Boeing to take more than a decade to refit two 747s for Air Force One
Utter incompetence: According to recent news reports, Boeing will not be able to deliver the two 747s it is refitting to be the president’s Air Force One fleet until 2029, even though it signed a $3.9 billion contract to do so in 2018.
The delay is startling given that Boeing isn’t building the planes from scratch. During Trump’s first term, Boeing started to overhaul two 747s that were built for a Russian airline that never took the jets.
This is more than absurd, it is obscene. Boeing is handed two flightworthy 747s and almost $4 billion, and it can’t refit the two planes in less than a decade? It seems one of the first things Trump should do once he returns to office next month is cancel this contract entirely, demand a refund from Boeing, and simply convert his present fleet of “Trump Force One” airplanes that he has been using since 2020 for use as president. Cheaper, faster, and certainly a wiser use of taxpayer money.
As for Boeing, this story illustrates once again how far this company has fallen. Remember, it was Boeing that conceived, designed, and built the 747. Moreover, its 747 has been used for decades for Air Force One. For its engineers now to be incapable to refitting another two 747s for this purpose seems inconceivable, and suggests those same engineers should not be trusted on any new planes they build.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The print edition can be purchased at Amazon. from any other book seller, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit.
The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
Utter incompetence: According to recent news reports, Boeing will not be able to deliver the two 747s it is refitting to be the president’s Air Force One fleet until 2029, even though it signed a $3.9 billion contract to do so in 2018.
The delay is startling given that Boeing isn’t building the planes from scratch. During Trump’s first term, Boeing started to overhaul two 747s that were built for a Russian airline that never took the jets.
This is more than absurd, it is obscene. Boeing is handed two flightworthy 747s and almost $4 billion, and it can’t refit the two planes in less than a decade? It seems one of the first things Trump should do once he returns to office next month is cancel this contract entirely, demand a refund from Boeing, and simply convert his present fleet of “Trump Force One” airplanes that he has been using since 2020 for use as president. Cheaper, faster, and certainly a wiser use of taxpayer money.
As for Boeing, this story illustrates once again how far this company has fallen. Remember, it was Boeing that conceived, designed, and built the 747. Moreover, its 747 has been used for decades for Air Force One. For its engineers now to be incapable to refitting another two 747s for this purpose seems inconceivable, and suggests those same engineers should not be trusted on any new planes they build.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The print edition can be purchased at Amazon. from any other book seller, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
I think these later ones were supposed to have more composites—so I don’t like that either.
The suits killed 747 anyway…sigh.
The 747-8’s they are converting have little in common with the old 747’s used now. Also, to be used as air force one, the plane needs all kinds of stuff like midair refueling capability. This is in addition to the specialized cabin and communications equipment. The planes need some electromagnetic pulse protection. Air force one is a military command post in a sense.. It is a momumental job, and may be even harder in a civilian plane with modern avionics. There are no economies of scale…the cost cannot be spread over many planes. It is not worth it to do this to an airplane that already has a lot of wear on it…such as Trump’s plane.
However, Boeing has been good at this sort of thing in the past. It is hard, but it is doable. There are many civilian airliner derived military planes out there. The Air Force has huge fleets of them. Boeing was reputed to do a good job on the P-8 (based on the 737) but really screwed up the KC-46(based on the 767). Of course, Boeing has screwed up a lot in the past couple decades. The usual reason I have heard is that when Boeing bought out Mcdonald Douglas, the old Mcdonald Douglas management essentially took over Boeing and slowly drove it to the ground.
Cloudy wrote, “the plane needs all kinds of stuff like midair refueling capability. This is in addition to the specialized cabin and communications equipment. The planes need some electromagnetic pulse protection.”
I disagree, especially with refueling. This is merely gold-plating to justify a big government project. The president does not need that much extra, not in my opinion. The biggest and most important thing they can do is simply never have the VP on the plane with him.
And if you disagree, look at the picture here, of Abraham Lincoln giving his second inaugural address, in the middle of the Civil War., only miles from the Virginia border of the Confederacy.
Americans once treated their presidents as normal people. And Americans and their presidents were once not so afraid to do so.
Its not that hard.
Many other countries do the very same thing. Many. Boeing has done it a dozen times.
As for a flying command post. It just needs several forms of communication. That is all. Presidents do not directly command any troops. They do it all through each branches commanders. Its not some video game.
This is just sandbagging the job.
Robert.
Washington used to answer the door to his own home when he was receiving dignitaries.
Lincoln actually admitted a gun manufacturer into his office with loaded weapons and then went out on the lawn to test them before accepting an order/contract for the army. Even he didn’t have armed guards inside the building. People just wanked in and talked to him right off the streets.
JFK handled the Cuban Missile Crisis with nothing but a couple phones.
Robert—are you really stooping down to use a photo from the Civil War as if it is in any way applicable to this issue? Really?
For some reason—people mistake powdered wigs for halos—and such wigs were dated by Lincoln’s day—and telegraphy was his cutting edge secret weapon at the time.
If we must look to the past—then it is Looking Glass that should be our guide:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Looking_Glass
In-flight refueling is vital in an emergency…though Triton might have been even better
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Triton_(SSRN-586)
Air Force One and Putin’s ride compared:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=faVAJm7G2Gc
I don’t mean to be ugly—but it sounds silly to think refueling massive amounts of cryogenics into Starship is a cinch—but in-flight re-fueling of kerosene into planes is “gold plating”
I would have to agree with Jeff. Get a couple of E2’s and change the accommodations to make them more comfortable. There is no reason to spend that much time and money on two 747’s.
Also have the benefit of scaring the living daylights out of everyone when they here that the President is arriving on a Doomsday plane.