Design Dogfight: The Campaign Aircraft of John McCain and Barack Obama

Want to be a plane spotter? Or a political pundit? Test your aptitude with this simple quiz:

Looking at the two images above, can you tell which plane belongs to which American presidential candidate?

As the 2008 election campaign gathers momentum, the candidates are racking up frequent flier miles as they jet across America.  Someday, of course, both John McCain and Barack Obama hope to get an upgrade to the Presidential Suite aboard Air Force One.  Until then, however, the candidates have leased lesser jets to meet their transportation needs.  Both candidates are flying American-built planes: McCain rides in a chartered Boeing 737-400, while Obama chartered a Boeing 757. Both aircraft have been customized to serve as workhorses for the candidates and their entourages, and each has been painted in the livery of the respective campaigns. Let's take a closer look...

AIR McCAIN

Once upon a time, McCain's 737, N802TJ (cn 24874/1936), flew for US Airways. Today, McCain chartered it from Swift Aviation. Reprising the name of his famous campaign bus from the 2000 election, McCain has dubbed his aircraft the "Straight Talk Express." Teal and gold feature prominently in the plane's livery, giving it an early 1990s look. The words "Reform, Prosperity, Peace" are painted near the rear cargo doors, and McCain's campaign URL is emblazoned on the tail. According to the Mosheh Oinounou from Fox News:

The plane is separated into four areas:

–a front section with 10 seats for McCain and senior staff,

–a second area with a couch and two captain’s chairs for McCain to talk to press similar to the back of his campaign bus,

–a third section for Secret Service and other staff,

—and finally a fourth section with 66 seats, and most importantly power outlets, for press.

AIR OBAMA

When Barack Obama returns from his international odyssey in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Germany, he'll be greeted by N755NA (cn 30043/925) , a newly refitted Boeing 757 chartered from North American Airlines. Obama's plane originally flew with National Airlines. It's new white-and-navy livery is vaguely JetBlue-esque, but it's most conspicuous for omitting Barack Obama's name entirely from the fuselage. Instead, the aircraft emphasizes his campaign slogan — "Change We Can Believe In."  Lynn Sweet of the Chicago Sun Times reports:

Obama's newly reconfigured plane is divided into first class for the candidate and his closest advisors--such as strategist David Axelrod, who is on the flight; business class seats, occupied Sunday by foreign affairs advisors such as Denis McDonough and coach, where 41 journalists who are part of the traveling Obama press corps are seated.

What do these two aircraft tell us about each candidate's campaigns and their fitness to become Commander-in-Chief?  Frankly, we have no idea.

UPDATE, 07 AUGUST, 2008:
In response to charges by conservative critics that Barack Obama "removed the American flag from his airplane," the truth-hunters at Snopes.com have compiled a report which explains the facts behind the new livery. While it is true that the stylized flags used in the original North American Airlines livery were removed, those graphics were part of North American's trademark, making them inappropriate for permanent use on the Obama campaign's plane. However, in addition to the stylized flag that appears as part of the the Obama campaign logo, the aircraft also retains the American flags placed alongside the aircraft's N-registration number:

In light of these circumstances, Telstar Logistics believes the conservative critique of the new livery is somewhat misleading and extremely silly. The issue of flag display on a campaign aircraft is utterly irrelevant to any debate on how best to address the significant challenges the U.S. will face during the next four years. Nevertheless, we encourage you to read the complete Snopes report for the full details.

PREVIOUSLY:

Is Barack Obama a Borg "Manchurian Candidate?"

A New Design for Delta Airlines

(IMAGES: McCain 737 photo by Mosheh Oinounou/Fox News. Obama 757 photo by Rob Olewinski)

Comments

[Voter]

Why is there no American Flag on the Obama plane? Isnt he running for president of the United States?

[Telstar Logistics]

Was there a part of the Constitution that says candidates for President must have flags on their aircraft? Or that stylized logos which incorporate flag iconography don't count? We don't recall reading that in Article II.

Moreover, let the record show that as Strict Constructionalists, we are opposed to activist attempts to reinterpret the Constitution in such a way as to make the livery painted on the side of an airplane a litmus test for Barack Obamas fitness to serve as Commander-in-Chief.

[Wayne Parris]

There is an American flag on Obama's plane. It is just to the left of the Aircraft ID Number (Tail Number) that is on the side of the fuselage. You can just see the numbers peaking out from behind the wingtip in this picture. The flag is left of the numbers, but obscured by the wingtip in this picture. This airplane originally had an American flag on the tail, however, this was an American Airlines aircraft and that flag is a trademark of American Airlines and could not be left there.

[Dragen Lady]

Why is he out of the country when he isn't President?! Votes? Or just money hunting. Looks bad to me.

[Telstar Logistics]

You're right! I wondered that too. Why DID John McCain visit Columbia in July? The people of Columbia are not Americans. They can't vote! Looks bad to me too.

[Redhead]

Can you please provide a clearer picture of the American flag on Obama's revamped campaign aircraft? I've received an email regarding the absence of the flag, and would like to be able to forward info with picture (possibly zoomed into the area of flag logo posted next to the aircraft ID/tail number and obscured by wingtip).Thank you.

[Redhead]

OOPs!!Can you please provide a clearer picture of the American flag on Obama's revamped campaign aircraft? I've received an email regarding the absence of the flag, and would like to be able to forward info with picture (possibly zoomed into the area of flag logo posted next to the aircraft ID/tail number and obscured by wingtip).Thank you.
P.S. Sorry this was posted as a Telstar comment. I was attempting to ask Telstar and somehow this was listed as posted by them (not me) instead. I was asking Telstar to possibly provide this picture for me.

[Alex Magdaleno]

Hi Redhead. Send them this page
http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/airplane.asp

It explains the whole thing. This is just another big right wing flap about nothing.
They have nothing to offer except fear and divisiveness.

[Maggie]

Well, since this article wants to cite the Snopes.com coverage let me add that after reading that article I noticed...

They (apparently) purposefully showed a shot of McCain's plane from an angle that completely obliterates the HUGE AMERICAN flags going down the sides!

and

Obama's insignia looks grossly like a symbol one would design for say...a One World government!!!

Come on people! This isn't just about how they had their planes painted! It's about the underlying motivation of the men themselves.

[Telstar Logistics]

Maggie, I couldn't agree more.

It *is* about the motivations of the men themselves. That's why I wonder why John McCain decided to put his flag near the aircraft's baggage compartment door. (Not a very honorable position, IMHO.) It's almost as if he doesn't want it photographed! Like he's trying to hide it! If he loved America as much as you or me, he would have displayed the flag proudly on the tail, or at least somewhere above the windows. Instead, it's almost like he treats the flag as an afterthought.

[Linda]

I just looked at the Snopes site and agree it didn't look like McCain had a flag on his plane, but it does. No one can rightfully say Barack's plane doesn't have a flag because it does. (By the waym, take a look at John Kerry's plane. Now, that's a great flag.) However, this is more silliness. Barack Obama has every right to paint his logo on his plane. He has a beautiful logo in the colors of the flag. Deal with it.

[Kate Mackay]

"Telestar Logistics" says that the flag is a North American trademark and inappropriate - implying that he was forced to remove it ----- why wasn't George Bush forced to remove it from his campaign plane? CAN'T BE TRUE!

[Randy]

The reason that George W. Bush didn't have to
remove any flag from his campaign plane used
during his first campaign is quite simple.
He was using his buddy Ken Lay's corporate
aircraft, belonging to Enron. He wasn't leasing it. 'Kenny boy' was a very close friend of the Bush family and for all his help, Bush helped Enron get deregulated and
ultimately helped bring down a company that
was allowed to do whatever it wanted with no
supervision.

[Telstar Logistics]

@ Linda: Telstar Logistics did not say that Obama was forced to remove the flag that was part of the NAA livery, because that is untrue. Nor did we imply same.

What Telstar Logistics *did* say was that keeping the livery may have been inappropriate, and that any attempt to measure Obama's patriotism based on the livery of his aircraft is "extremely silly."

[yoduhh]

the flag could have been left on the tail.
see here, where it was left in the past:
http://www.airliners.net/photo/North-American-Airlines/Boeing-757-28A/0123425/M/

it was removed because he didn't want it, not because it had to be removed.

the flag next to the registration had to be left as it's part of the registration, nationality marks must appear with the registration.

[okey to think]

the flag next to the registration had to be left as it's part of the registration, nationality marks must appear with the registration.

you are wrong the Roman capital letter "N" (denoting United States
registration) followed by the registration number of the aircraft you donot have to use the flag

[Vera]

Good grief.......will our currency have a big O on it too..........Wake up before its too late

[plane lease]

I remember when I was 6 years old and lived in Queens,NY when Pan Am Clippers flew out of NY heading for Latin America. They were huge and beautiful to watch.

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