Iowa Gov. Reynolds utilizing COVID-relief aircraft for journey, data present

DES MOINES, Iowa (Des Moines Register) – Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has been touring to occasions utilizing a state aircraft bought with COVID-19 aid funds, a observe her predecessor publicly opposed as a poor use of public funds.

The Iowa Department of Public Safety added “executive transport” to its Air Wing’s duties after buying the Cessna 208B Grand Caravan in December 2024 — the primary time in 18 years that government journey appeared within the company’s annual report.

Plane buy and price

The division bought the Grand Caravan from Oregon-based Integrated Surveillance and Defense. State data present the division made two separate $2.3 million funds to the corporate — one in September 2024 and one other in December 2024 — totaling $4.6 million. The Register studies it’s unclear whether or not these funds lined two plane or solely the Grand Caravan. State Patrol Capt. Michael Kober signed the invoice of sale.

The aircraft was justified in state data as vital for regulation enforcement operations, together with aerial searches for lacking individuals, finding fugitives, surveillance throughout prison investigations, and documenting crime scenes. Flying the aircraft prices roughly $830 an hour, in accordance with Aviacost, a aircraft operation monitoring platform.

Reynolds’ workplace confirms use

Heather Nahas, a spokesperson for Reynolds, confirmed the governor has been utilizing a state-owned aircraft for official journey.

“Gov. Reynolds travels the state extensively for official business, sometimes by air in an Iowa State Patrol plane,” Nahas stated in an e-mail to the Register. “It is only used by the governor for official purposes.”

Nahas didn’t make clear which of the State Patrol’s six planes Reynolds makes use of or reply a number of questions in regards to the aircraft’s value and use.

Flight data align with governor’s schedule

According to knowledge from a flight monitoring service, pilots flew the Grand Caravan 137 occasions between February 25, 2025, and February 19, 2026. Each roundtrip is counted as two flights in that knowledge. Multiple journeys align with Reynolds’ public appearances, in accordance with the Register.

On September 25, 2025, the aircraft left Ankeny at 9:20 a.m. and landed in Waterloo about half-hour later. Reynolds attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony in Waterloo that began at 10:00 a.m. The aircraft then left Waterloo at 12:45 p.m. and landed in Davenport about 45 minutes later. Reynolds attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony in Bettendorf at 3:45 p.m. The aircraft left Davenport for Ankeny about an hour after that.

On January 29, a pilot flew the aircraft from Ankeny to Sioux City at 12:20 p.m. and returned at 9:00 p.m. Reynolds visited houses constructed by native profession academy college students and later endorsed U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson in her U.S. Senate race at a 5:30 p.m. occasion on the Orpheum Theatre.

On February 15, Reynolds traveled to the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls to tour the campus and attend a 2:00 p.m. males’s basketball recreation in opposition to Drake University. The Grand Caravan flew from Ankeny at 10:00 a.m. and arrived in Waterloo in 31 minutes. Just earlier than 4:30 p.m., the aircraft left Waterloo and returned to Ankeny.

Contrast with predecessor

The observe marks a departure from the method of former Gov. Terry Branstad, whom Reynolds served beneath as lieutenant governor. In 2016, Branstad informed the Register he opposed utilizing state planes to move public officers.

“We drive a lot more than we fly these days,” Branstad stated. “That takes more time, but I think it is saving the taxpayers money, and I have always been very careful and very frugal.”

Des Moines Register archives present Branstad took 100 recorded journeys on an Iowa DOT aircraft in 1983 throughout his first time period. About one-fourth of these journeys have been for Republican Party political capabilities, and he additionally introduced his spouse and youngsters alongside on some flights. Branstad stated his marketing campaign committee paid for flights to political occasions.

“The job is a political job,” Branstad stated on the time. “And you can’t separate it totally.”

Iowa regulation restricts using state-owned plane for official enterprise.

Copyright 2026 Des Moines Register. All rights reserved.