On the basis that they’re getting quite old, but beyond that we have to speculate a bit, given how little the public knows about the components inside them. The current two planes are 30 years old.
7 Likes
And 30 years old is long in the tooth for a passenger jet. Doubly so for one with important passengers.
5 Likes
Apparently it costs something like $230K an hour to fly.
The current ones are 747-200s from 1987. Even if they don’t have a lot of miles on the clock, they’ll still be hitting life limits and mandatory overhauls and inspections all over the place, spare parts are a pain in the arse to source…
4 Likes
I have to admit the idea of Batman pulling a “Skyhook” maneuver on a terrified Trump sounds pretty fun.
3 Likes
These facts have no place in a rant about “fiscal conservatism” and you know it! 
3 Likes
But jetliners are flown day in and day out. Many of them spend as much time in the air as on the ground. Air force 1 OTOH has a use cycle more like B-52s, and the NEWEST B-52 was manufactured in 1963. But essentially the $170m is to figure out whether it makes economic sense to get new AF-1s or just freshen up the old ones.
Got a cite for its use/nonuse?
The other concern is that commercial jetliners also have the ability to be taken out of rotation more easily for repairs and maintenance. There’s not a lot of easy swaps that can be made for safety and convenience here.
2 Likes
Let’s get real for a minute. You just know that there was some exchange along these lines:
Trump: Is this shitty airplane really the best they can do? The interior hardly even has any gold in it.
Aide: Well, there is a program in the works to design and build the next generation of Presidential airplanes…
Trump: Great! Don’t forget to make sure they include a hot tub this time!
Aide: …but they won’t be finished designing, building and flight-testing until after your term is up.
Trump: CANCEL THE PROGRAM.
15 Likes
Here’s the thing:
Airplanes have a limited lifespan. The 747 is designed to last 30 years. So why not buy a new copy of the original? You can’t.
The VC-25A is based on the 747-200B, which was discontinued in 1991. And all of the customizations are specific to the 747-200B.
Thus, the entire design process has to begin again.
Personally, I wouldn’t mind if Donald Trump couldn’t function as President while flying around, but the idea of the plane was that the country would be better run with a flying white house.
7 Likes
I read that as Futon Recovery System and was very curious how a couch or mattress was going to play into this.
Oh, well.
1 Like
Guess being a whiny arsehole on twitter works for some people.
(or at least, doesn’t hurt)
4 Likes
Tantrums win is the theme for 2016.
Also bribes.
5 Likes
I can imagine a lot parents having a really hard time explaining to their children why being a bully and throwing tantrums is bad right now in America. At some point you have to level with your six-year-old and say, “Look, I know this doesn’t sound like it makes sense, but we simply expect better from you than we do from the president.”
13 Likes
I had those conversations with my kids when they were little about a lot of other people they’re supposed to look up to (like grandparents), but you’re right: this is a new frontier.
8 Likes
This topic was automatically closed after 5 days. New replies are no longer allowed.
