We are independent & ad-supported. We may earn a commission for purchases made through our links.

Advertiser Disclosure

Our website is an independent, advertising-supported platform. We provide our content free of charge to our readers, and to keep it that way, we rely on revenue generated through advertisements and affiliate partnerships. This means that when you click on certain links on our site and make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Learn more.

How We Make Money

We sustain our operations through affiliate commissions and advertising. If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, we may receive a commission from the merchant at no additional cost to you. We also display advertisements on our website, which help generate revenue to support our work and keep our content free for readers. Our editorial team operates independently from our advertising and affiliate partnerships to ensure that our content remains unbiased and focused on providing you with the best information and recommendations based on thorough research and honest evaluations. To remain transparent, we’ve provided a list of our current affiliate partners here.

What is the Pope's Aircraft Called?

Any vehicle carrying the U.S. president usually has the word "one" tacked onto it, including everything from the famous Air Force One to the lesser-known Coast Guard One and Cadillac One. Picking up on the "one" theme, planes carrying the Pope are called Shepherd One.

More about official transport:

  • Many other countries use the "one" terminology for their heads of states' transport, too, including Brazil with Força Aérea One, Air India One and Presidential Bord One in Kazakhstan.

  • Not all heads of state travel on official aircraft, however. Top-ranking officials from Singapore, Norway and the United Kingdom all use normal commercial flights.

  • One of the most extreme government planes was used by Mobutu Sese Seko, the former president of Zaire, now known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In the 1970s and '80s, he rented a supersonic Concorde jet for his personal use as well as for shuttling his family to Europe for shopping trips.

Related Articles

Discussion Comments

WiseGEEK, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.

WiseGEEK, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.