While everyone likes a slick ride, maybe that time is in the past. How much internal volume does Airforce One need today? Might an Airbus 321 nicely outfitted do the job? In the end they’re all flying targets. All that glitters isn’t gold. Free gifts… that aren’t free.
All while average Americans hope the next few years will leave some of their 401K’s halfway functional. But props to the administration, for abruptly and artfully taking Big Chainsaw Elon out if the news. Not much to be heard from this genius…
I never quite understood why there has to be any Presidential plane to jet around the globe with. Physical presence is overrated.
Our European clowns travel extensively on taxpayers dime, while we navigate potholes with asphalt in between and wonder where to cross the water on horseback when the last of the bridges has collapsed of old age and rot…
Looking at this impartially, the “donation” of a Qatari 747-8 to be used as Air Force One is more than just a logistical swap. It’s a complex, politically charged move that raises serious constitutional, ethical, and strategic concerns, even if it doesn’t come with 24k gold toilets.
Well, it sure looks like a flying palace to me. I don’t (always) travel cheaply, but this is orders of magnitude more glittery and expensively chintzy than any suite that I’ve stayed in.
For anyone wondering, this is the last line from Article 1, Section 9 of the US Constitution:
“No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince or foreign State.”
In other words, Congress is the one that will have to approve the use of this 747-8 as a temporary replacement for the VC-25. The President can’t do that on his own.
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“The so-called “flying palace” that might become the new Air Force One is actually quite a lot less opulent than the nickname might suggest. To be sure, there are plenty of quality materials involved, but the 747-8 used by the Qatari royal family is far from the bejeweled sanctuary that has been conjured up in various media reports.”
Russ, I haven’t been inside the “flying palace” and neither have you. I did look at the photos in the link you provided. Your suggestion that the Qatari airplane is “luxurious but not opulent” is truly a distinction without a difference. What is the point of downplaying the quality of its interior? So what. Of all the odd things to focus on, quibbling whether the interior appointments are a 9.0 or a 9.5 on a 0-10 scale seems to monumentally miss the point.
Hold his beer… 
El Presidente will show us who makes the deals.
I (per se) would not want to sit in someones used toy and fart into a leather seat, some other Royal has already farted on…
“Qatar calls reports of pending jet gift to Trump ‘inaccurate’”
According to POLITICO it looks like Qatar is trying to distance itself from the growing backlash. The timing suggests they’re backpedaling to avoid getting pulled into the constitutional mess this so-called “donation” is stirring up.
And the Zone continues to be flooded.
Lets look at this $100,000,000 gift to replace a genuine AF1 USAF VC-25 Acft.
This is a fully equipped luxury business jet… for starters.
NO hardening… structural/mechanical/electrical/electronic/engines/etc…for nuclear warfare and ‘other air/ground threats’. IE: NO defensive/offensive countermeasures for electronic warfare or physical threats such as AAMs, SAMs, electronic attack, LASER attack, solar/interference, EMP, EMI , TREES, Ionizing radiation, etc. NO secure communications and military grade electronics for anything.
NO Air refueling system for extended range/duration flight.
NO Medical or long duration accommodations for crew and POTUS.
This is a unique configuration aircraft… engineering for everything takes time.
Decisions as to ‘what to include what to exclude’ and then ;'design arounds will take time… much-less build/install. The EXACT structural-interior-mechanical-electrical-etc configuration of the ‘Q’ jet may be unusable and may have to be completely removed/replaced/scrapped.
This unique aircraft will require the USAF to 'staff/spin-up, plan-for the logistics of a singular ‘white-house-elephant’ configuration. The ‘sucking sounds’ of USAF/systems-contractor/Boeing/engine-manufacturers/etc… resources and attention… will be deafening. NOT even the tires will be common to existing VC-25 747s.
And-so-on. This is the ‘corrupt gift’ that the USAF/USG/people could cringe about for decades. ‘Soo-sooolly’ that the aging/existing fully functional AF-1(s), 2-identical Acft)… ready to fly and fight… seem so beneath this egotistical short-sighted persona. In his mind and his observations and his calculations this is such an ‘easy thing’ to accomplish.
Mary Trump was so right about her arctic-ice uncle. Amen.
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Where is your national pride? Where is make America great again? The US is a world leader in aviation. Mr. President get off your duff, quit accepting gifts to pleasure yourself and get the American Aviation industry to do its job!
Yep, a very large and very soft target.
In order to satisfy the 20 character requirement, yes I am.
How stupid to even think for a moment about this as a viable option.
Mechanically and Legally impossible.
Empty of any ethical and moral dignity.
Crazy beyond belief 