Air Force One Replacement

jordane93 said:
I would love to see the cabin when its complete
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I would love to see an end to the attempts to elevate the president to pseudo-royalty. A BBJ with the necessary communications package can get him anywhere he needs to go.
 
weilke said:
I would love to see an end to the attempts to elevate the president to pseudo-royalty. A BBJ with the necessary communications package can get him anywhere he needs to go.
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You do know that there's a fleet of executive aircraft that the President rides in, don't you?

Air Force One is the designator that's used for the plane the President flys in. When Nixon resigned & Ford was sworn in, the aircraft callsign was changed mid-flight....
 
wsuffa said:
You do know that there's a fleet of executive aircraft that the President rides in, don't you?
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I have toured the facility at Andrews and one of the current transports.
 
weilke said:
I have toured the facility at Andrews and one of the current transports.
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I always loved the fact that LBJ used a King Air and a JetStar on occasion... designated as AF1.
 
wsuffa said:
I always loved the fact that LBJ used a King Air and a JetStar on occasion... designated as AF1.
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Obama has flown around in a few Gulfstreams which get the AF1 designation.
 
Is it even needed? I suspect the existing airframe is pretty low hours compared to airline abuse. Just more handouts to the bloated military industrial complex I guess.
 
Getonit said:
Is it even needed? I suspect the existing airframe is pretty low hours compared to airline abuse. Just more handouts to the bloated military industrial complex I guess.
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They don't care... it ain't their money so they will buy the most expensive plane out there, In fact, they will buy at least TWO of them.....

What's a couple a billion....:dunno:...:mad2::mad2::mad2:
 
N801BH said:
They don't care... it ain't their money so they will buy the most expensive plane out there, In fact, they will buy at least TWO of them.....

What's a couple a billion....:dunno:...:mad2::mad2::mad2:
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Yep. The world's worst debtor nation flying its king around in a palace.

It's embarrassing. :nonod:
 
What gets me is when they stick the Marine helos into C-5s and fly them across the country or the world for him. Figure 3 helos at least, 3 C-5s, 3 helo crews, 3 C-5 crews, maintenance crew for the helos... the list goes on and on...
 
Getonit said:
Is it even needed? I suspect the existing airframe is pretty low hours compared to airline abuse. Just more handouts to the bloated military industrial complex I guess.
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The VC-25s are basically 747-200s. As that type is for the most part withdrawn from commercial service, they are starting to turn into 'one ofs' with limited parts support. When Boeing stopped supporting them, the government bought up whatever stocks of parts Boeing still had. They are starting to be like a 25 year old volunteer fire department truck with 20,000 miles on the odometer yet obsolete in many ways. If you walk through the thing, it's like you are beamed back into the 80s. Sure, you can replace the carpet and refurbish the panels, but in the end you are still in a 80s era 747.

Transporting the boss in a pair or three of BBJs wouldn't be any less safe than concentrating everything in one target. There is no reason whatsoever to fly around journalists and junior staff in this kind of highly specialized plane. Any number of of companies that provide charters to the military could get the journalists and junior staff to wherever the president has to go.

The fustercluck of the 'presidential helicopter' project causes me to doubt that DoD is structurally capable to turn the 747-800 into anything that can leave the ground for less than 1 billion a piece. With the helicopter, there is at least an argument that the design pushes the envelope and that there will be spinoffs for other military branches and possibly the civilian sector, no such argument exists for the 747-800.
 
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I'd be thrilled if they reconditioned an old goony bird and flew all the big shots around that way.

Be kind of fun and appropriate.

For the current occupant, I'd suggest a c-150.
 
Florida Cracker said:
I'd be thrilled if they reconditioned an old goony bird and flew all the big shots around that way.

Be kind of fun and appropriate.

For the current occupant, I'd suggest a c-150.
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With water in the fuel tanks, bad rod and main bearings and loose control cables...

Oh yeah... let's throw in cracked prop bolts too...:D
 
Hey if you're going to blow the money taken from working US citizens, go big right?

I'd rather see him in some armored bus that meets his expmissions requirments.
 
N801BH said:
With water in the fuel tanks, bad rod and main bearings and loose control cables...

Oh yeah... let's throw in cracked prop bolts too...:D
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You have no concern for the pilot?
 
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Florida Cracker said:
I'd be thrilled if they reconditioned an old goony bird and flew all the big shots around that way.

Be kind of fun and appropriate.

For the current occupant, I'd suggest a c-150.
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Doesn't have the useful load for his ego, let alone him.
 
weilke said:
The fustercluck of the 'presidential helicopter' project causes me to doubt that DoD is structurally capable to turn the 747-800 into anything that can leave the ground for less than 1 billion a piece. With the helicopter, there is at least an argument that the design pushes the envelope and that there will be spinoffs for other military branches and possibly the civilian sector, no such argument exists for the 747-800.
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The helicopter project was a real mess, no question.
 
weilke said:
The VC-25s are basically 747-200s. As that type is for the most part withdrawn from commercial service, they are starting to turn into 'one ofs' with limited parts support. When Boeing stopped supporting them, the government bought up whatever stocks of parts Boeing still had. They are starting to be like a 25 year old volunteer fire department truck with 20,000 miles on the odometer yet obsolete in many ways. If you walk through the thing, it's like you are beamed back into the 80s. Sure, you can replace the carpet and refurbish the panels, but in the end you are still in a 80s era 747.
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And choosing this platform just guarantees they'll be looking for another one in 7 years. The current AF-1 was a quantum leap ahead of the 707's, which couldn't make it from DC to Hawaii without a refueling stop. The VC-25s have unlimited range and endurance with inflight refueling, and room for all the important personnel. It seems the 747-8 is mainly just "bigger" and "newer."
 
Why all the luxury for Da Prez? Put him and whoever else in a C-130, or even in one of the C-5s. If the troops can ride in them, so can the CiC.
 
jesse said:
Obama has flown around in a few Gulfstreams which get the AF1 designation.
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Didn't Bush fly into Iraq and they pretended the 747 was a Gulfstream as far as all the radio traffic was concerned.
 
weilke said:
Sure, you can replace the carpet and refurbish the panels, but in the end you are still in a 80s era 747.
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According to wiki, the last -200 rolled off the line 23 years ago.
 
Bill Jennings said:
According to wiki, the last -200 rolled off the line 23 years ago.
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The two current planes were built in the late 80s, at the tail end of the -200 series. The AF wanted the tried and true 'classic' planes and not the brand new -400 that came out right around the same time.
 
Not a fan of the current administration but you guys that are jumping on them about the replacement do realize that this administration will be gone before the plane is delivered, right?
 
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