For vice presidents of the United States, regular journeys across the nation and globe form a core part of their duties. They enjoy the benefit of traveling with notable comfort and advanced features.

During these trips, Vice President JD Vance uses a tailored C-32 aircraft that includes a sophisticated communications area, a conference space, and a dedicated private stateroom.

The aircraft spans 155 feet in length and offers a range of 5,500 nautical miles on a single refueling. When the vice president is aboard, the jet carries the call sign Air Force Two.

Presidents sometimes select C-32s for visits to smaller airfields that cannot handle the larger VC-25 models used as Air Force One. On a recent Monday, President Donald Trump flew on a C-32 that received a fresh coat of red, white, and blue paint matching his preferred style.

The following sections trace how the vice president's aircraft has evolved over time.

Any Air Force plane carrying the US vice president receives the Air Force Two designation.

Just as with the president on Air Force One, the Air Force Two label applies to whichever aircraft carries the vice president rather than a single fixed model.

Multiple aircraft types have filled this role across administrations, carrying vice presidents and their teams worldwide. The C-32, a military-modified Boeing 757-200, serves as the primary choice according to Air Force records.

The vice president generally avoids flying on Air Force One when the president is aboard.

Security protocols keep the president and vice president on separate flights as a standard precaution.

Presidents and vice presidents traditionally salute service members while boarding and leaving their aircraft.

Military personnel salute the president as commander in chief, and the same courtesy extends to vice presidents by custom.

Richard Nixon became the first vice president to make an official international jet trip, visiting the USSR in 1959.

Nixon, serving under President Dwight D. Eisenhower, used a Boeing VC-137A Stratoliner for that historic journey.

A DC-9 jet served as Air Force Two from the Ford administration starting in 1975 until 2005.

President Gerald Ford's vice president, Nelson Rockefeller, was the first to use this aircraft in that capacity.

The DC-9 offered a VIP cabin with 10 seats alongside a main cabin holding 32 first-class seats.

The jet moved to other units in 2005 under the Bush administration and retired in 2011 before later being offered at auction.

Vice President Al Gore added family photographs to personalize the VIP cabin.

Gore also refined his acceptance speech for the 2000 Democratic National Convention while traveling on the aircraft.

The cabin included a clock displaying multiple time zones.

The display showed the current time in Washington, DC, along with the local time at the destination.

The current C-32 model most often used by vice presidents entered service in 1998.

Each engine delivers 41,700 pounds of static thrust, and the wingspan reaches nearly 125 feet per Air Force specifications.

As vice president, Joe Biden displayed a world map in his Air Force Two workspace.

Biden logged more than one million miles aboard the aircraft during his tenure.

Mike Pence's staff marked his birthday aboard Air Force Two in 2017.

Team members added streamers and balloons to celebrate the occasion on the jet.

Kamala Harris also marked birthdays during flights on the plane.

In 2021, Harris shared cupcakes and led a rendition of Happy Birthday for her domestic policy advisor, Kate Childs Graham.

Air Force Two occasionally carries presidential and vice presidential spouses along with cabinet officials.

During the Biden years, second gentleman Doug Emhoff flew on the aircraft and was seen completing his March Madness bracket en route to Las Vegas in March 2021.

The rear section of Air Force Two holds 32 business-class seats reserved for members of the press.

Vice presidents and staff sometimes conduct informal briefings with reporters, known as press gaggles, while in flight.

The press section includes television screens for viewing cable news.

This area also provides a galley, two restrooms, and storage closets.

Vice President JD Vance has completed multiple international journeys on Air Force Two.

Through July 2026, Vance had made nine trips abroad, visiting France, Germany, Greenland, Vatican City, Italy, Israel, and India.

In September 2025, Air Force Two carried the casket of Charlie Kirk following his death.

Kirk had supported JD Vance's 2022 Senate campaign and advocated for his selection as vice president. He was fatally shot on September 10 during the first stop of his American Comeback Tour at Utah Valley University. Air Force Two transported his remains from Salt Lake City to Phoenix. The vice president assisted in loading the casket with service members, and Erika Kirk traveled with the Vances. Vance later described the moment in his memoir Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith, noting he had never witnessed such profound grief.

In July 2026, President Donald Trump flew on a C-32 featuring an updated paint scheme during a trip to Michigan.

On July 27, Trump visited General Motors' Milford Proving Ground. He used a C-32 repainted in red, white, and blue to align with the new VC-25B aircraft accepted as a gift. The updated design included a revised waving flag motif on the tail. After questions arose about the new jet's security following a July 8 NATO summit flight, Trump indicated the aircraft would undergo a month-long service period for full preparation.