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    Inside the Vice President’s Plane: Photos of Air Force Two

    Press RoomBy No Comments6 Mins Read

    Updated

    • Vice presidents started traveling by plane via Air Force Two in 1959.
    • Vice President JD Vance flies in a C-32, a custom military version of a commercial jetliner.
    • It features a communications center, stateroom, and 32 seats for journalists.

    For vice presidents of the United States, frequent travel is in the job description. Luckily, they get to travel in style.

    While traversing the country and the world, Vice President JD Vance flies in a custom C-32 plane featuring an advanced communications center, conference room, and private stateroom.

    The plane measures 155 feet long and can fly 5,500 nautical miles without refueling. When Vance is on board, it’s known as “Air Force Two.”

    Take a look inside the vice president’s plane.

    Any Air Force plane carrying the US vice president is called “Air Force Two.”


    Air Force Two

    Air Force Two.


    BERTRAND GUAY/AFP via Getty Images

    Similar to the president aboard “Air Force One,” the designation of “Air Force Two” refers to any Air Force plane carrying the vice president, not a specific jet or model.

    Over the years, several different planes have carried the Air Force Two title, transporting vice presidents and their staff around the world. The most commonly used jet is a C-32, a customized military version of a commercial Boeing 757-200 plane.

    The vice president is generally prohibited from flying on “Air Force One,” a plane carrying the president.


    Vice President JD Vance on Air Force Two.

    Vice President JD Vance on Air Force Two.


    Ben Curtis/POOL/AFP/Getty Images

    The president and vice president don’t travel together for security reasons.

    It’s customary for presidents and vice presidents to salute service members as they board and disembark presidential planes.


    Vice President Kamala Harris salutes as she disembarks Air Force Two

    Kamala Harris saluted service members while disembarking Air Force Two.


    Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson

    Service members are required to salute the president as commander in chief, but not the vice president. Still, it’s customary for troops to salute vice presidents, as well.

    Richard Nixon was the first vice president to travel internationally via jet on official business, visiting what was then the USSR in 1959.


    Vice President Richard Nixon on Air Force Two in 1959

    Richard Nixon on Air Force Two.


    Thomas J O’Halloran/US News & World Report Collection/PhotoQuest/Getty Images

    Nixon, who served as President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s vice president, flew on a Boeing VC-137A Stratoliner to visit the USSR in 1959. 

    Beginning with the Ford administration in 1975, this DC-9 jet flew as Air Force Two until 2005.


    The cockpit of Air Force Two, retired during the Bush administration

    A retired DC-9 that was part of the Ppresidential fleet.


    Matt York/AP

    The jet was first used by President Gerald Ford’s vice president, Nelson Rockefeller.

    It featured a VIP cabin with 10 seats and a main cabin with 32 first-class seats.


    Seats on Air Force Two

    A retired Air Force Two plane.


    Matt York/AP

    The plane was retired from service during the Bush administration in 2005 and placed up for auction by the General Services Administration in 2013.

    Vice President Al Gore decorated the VIP cabin with family photos.


    Al and Tipper Gore on Air Force Two

    Al Gore and Tipper Gore on Air Force Two.


    LUKE FRAZZA/AFP via Getty Images

    Gore worked on his acceptance speech for the 2000 Democratic National Convention aboard Air Force Two.

    The cabin also featured a clock with different time zone displays.


    A clock with Washington and destination time zones on Air Force Two

    A clock inside the retired DC-9 that served as Air Force Two.


    Matt York/AP

    The clock featured the time in Washington, DC, and whatever destination Air Force Two was bound for.

    The updated C-32 plane most commonly used by vice presidents first deployed in 1998.


    Air Force Two.

    Air Force Two.


    IAN LANGSDON/AFP via Getty Images

    With a wingspan of nearly 125 feet, each engine features 41,700 pounds of static thrust, according to the Air Force.

    As vice president, Joe Biden hung a map of the world in his Air Force Two work area.


    Vice President Joe Biden works on Air Force Two

    Joe Biden on Air Force Two.


    Charles Ommanney/Edit by Getty Images

    Biden traveled over one million miles on Air Force Two during his time as vice president.

    Mike Pence’s staff decorated Air Force Two for his birthday in 2017.


    Mike Pence celebrates his birthday on Air Force Two, decorated with balloons and streamers

    Mike Pence celebrated his birthday on Air Force Two.



    @VP45/Twitter

    Staffers celebrated the vice president’s birthday with streamers and balloons aboard the jet.

    Kamala Harris also celebrated birthdays on the plane.


    Kamala Harris holds a birthday cake for a staff member on Air Force Two

    Kamala Harris celebrated a staffer’s birthday on Air Force Two.


    Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson

    Harris brought cupcakes and sang “Happy Birthday” to her domestic policy advisor, Kate Childs Graham, in 2021.

    Second gentleman Doug Emhoff traveled aboard Air Force Two, as well.


    Doug Emhoff on Air Force Two

    Doug Emhoff on Air Force Two.


    Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson

    Air Force Two is occasionally used by the first lady and Cabinet members.

    Emhoff filled out his March Madness basketball bracket en route to Las Vegas in March 2021.

    The back of Air Force Two contains 32 business-class seats for members of the press.


    Kamala Harris speaks to reporters on Air Force Two

    Kamala Harris addressed members of the press on Air Force Two.


    RONDA CHURCHILL/AFP via Getty Images

    Vice presidents and staff occasionally hold informal briefings with reporters known as “press gaggles” aboard Air Force Two.

    The press area features TV screens that can play cable news.


    Vice President Kamala Harris walks down the aisle on Air Force Two

    Kamala Harris on Air Force Two.


    Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

    The rear cabin also contains a galley, two bathrooms, and closets.

    Vice President JD Vance has taken several international trips on Air Force Two, including to France, Germany, and Greenland.


    JD Vance and Usha Vance disembark Air Force Two with their children.

    JD Vance disembarked from Air Force Two in France with his wife, Usha Vance, and their three children.


    IAN LANGSDON/AFP via Getty Images

    In February, Vance visited France and Germany with his wife, Usha Vance, and their three children. Vance attended the Artificial Intelligence Action Summit in Paris and the Munich Security Conference.

    In March, the vice president and second lady toured Pituffik Space Base, the only US military base in Greenland. Usha Vance was originally scheduled to visit historical sites and attend Greenland’s national dogsled race on a solo trip. The visit was scaled back amid tensions between the US, Greenland, and Denmark as President Donald Trump doubled down on his longtime goal of acquiring Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory, in the interest of national security.

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