Who knew the politics of aircraft paint could be so dramatic? In an announcement Friday, the secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs detailed President Joe Biden’s new creative vision for Air Force One. The announcement placed an emphasis on how Biden’s design is “modernizing” the iconic aircraft “for the 21st century,” replacing the colors former President Donald Trump had planned with “deeper, more modern” hues. The announcement noted Biden will remove the planned red, white, and blue “preferred livery in 2019”—a sly way to keep Trump’s name out of the announcement—which contained a dark blue shade that would require additional Federal Aviation Commission qualification testing due to its ability to add heat to the aircraft.
