Came in on the tail of this —
I swear I thought y’all were talking about LaMonica McIver. Seriously.
I’m not seeing how this is a good idea
- Thread starter Merlin99
- Start date
I swear I thought y’all were talking about LaMonica McIver. Seriously.
Not sure it is a good idea.
Seems like retrofitting and upgrading it would cost a LOT MORE. And Qatar is kind of on the bubble when it comes to allies we can fully trust.
What if he intends to use it sparingly knowing it’s bugged to spread disinformation? What if he only intends to use it around Middle East heads of state?
Sometimes he does some weird stuff and God only knows he brags beyond his ability to deliver - but he might be holding his cards close on this one.
LightRoasted
If I may ...
For your consideration ...
Well, and also, it is an American made airplane. Shouldn't be too difficult to perform any necessary upgrades.
Well, and also, it is an American made airplane. Shouldn't be too difficult to perform any necessary upgrades.
We’ve got two of them already that have been at Boeing for “upgrades” for year, what’s going to make this one move faster?
It’s supposed to be “donated” to his presidential library.
LightRoasted
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Two of them? There are only two now as it is. So what AF1 is Trump flying in now?
Two of them? There are only two now as it is. So what AF1 is Trump flying in now?
from Wiki
During his first presidency, Donald Trump renegotiated aspects of the contract with Boeing, and threatened to cancel the program if the overall cost exceeded $4 billion.[67] In an effort to cut costs, the Air Force contracted to purchase two completed but undelivered Transaero747-8 intercontinental aircraft from Boeing in 2017.[68][69]
The following year, Boeing struck a deal with Trump to adorn the new planes with a "patriotic color scheme" featuring a deep red stripe down the middle of the aircraft and a dark blue underbelly. Plagued by multiple delays, and the rising cost of the aircraft, this color scheme was scrapped, and a modernized version of the classic Air Force One design was made public in March 2023. The first VC-25B is scheduled to be delivered in 2027, while the second will come the following year.
Kinnakeet
Well-Known Member
The Plane was made in AMERICA in the state of Washington..Boeings plant and it would I assume be torn apart from top to bottom to look for any things that might be wrong.
LightRoasted
If I may ...
For your consideration ...
Ohhhh, the two new ones. I thought you were talking about the two current AF1's currently in use.
I would think it would be quicker to retrofit a completely finished plane rather than a plane still in the assembly phase.
Ohhhh, the two new ones. I thought you were talking about the two current AF1's currently in use.
I would think it would be quicker to retrofit a completely finished plane rather than a plane still in the assembly phase.
The ones with 4 years of building invested in the already, supposed to start delivery next year, and he want one that’s not going to be done before he gets out of office and then he’s planning on taking it with him for he presidential library. This is not a good idea and it probably won’t have a single work flight before it turns into monument to narcissism.
glhs837
Power with Control
Oh no. Much harder and more costly. If you need wiring harnesses run throughout the airframe, which AF most assuredly does, going int after the fact increases your cost considerably. Most military Boeing conversions get the most basic of finishing in Renton, just enough to fly 5 miles then get shuffled over to the Boeing Defense side up at Boeing Field for the rest.
When you get to placing sensors and antennas and other things that a commercial jet doesn't have, then you get out to the wings and other hard to wire places. Having an already built jet could double your man hour cost. Not to mention the engineering cost of figuring out how to fit those systems into an already built jet. Special windows for EMI blocking? More cost. EMP hardening? That affects virtually every part of the aircraft, some hard to reach after things are built.
Yep, but not the VC25B, that is taking place down in San Antonio, TX. And it seems it isn't going smoothly. The first was slated to be delivered in 2024, now its sometime in (or more likely later) 2027. The VC25A birds are almost 40 years in service and while probably getting better inspections and maintenance then the commercial 747 fleet, its time to get them replaced.
LightRoasted
If I may ...
For your consideration ...
A good video on the AF1 saga.
A good video on the AF1 saga.