The President visits Boeing:

Well since the SC employees just smacked down the union there is much to celebrate.

Sounds like Mar-a-Lago is the southern WH. Works for me.

 

Boeing Dreamliner = awesome.

 

The fact that Singapore, the first customer to get the 787/10 and an A350 operator is now going for the 777X really shows how good Boeing's are. The 777X will put the A380 out of production and may kill 747/8 production other than for cargo aircraft.

 

So no news about the new Air Force One..

 

Will not be built in South Carolina.

 

great news

 

Hello guys! Just saw on 'The Drive' site that the new AF One will not be able to refuel in midair. Is that good??

Link: http://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/14199/the-next-air-force-one-aircraft-will-not-be-able-to-refuel-in-midair?utm_source=spotim&utm_medium=spotim_recirculation&spotim_referrer=recirculation

 

Of course not... read the article.
Landing to refuel or transfer to another plane could be risky. Inability to loiter for very, very extended periods is a huge minus.

 

The VC137's didn't have airborne refueling either. They have to land sooner or later so maybe having a planned route and landing point will offset the need for airborne refueling. The 747/8 can make it to any destination with stops at a US Air Force base when required.

 

Have they ever had to use the ariel refuleing. Its somethign to maintain and maintain proficiency at. Also are the new 767 tankers would require new procedures and certification of such for two 747's, doesent make sense. I would also assume that wherever a tanker aircraft comes from or goes to the 747 can go too.

Whats the range of the -8 compared to a 200?

 

If memory servs the prior presidents Labor department at the behest of the seattle union kept the Sc plant closed untill boeing threatened to move production offshore.

 

I still wonder if this is good money chasing bad.....





Boeing was awarded a potential $599.9 million contract modification from the U.S. Air Force to conduct preliminary design activities to convert a pair of 747-8 aircraft into presidential planes. This modification covers the initial design of the future Air Force One fleet. The service branch procured two Boeing-built 747-8 aircrafts that will be modified to replace the aging VC-25A planes as part of the Presidential Aircraft Recapitalization program.

 

IIRC they did refuel Air Force 1 when President Bush made the surprise trip to Iraq on Thanksgiving day.

 

Yes, Read the article.

 

Some other news:

Two Boeing 747-8 commercial jetliners once owned by defunct Russian airline Transaero will receive hundreds of millions of dollars worth of design upgrades before eventually becoming the US president’s personal ride, Air Force One.....

http://www.ofonimeessien.com/boeing-strikes-deal-to-redesign-bankrupt-russian-transaero-jets-as-air-force-one/?utm_campaign=shareaholic&utm_medium=facebook&utm_source=socialnetwork

 

I read that TransAero never took delivery of the planes.

 

That is correct. They are painted white. The aircraft have been in storage for several years in the USA.

 

Are there any photo of them?

 

https://twitter.com/AeroimagesChris/status/684864741831884800

And a thread...The A380 will be dead soon also as a passenger plane, but atleast the 7478 will live on as a freighter!!

http://a380.boards.net/thread/1025/transaero-airlines-b747-8is

 

Here are two photos of LN1519 . (3) Love the FC updated website.


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It occurred to me that if TransA had actually had them, they might plant 'bugs' in the airframe if they knew that they would be future AF-1's...

 

They didn't have them.
They didn't have any idea what was going to happen to those airplanes any sooner than we did.
The bugs would have been found.

 

Thank you. It is same that we will never see as many 747-8s as the old ones due to costs...