Patrick Johnson 
It’s hard to believe that Nike started as a DIY company selling shoes out of the back of a van at running events. Those origins are even harder to believe when you look at photos of their private Air Force fleet, one of the most advanced corporate-owned private aviation centers in the world. Created to help Nike fly key people within its company around the globe at any given time, two private hangars take up a corner of Hillsboro Airport. The freshly created Ochoco Private Hangar and 2002’s Nike Air Hangar 1 (the name is a nice homage to the Bruce Kilgore’s classic 3 8 blue air hose model) each house a number of Gulfstream jets. The structures are as impressive as the private fleet, as modern architecture gives way to gigantic posters of some of Nike’s most notable athletes. A private lounge even hosts exclusive memorabilia including Back to the Future’s Nike Mag.
A decade after the creation of the Nike Air Hangar 1, Nike’s co-founder Phil Knight built a hangar of his own, the Ochoco Private Hangar. The 30,000 square foot facility houses two private jets, each painted with liquid metal technology in an aesthetic that matches the Oregon Duck’s football helmets. One of the fleet even sports a tail number of N3546. Those numbers spell out EKIN on a phone keypad, and was selected in a nod to Nike’s most dedicated team members. Check out a few photos of Nike’s private fleet below and give the whole article a read here.
Source: Flight Club
