VIP Plane spotted at Bert Mooney Airport
Did anyone see the large, official-looking plane on the tarmac at Butte's Bert Mooney Airport? Okay, by international airport standards it's pretty run-of-the-mill as far as size goes but still any time a plane of it's size is parked, it is clearly noticeable. Especially when it's marking read "United States of America." Remember last year when Vice President Vance flew into town? That plane was even bigger than the one we saw on Sunday.
The plane above, the one used by the Vice President, is an Air Force variant of Boeing's 757 model. The 757 was rolled out in the mid 1980s and is said by pilots to be one of the finest flying machines you can fly. The 757 is a twin-engine, long-range, narrow body airliner meaning it is used for long-distance routes and has a single aisle, at least when used for civil transport. The plane that landed at Bert Mooney is also a narrow body but it's a little bit smaller and a little bit more familiar-looking.
This plane, while also a narrow-body twin-engine model is a variant of Boeing's 737, the workhorse of the Boeing fleet since it was rolled out in the 1960s. While the models in use today are mostly late models, including the 737-MAX, those who have been in town since Western Airlines was still flying, early models used to routinely fly in and out of Butte. But since their merger with Delta in the 1980s, a plane as big as a 737 has been a rare sight.
We could find no serial numbers on the plane which makes it a bit of a mystery, but whatever VIP made it into town we hope their trip was enjoyable.
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