Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has introduced a bill that would ban the use of foreign supplied aircraft for Air Force One. The bill would also prohibit the use of taxpayer funds to make modifications to those planes. The bill is aimed at killing a deal for Qatar to give the U.S. government a 13-year-old Boeing 747-8 to be converted into a replacement for the two VC-25s (both 35 years old) that are now at President Donald Trump's disposal. Qatar is disposing of the plane, often described as a "flying palace," because it bought a brand new 747-8i. The plan would involve giving the plane to the Air Force for conversion and when Trump leaves office to have the Air Force transfer it to his presidential library.
I wish all these moronic clowns would ride into the desert on a horse with no name. More drama, some extra drama for grandma, some for uncle Joe and a whole lot of news-dominating bullshit to keep the masses busy and with a spinning head.
Lovely three BR, two BA, with 2-car garage and pool, in affluent neighborhood, at a great price. Potential bug infestation, but trust us, we got them allâŚ
So, the plan is for the US to accept this âgiftâ airplane and then spend tremendous amounts of money hardening it for service as AF1 and then take it out of service in 2028 at which time some other AF1 will replace it.
Drain the swamp? Eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse? Uphold the Constitution? Sure, whatever they say.
A bill to ban the use (candidacy) of a foreign-owned airplane for AF1? The two airframes currently being modified for the job were originally purchased by a Russian airline, no?
(Orbis is a flying eye surgery hospital that visits cities to help people.
An episode of Mighty Planes covers it, including a maintenance challenge to diagnose and fix engine surge landing in India on its way to China.
A DC-10 at that time, probably replaced by an MD-11.)
The airframe was purchased by a Russian airline, but never delivered. The airline went bankrupt before the build was complete, so the airframe had never left the US. The Qatari royal family has been using the subject airframe for many years, and had stopped using it because of inefficiencies compared to their replacement. The security risk is likely real, even though the intererior and all systems will have to be converted to AFO operational specs, there will always a risk to security.
So now Schumer has an aeronautical engineering degree? All of us know on this forum that if they do get the plane, it will be field stripped and put back together again. If I remember correctly, Trump 45 originally proposed to buy 2 used 747âs to save money. This guy goes to great lengths to display his stupidity.
Great idea Tom, though it might be an expensive retrofit and the operating costs might be more than the charity can handle. It would be nice to see it though - they do amazing work.
Schumer is a hypocrite who only sees issues for their political ends. Even so, it is not likely possible to modify the Qatari aircraft to even reduced security requirements before the end of Trumpâs term, which would have been the whole point of the exercise. Trump is stuck with the existing aircraft until the government and Boeing finish the decade long process of modifying the two that are in the pipeline. Maybe a different government and a different contractor could have done it faster, but not these two.