Alaska Airlines’ “Spirit of the Islands” logojet is painted and unveiled

Alaska Airlines (Seattle) today (June 3) officially unveiled this colorful “Spirit of the Islands” logojet. The pictured Boeing 737-890 N560AS (msn 35179) is a special salute to the state of Hawaii. The airline issued this statement:

A specially painted Alaska Airlines jet adorned with a Honolulu high school student’s winning design honoring the culture of the Aloha State touched down today in Honolulu before a crowd of students, educators and travelers. The unique paint theme, dubbed the “Spirit of the Islands,” was created by 17-year-old Aaron Nee.

Winning designer Aaron Nee sees N560AS for the first time at Honolulu.

Nee’s design was selected from among more than 2,700 submissions by students across the Hawaiian Islands in a statewide “Paint-the-Plane” contest sponsored by Alaska Airlines, in partnership with the Hawaii State Department of Education and Hawaii Association of Independent Schools. A 10-member judging panel, comprised of Hawaii artists, educators and other local community members, carefully scored and selected the three top designs, which were then voted on by Hawaii residents in an online public vote.

As the grand prize winner, Nee received a trip for four to any of the carrier’s destinations and a $5,000 scholarship.

“This has been an incredible opportunity to share Hawaii’s beauty with people throughout the country,” said Nee. “This contest helped me to sharpen my graphic design skills and demonstrated that with hard work, attention to detail and determination, great things are possible.”

Nee’s winning design displays a voyaging canoe depicting the cultural diversity of the Islands, a bright yellow hibiscus (the state flower), the Hawaiian Island chain and the phrase “Spirit of the Islands.”

The soon-to-be Kaiser High School senior is a nearly straight-A student and a decorated member of the school’s Air Force ROTC program. Known for his artistic ability and interest in graphic design and athletics, Nee said he plans to invest his $5,000 for college and take his family to visit relatives in New York, where he hopes to see snow for the first time.

The “Spirit of the Islands” Boeing 737-800 was revealed to Nee at Honolulu International Airport on June 3, where he was joined by his parents, Robin and Mitch Connell, and father Aaron Garrett Nee, as well as Hawaii Lt. Gov. Shan Tsutsui, Hawaii Tourism Authority President and CEO Mike McCartney, Kaiser High School Principal John Sosa and several of Nee’s teachers. Also joining the welcoming ceremony were the 12 finalists and honorable mention winners, who received prizes and scholarships for their entries, as well.

Izabela Hamilton, a 12th grader at Seabury Hall on the island of Maui, placed second for her design featuring a male and female hula dancer against a backdrop of ocean waves and windswept mountain cliffs. Sophia Cleek, a sixth grader at Kapolei Middle School on Oahu, placed third for her design depicting a voyaging canoe sailing around the Islands. Hamilton and Cleek will each receive a trip for four to any Alaska Airlines destination and a $1,000 scholarship. The 10 other honorable mention winners were awarded a $1,000 scholarship each.

“Spirit of the Islands” trivia

The 129-foot-long Boeing 737-800 has a wingspan of 117 feet and a cruising speed of 530 mph.
A crew of 18 worked around the clock for 24 days at Aviation Technical Services in Everett, Wash., to paint the plane, which required 26 colors and about 140 gallons of paint, including 20 gallons of primer. In addition, 28,800 yards of masking tape were used.
The plane accommodates 157 passengers and six crew members.

The aircraft will fly throughout most of Alaska Airlines’ network, connecting destinations from Hawaii to San Diego and from Anchorage as far south as Mexico.

The “Spirit of the Islands” contest is the third time Alaska Airlines has turned to the public to paint a plane. The Spirit of Alaska Statehood aircraft paint scheme was created by a 16-year-old Sitka student in a similar statewide contest celebrating Alaska’s 50-year anniversary of statehood. In 2011, two soccer fans designed the MLS Portland “Timbers Jet” to celebrate the airline’s jersey sponsorship of the Portland, Ore., soccer team.

What does it take to paint an aircraft like this? Here is a previous video on the painting of “Salmon-Thirty-Salmon II“: