Western Pacific was a short-lived US airline that came and went in the 1990s. Despite its short history, the carrier made a name for itself with its colorful special liveries that could be found on a significant number of its aircraft. Known as Color In the Sky, this venture saw one of its aircraft painted with The Simpsons characters.
One of several flying billboards
Nowadays, The Simpsons have been a staple of modern popular culture for several decades. However, back in 1994, when Western Pacific Airlines was initially founded as Commercial Air, the popular animated sitcom had been a prime-time show for just five years. The carrier began flying the following year as Western Pacific.
It did so in April 1995 and, two months later, it received a Boeing 737-300 that it registered as N949WP. According to ATDB.aero, this twin-engine narrowbody jetliner had previously flown for Piedmont Airlines (1985-1989) and USAir (1989-1995). As part of its initiative to paint its aircraft with special liveries, Western Pacific teamed up with FOX TV to use N949WP to advertise The Simpsons.
The show's protagonists are known for their yellow bodies, and, correspondingly, Western Pacific's Simpsons-themed livery saw N949WP painted from nose to tail in a similar shade. As seen below, Bart, Homer, Maggie, and Lisa are situated on the jet's fuselage, while Marge had to be placed on the tail to accommodate her tail hairstyle. Meanwhile, the engines depict the FOX logo in blue and yellow.
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A popular but short-lived paint job
We all know that avgeeks love a special livery, and the Simpsons-themed paint job involving N949WP was no different. In fact, you could argue that its connections with such a well-loved and long-running sitcom gave it an appeal that also extended into the realm of the general public. Despite this, it didn't last very long.
Indeed, the aircraft served Western Pacific for less than three years before the carrier collapsed in February 1998 after declaring bankruptcy amid an attempted merger with ultra-low-cost carrier Frontier. Three months later, N949WP found a new lease of life at Southwest Airlines, where it was re-registered as N660SW.
The aircraft's subsequent stint at Southwest was its longest spell at a single carrier, lasting from May 1998 until July 2016. It was at this point that, after more than 31 years of service, this well-used Boeing 737-300 was retired for good, after racking up (per ch-aviation.com data) 91,482 hours across 68,892 cycles. It has been preserved in China, and its former Simpsons livery lives on, as seen above, in model form.
Western Pacific's other special liveries
As previously mentioned, Western Pacific's Simpsons-themed livery was one of several special paint schemes devised by the carrier during its short history. According to Planespotters.net, other companies and locations to be promoted in this way included Colorado Springs (N951WP), Sam's Town Hotel and Gambling Hall (N956WP), Stardust Resort & Casino (N950WP), and Thrifty Car Rental (N961WP).
What do you make of Western Pacific's Simpsons livery? Did you ever see, or even fly on, this yellow-clad Boeing 737? Let us know your thoughts and experiences in the comments!
Sources: ATDB.aero, ch-aviation.com, Planespotters.net