For the new Air Force One planes, President Joe Biden has scrapped Donald Trump’s red, white, and dark blue color scheme, citing the increased costs.
‘The Trump paint scheme is not being considered since it could result in more engineering, time, and money,’ according to a source in the administration.
That means the Biden administration will continue to use the light blue and white color palette that was popular during the Kennedy administration.
The new Boeing 747-8s, which will be converted into flying White Houses, aren’t slated to take to the skies until 2026.
The Air Force confirmed earlier this week that Trump’s color scheme has a design flaw: the new 747s’ undersides and engine areas were supposed to be dark blue.
However, according to Politico, this could add to the plane’s overheating, a concern that Boeing would have to fix on its own own.
Boeing has already wasted roughly $1 billion turning two 747 planes into new Air Force Ones, and its CEO has expressed remorse for accepting the deal on Trump’s terms.
The White House of President Joe Biden is undecided on whether to preserve Trump’s color scheme or return to the customary baby blue and white it now wears.
Trump’s logo, which has a dark color scheme,
Trump’s design – that features a dark blue under carriage – may require the plane to incorporate some modifications to cool some of its components, a source told Politico.
Trump revealed his redesign in 2019.
The new color scheme resembles the color scheme of Trump’s personal Boeing 757, which 2016 campaign crowds called ‘Trump Force One.’
Meanwhile, Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun said in April that the company should have refused Trump’s terms for building the two new presidential planes.
Because the presidential plane always needs a backup, there are two.
The business had previously stated that the endeavor to convert two 747 airliners had cost $660 million.
The presidential plane is equipped with confidential communication equipment that allows the president to maintain continual contact with the outside world, as well as unique facilities such as a surgery suite.
The plane features its own retractable stairways for the rear and front entrances, unlike a standard 747. It also has its own baggage loader, allowing it to be completely self-contained if necessary.
It also includes an in-flight refueling technology that allows it to remain airborne indefinitely.
Trump’s deal involved a fixed price of $3.9 billion, leaving Boeing to foot the bill for any design changes or ballooning costs.
‘Air Force One I’m just going to call a very unique moment, a very unique negotiation, a very unique set of risks that Boeing probably should not have taken,’ Calhoun said, ‘but we are where we are, and we’re going to deliver great airplanes.’
Because the presidential plane always needs a backup, there are two.
The business had previously stated that the endeavor to convert two 747 airliners had cost $660 million.
The presidential plane is equipped with confidential communication equipment that allows the president to maintain continual contact with the outside world, as well as unique facilities such as a surgery suite.
The plane features its own retractable stairways for the rear and front entrances, unlike a standard 747. It also has its own baggage loader, allowing it to be completely self-contained if necessary.
It also has an in-flight refueling system that gives it the ability to stay up in the air indefinitely.
Trump’s deal involved a fixed price of $3.9 billion, leaving Boeing to foot the bill for any design changes or ballooning costs.
‘Air Force One I’m just going to call a very unique moment, a very unique negotiation, a very unique set of risks that Boeing probably should not have taken,’ Calhoun said, ‘but we are where we are, and we’re going to deliver great airplanes.’
Trump was quite interested in the blueprints for the new presidential plane, even though it won’t be ready until 2024, so he won’t be able to use it.
A model of the new design sat on the coffee table near the fireplace in the Oval Office, where he frequently showed it off to visitors.
The two 747s are being repaired in San Antonio, Texas.
During John F. Kennedy’s presidency, industrial designer Raymond Loewy collaborated with first lady Jackie Kennedy on a sky blue and cyan pattern for Air Force One.
When the reconfigured Boeing 747-200 jets that President Biden flies were put into service in 1990, that design remained.
‘Air Force One’ isn’t really a specific plane. It’s the radio call sign of any aircraft the President of the United States is aboard.
But the name has become shorthand of the specific jumbo jet that attracts attention and photographers wherever it lands.
Soon after taking office, Trump publicly criticized ‘out of control’ costs of Boeing’s then deal to build a new presidential plane.
‘Cancel order,’ he tweeted.
The result was that Dennis Muilenburg, then Boeing CEO, personally negotiated terms with the president at the White House and at Trump’s Florida resort of Mar-a-Lago.
Trump trumpeted the fixed-price agreement in 2018.
‘Boeing gave us a good deal,’ he said. ‘And we were able to take that.’
Boeing also spoke favorably about the deal at the time.
‘Boeing is proud to build the next generation of Air Force One, providing American presidents with a flying White House at outstanding value to taxpayers,’ the company tweeted.
‘President Trump negotiated a good deal on behalf of the American people.’
But last year Boeing sued a subcontractor that it blamed for delays.
In April, Boeing officials said the pandemic and supply-chain issues have also slowed the work.
Boeing promised to deliver the planes by December 2024.
The company said the new Air Force Ones will be based on its 747-8 series.
And Calhoun said he did not want any more fixed-price contracts.
Since the 1940s, seven different plane types have been specifically designed to carry the American president.