The last time we saw a New England Patriots plane get this much fanfare was when it landed in Northern California after carrying the team to the Super Bowl, but on Friday the same plane with the six Lombardi Trophies on the tail was seen in the Middle East.
And this mission was wholly more important than carrying a team to a big game.
The plane was chartered by the United States Department of State to carry Americans stranded in the Middle East when the missiles and rockets started to fly at the start of Operation Epic Fury.
Yes, the Patriots plane was used to get civilians out of harm's way and land them safely in Washington, D.C.
And that seems cool because the red, white, and blue plane with "Patriots" emblazoned on its fuselage came to rescue Americans stuck on foreign soil.
Well done,New England Patriots.
When not in use by the team during the season, the Patriots' planes – yes, they have two – are operated by a charter company that uses the planes in their inventory of aircraft for various charter flights.
New England Patriots arrive on their private jet for Super Bowl LII at Minneapolis-St Paul International Airport on January 29, 2018. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The Patriots encourage the charter company to use the aircraft for missions like this one and other humanitarian and national interest type missions.
And, yes, there are occasions when Patriots owner Robert Kraft or his family use the planes for other humanitarian missions, but the majority of team plane sightings come from these type of charter services.
Source: The Latest & Most Breaking News With OutKick
