more than two prizes. But at the end of the trip, I'll be drawing a name from among all the daily challenge winners and giving out something a little more substantial to the winner.
On June 24, Geek Gestalt will kick off Road Trip 2010. After driving more than 18,000 miles in the Rocky Mountains, the Pacific Northwest, the Southwest and the Southeast over the last four years, I'll be looking for the best in technology, science, military, nature, aviation and more throughout the American northeast. If you have a suggestion for someplace to visit, drop me a line. In the meantime, you can follow my preparations for the project on Twitter @GreeterDan and @RoadTrip.