Specialized Air Force jet lands in Missoula

A specialized Air Force jet known for carrying top government officials landed in Missoula early Monday morning for a training mission, the U.S. Air Force confirmed to the Missoulian.

The plane, with the call sign Venus 71, left Missoula at approximately 12:30 p.m. on Monday afternoon. As of around 3 p.m. Monday, the plane was flying eastbound at approximately 35,000 feet near Chicago.

No temporary airspace restrictions were made when the flight landed in Missoula, meaning it's unlikely the president or the vice president were on board the flight that landed.

The plane that landed was identified as a Boeing C-32A, according to the airplane tracking website Flight Aware. It's the same plane model used for Air Force Two, which is technically a call sign used when the vice president is aboard the aircraft. No tail markings could be seen by the Missoulian while the plane landed.

The plane model provides "safe, comfortable and reliable transportation for U.S. leaders to locations around the world," according to the Air Force's website. "The primary customers are the vice president, using the distinctive call sign 'Air Force Two,' the first lady, and members of the Cabinet and Congress."

There are four Boeing C-32A planes in circulation, according to the Air Force.

U.S. Air Force spokesperson Rose Riley told the Missoulian Monday afternoon that the plane was not being used as Air Force Two, but instead for a specialized training mission.

Flight logs available through Flight Aware showed the plane stopped in several Mountain West airports like Denver, Colorado, Salt Lake City, Utah, and Boise, Idaho over the last two days.

Missoula Airport Director Brian Ellestad also told the Missoulian the plane is related to a training exercise by the Air Force, which he said the airport had been aware of since Friday.