As my plane taxied to the gate after a recent flight to Chicago, I noticed something really odd: The American flag on a nearby aircraft heading to the runway was painted backward. Then I started spotting the same thing everywhere—flags with the stars on the right instead of the left. Even more confusing, some planes had the flag displayed in its typical orientation, with stars in the upper left and stripes flowing to the right.
I figured it couldn’t be a careless mistake, but I couldn’t quite figure out the reason for the flip or the lack of consistency between planes. So I turned to Corry Lane, the director of safety at Nevada-based Cirrus Aviation Services, who’s well versed in industry regulations and best practices, to get to the bottom of this mystery. Read on to find out why some airplane flags fly in reverse.
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Do all planes have flags on them?
While I spotted quite a few flags, not every aircraft had one—and that’s perfectly normal, according to Lane. “Some private jets and commercial aircraft may include flags, but it’s not a universal practice,” he says, explaining that airlines often prioritize logos and branding over national symbols. In some cases, however, national identity and pride play a pivotal central role in an airline’s approach, often taking shape through the incorporation of a flag in the design. (Think: British Airways’s Union Jack.)
While the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) does not require a painted flag on a plane, it does require that countries assign nationality and registration marks to identify an aircraft’s origin. Like license plates for planes, these codes show where an aircraft is registered. For example, a plane from the U.S. might forgo the stars and stripes, but it must display “N” as its aircraft nationality prefix, followed by a sequence of numbers and sometimes a letter that the FAA assigns.
Where will you generally find these flags on planes?
When aircraft do feature a flag, its location can vary. “U.S. private jets typically display the flag on the tail section,” Lane says. “Many commercial and military aircraft feature flags near the cockpit or on the side of the fuselage, often near the airline’s logo or registration number.”
Though less common, flags may also appear on wings—especially on military planes—or near the nose of certain government or VIP aircraft for formal or diplomatic representation. This, says Lane, “is for visibility of the flag and national representation.”
Why are flags often backward?
Title 4 of the United States Code, also known as the U.S. Flag Code, established advisory guidelines for how the American flag should be handled and displayed. While not mandatory, the code includes specific recommendations for flags on vehicles. According to Lane, the code “states that when the flag is displayed on a moving vehicle—like an airplane—it should appear as though it’s flying in the wind as the vehicle moves forward.”
That means on the right side (starboard) of a plane, the U.S. flag appears reversed, with the stars on the right and the stripes “blowing” to the left, mimicking forward motion. On the left side (port), the flag is displayed in its usual orientation, also appearing to stream in the wind as the plane moves ahead.
When did this start, and why?
In an effort to standardize flag etiquette, the American Legion and other organizations first drafted guidelines for displaying the American flag over a century ago, in June 1923. In the years following World War I, there was growing concern over the flag’s misuse and commercialization, along with a strong push to promote national unity and respect for the country’s most recognized symbol. The resulting U.S. Flag Code was initially a set of voluntary recommendations. But with America’s entry into World War II, Congress codified the code into law in 1942.
Over the years, there have been periodic efforts to expand or enforce the Flag Code, but the Supreme Court has ruled that flag etiquette is symbolic and protected under the First Amendment’s free-speech provisions. The code’s primary focus remains on how individuals, military personnel and government entities display the flag—not on its use by the aviation industry, which is governed by separate standards and regulatory bodies.
Where else will you find this sort of backward flag?
Military personnel, firefighters, law-enforcement officials and members of patriotic organizations often wear flag patches on their uniforms. And just like flags displayed on aircraft, orientation matters. When worn on the left sleeve, the flag’s stripes should trail to the right. On the right sleeve, the flag is reversed, mirroring how it’s displayed on the starboard side of a plane, for the same symbolic reason.
Citing the U.S. Flag Code, the U.S. Army Institute of Heraldry gets even more detailed on exactly how the flag should be displayed on soldiers’ uniforms in field environments, right down to its size—2 inches by 3 inches—and precise placement. The U.S. embroidered flag insignia must be either full color or subdued and affixed “on the right shoulder pocket flap of utility uniforms and cold-weather jackets,” as well as “placed directly on top of the hook-and-loop-faced pad already provided on the uniforms’ shoulder pocket flap.” Because it’s worn on the right, the flag must follow the Flag Code’s guidance that “the star field faces forward,” which makes it appear reversed.
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Sources:
- Corry Lane, director of safety at Cirrus Aviation Services; email interview, June 2025
- ICAO: “Nationality Marks”
- American Legion: “United States Flag Code”
- Smithsonian National Museum of American History: “Flag Rules and Rituals”
- U.S. Army Institute of Heraldry: “U.S. Flag Etiquette”
- United States Courts: “Texas v. Johnson“
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