The Farmer File: Memories of the ‘Zoo Plane,” part two

A recent column about the “zoo plane” that traditionally carries media people as they follow the president around the nation and the world sparked some vivid memories of those days.

The aircraft, dubbed the zoo plane for the frequent on board antics, is a shadow of its former self now, as media outlets rely more on “pool” coverage to save money. A small, rotating group of journalists provides sights and sounds of the president’s activities.

I reported on impressions of one of the zoo plane’s pilots, Dusty Rhodes of Marco Island. That prompted a former photographer in the White House press corps to share his recollections of many days and nights on the zoo plane. He is Jonathan Utz, now an executive with the Naples News Media Group. We enjoyed Mr. Utz’s memory lane of the zoo plane.

“Undoubtedly your pilot friend and I shared conversations in his cockpit during a few flights,” Utz wrote. “During my 18-plus year career with Agence France-Presse, I transferred to Washington from Miami to become the Chief Photographer for the Americas. From then on I covered the last two years of the Reagan presidency and all four years of H.W. Bush.

“I flew aboard the press charter on virtually every overseas trip the president made. There was plenty of unwinding and camaraderie on those flights. That’s because the time on the ground between flights was so demanding and exhaustive, particularly for pool photographers. Think about covering a president’s early morning jog or breakfast bi-lateral meeting and carrying on straight through the day’s busy schedule until the end of the night’s state dinner. There was pool movement after pool movement, magnetometers and dog-sniffing and of course a lot of hurry-up-and-wait.

“The press charter was a ‘quiet’ oasis on an otherwise fast-paced, action-packed coverage journey. Getting aboard that plane afforded the only time to catch your breath, get a good meal, and ready yourself for the next stop where you’d start it all over again.

“During flight, the cockpit crew usually allowed us to visit and sit in the jump seat. It was a fantastic opportunity to learn about their expertise, the Boeing 747 and our flight path. I’ll always remember sitting up there going over the North Pole en route from Korea to Andrews Air Force Base. We thought we’d make it non-stop, but a fuel leak required us to stop in Detroit for fuel and repair. Boy, was that a long trip home.

“Every final leg on the press charter had its boisterous moments, if only for a short time from wheels-up until after the meal. Then, more often than not, you could hear a pin drop in the darkened cabin as dead-tired journalists slept their way home from some distant land.

“Those trips were a highlight of my career, leaving me with many memories and souvenirs. One favorite reminder is a silver-plated memento box, a gift from the press charter flight crew. On the top cover of the box is the engraving: ‘The Trip of President Ronald Reagan to Helsinki, The Moscow Summit and London, May 25 – June 3, 1988.’ The engraving on the bottom of the box reads: ‘Compliments of Pan American World Airways.’”

Thanks, Mr. Utz.

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Don Farmer is a former ABC News correspondent and bureau chief and CNN news anchor. He can be reached at don@donfarmer.com.

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