It's been about a year and a half since Biden took office as the United States' 46th President. With the inauguration taking place in the middle of a pandemic, the question of the future livery of the upcoming Air Force One was far from a priority. However, after keeping us in suspense on this issue, we finally have confirmation that the current administration will not be going with the dark blue paint scheme proposed by former President Trump.
Increased costs cited as the reason
According to Politico, the President and his administration won't be adopting the Air Force One livery proposed by former President Trump due to increased costs associated with the dark blue paint scheme.
As you may have seen in renderings, Trump's design, revealed in 2019, features a dark blue belly and engines beneath a dark red stripe. This paint job was set to supersede the livery established in 1962 by industrial designer Raymond Loewy for President John F. Kennedy. This featured a distinctive 'baby blue' and cyan coat.
Speaking to ABC News about his new design at the time, President Trump said:
“Red, white and blue. Air Force One is going to be incredible. It’s gonna be the top of the line, the top in the world. And it’s gonna be red, white and blue, which I think is appropriate.”
It's all about the dark side...
The decision might be a head-scratcher at first. The pair of modified 747-8i aircraft are new and unused and will need a new livery regardless of the design. So how does one livery cost more than another to apply?
Well, a recent Air Force study concluded that the darker colors of the proposed livery could contribute to excessive temperatures on the aircraft.
“Further analysis concluded darker colors, among other factors, on the underside of the VC-25B aircraft might contribute to temperatures exceeding the current qualification limits of a small number of components,” -Ann Stefanek, US Air Force spokesperson via Politico
An administration official speaking anonymously to Politico adds that the Trump livery could drive "additional engineering, time, and cost." In case you haven't been following recent news, the Air Force One replacement program is already over budget and behind schedule.
No neutral ground
For a deeply divided country, this latest decision from the Biden administration will likely be seen as purely political, justified by a report on additional program costs.
Despite saving the government an undisclosed (or undetermined) amount of money, the decision on the future livery of the VC-25Bs holds a great amount of symbolism. Indeed, it was more than the question of "which design looks better?" Rather, going with former President Trump's paint scheme would have been a very visual reminder of his time in office - a reminder that would have lasted several decades. Perhaps until a supersonic replacement is developed.
For the reason stated above, the deliberation on the future livery had the country split, and this latest report and decision is sure to upset supporters of the former President. Still, it's good in some ways to finally have an answer and to move forward with more important things, like getting the aircraft into service.
What do you think of this latest news coming from the White House? Are you happy that the question of the new Air Force One livery is finally resolved? Let us know by leaving a comment.