RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 1 sourcesC-32s are militarized Boeing 757-200s that often fly as Air Force Two. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
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, 32 seats for journalists, and new paint colors.
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."
Presidents also occasionally fly aboard C-32s when traveling to smaller airports that can't accommodate the larger VC-25 Air Force One jets. On Monday, President Donald Trump used a C-32, which had been repainted in his preferred red, white, and blue livery, for a trip to Michigan.
Here's how the vice president's plane has changed through the years.
Any Air Force plane carrying the US vice president is called "Air Force Two."
Air Force Two, a Boeing C-32A airplane, sits on the tarmac during the arrival of the US president at the Biarritz Pays Basque Airport in Biarritz, south-west France, on August 24, 2019, on the first day of the annual G7 Summit attended by the leaders of the world's seven richest democracies, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States. 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, according to the Air Force .
The vice president is generally prohibited from flying on "Air Force One," any Air Force plane carrying the president.
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 at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland Friday, March 26, 2021, and departs en route to Blair House in Washington, D.C. Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson
Service members are required to salute the president as commander in chief, and 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.
In an airplane, American politician US Vice President Richard M Nixon (1913 - 1994) (center) listens to an unidentified man during his State Visit to the USSR, circa August 1959. 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.
A retired DC-9 that was part of the Presidential fleet, is shown Wednesday, May 22, 2013 at Phoenix Mesa Gateway Airport in Mesa, Ariz. the U.S. General Services Administration says the blue and white jet, which is up for auction, was part of the Air Force Two fleet and at one point may have served as Air Force One. The jet was manufactured in 1975, during the Ford administration and retired from service during the Bush administration. 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.
A retired DC-9 that was part of the Presidential fleet, is shown Wednesday, May 22, 2013 at Phoenix Mesa Gateway Airport in Mesa, Ariz. the U.S. General Services Administration says the blue and white jet, which is up for auction, was part of the Air Force Two fleet and at one point may have served as Air Force One. The jet was manufactured in 1975, during the Ford administration and retired from service during the Bush administration. Matt York/AP
The plane transferred units in 2005, during the Bush administration, and retired in 2011. It was put up for auction by the General Services Administration in 2013.
Vice President Al Gore decorated the VIP cabin with family photos.
BURBANK, UNITED STATES: US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore (L), works on his acceptance speech aboard his jet, Air Force Two, above California as his wife Tipper looks on 16 August, 2000 just before their arrival at Burbank Airport in Burbank, California. Gore is scheduled to receive his party's nomination later 16 August, 2000 at the Democratic National Committee Convention in Los Angeles, CA. 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.
I clock is shown inside a retired DC-9 that was part of the Presidential fleet, Wednesday, May 22, 2013 at Phoenix Mesa Gateway Airport in Mesa, Ariz. the U.S. General Services Administration says the blue and white jet, which is up for auction, was part of the Air Force Two fleet and at one point may have served as Air Force One. The jet was manufactured in 1975, during the Ford administration and retired from service during the Bush administration. Matt York/AP
The clock featured the time in Washington,...
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