Yeah, I know it's custom, but I'm curious as to how they're arranged and if they're nice looking with cool ideas and layouts (i.e. not some Saudi gold-plated everything look). A private A380 would be ridiculous...somehow I think (probably incorrectly) that a 747 VIP can be justified, but the A380 can't, lol.
I feel like I have paid for a full tank of jet fuel for that plane over my years of shopping at Frys. Do they use it to go to India and Asia to recruit sales associates and cashiers by the plane load?
Gold plated hardware and accent pieces is normal and very common no matter what the nationality is. The first photo was a BBJ for a European. Second one a BBJ for a US corporation. Jeff Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
That's not gold plated "everything" like I said before. I know gold plated hardware is used (in moderation) on a lot of luxury items. It's taken to another level in the middle east. My relatives (from the ME) and what I've encountered in person there is way too much.
Look out for a huge explorer yacht named 'Luna' whilst that 767 is there. Its one of Abramovich's fleet.
The Vegas ones are owned by Sands Aviation. They actually have two 747SPs. You can also catch Wynn's BBJ in LAS as well as LAX frequently. Outside of AF1, the only other private 747 I'm aware of in the U.S. (outside of Fry's/Sands) is one by a religious organization which happens to be a 747SP (Ernest Angley's "Star-Triple-7") but from my knowledge, hasn't flown in over 3 years. The other 747 was, wait for it, also a 747SP owned by Global Peace Ambassadors. I think it's rotting at the Tijuana airport (you can see it on Google Maps). No other private 747s I'm aware of in the U.S. Most private 747s are owned by Middle Eastern governments and billionaires (what's his name of Kingdom Holdings - flies his 747-400 in to LAX from time to time). Then a few scattered about in Asia (Japan Government has 2, Korean government I believe has 2 - all 747-400). A rare glimpse into the opulent world of super-luxury private jets like Jackie Chan's dragon plane, a prince's 'flying palace' and Donald Trump's $100 million ride | Mail Online
It's amazing how cheap 747-400s are comparitively. Good used 400's go for maybe 20 million. A new G650 is 60 - 70 million? Of course you have huge operating cost differences. But say you you buy one for 20, put 10 into a new interior. You'd think the 30 million you're saving would go a long way towards operating costs! When's Travolta gonna buy one already!
The last one associated aero did was in upwards of 100 million. It blows my mind people have that much money for a plane, but I know I would do the same being in that position.
The FRYS and the other 747SP; are they both ex PAN AM planes? Is that why the "Clipper" names are still on them (can't read the whole thing)? Nice gesture if that is the case...
I think it depends on ultimately what you want to do and expect. Sky's the limit of course on the upper end, but $10mil on cheaper end (tempering expectations) can be done on a smaller aircraft. Agree not on a 747 (then again, sure - maybe you'll get a handful of chairs and some carpet). Just depends what you want to do. Older 767s are trading in the $8m-$15m range. 757s are in same range. 777-200's (early non-ER builds) are in the mid-$20s-$30m. 747-400s in the mid-$20-mid-$30m range. L1011/DC-10/747-1/2/300/SP - can't give these planes away ($800k+++$5m). That's to buy the plane including engines. Who knows where service lies (may need complete overhaul; may be due for uber-expensive D check). Flipside is the VIP market is booming, and many of the outfitting houses don't have availability for 2+ years. Includes U.S./Europe.
The problem with those big airliners is that the number of airports you can go into is pretty limited compared with a G450 or a Falcon 7X, or even a G650. Especially once you get up to something like a 747. For years, Paul Allen kept a Challenger 601 just so he could go into SMO, which wasn't an option with the 757, or even the G550.
True, but there are other costs most don't know about either. Using a 747 as the example.... 1. Your landing fees are based on weight. It might cost $500 to land an aircraft under 100,000 pounds, but cost $5k to land an aircraft (like a 747) over 500k pounds. 2. Older aircraft are like older cars - they need more and frequent maintanence. It's like driving your Ferrari right up to the expensive belt service. Only old airliners they'll ground the plane at that point and sell it because its no longer cost effective. I'm over simplifying this one. 3. 4 engines cost more to maintain than 2. 4. Pilots - got a 747? Well I don't want to hire pilots with no flight time or type rating on said aircraft. Hiring guys like Lou with type rating and experience cost money. Especially if you want them on call. 5. Ongoing training and flight time. If you have a G550, it's not beyond realm to send your pilots up in actual aircraft to stay current. 747? Simulator time, while not cheap, more expensive to send your pilots through than owning a G550 And forget about sending them up in your 747, the fuel costs alone make this prohibitive. 6. Parts and Maintanence - it's just a or more expensive. A G550 is a Honda compared to a 747 in parts and service costs. 7. Own a 747? Bring your friends along! All of them. No really...! Each person will add to your catering cost, fuel cost, and go beyond a certain number, you'll need additional flight attendants. Smaller plane means lower costs. 8. Privacy. Most never take notice at private jets arriving and departing. A 747? Hard to go anywhere unannounced. And a commercial aircraft with no markings attracts more attention than one with airline markings. There's even more to it than this, but these are basic things I don't think people understand exist. I ran numbers on an aircraft years ago (for fun...can't even afford to dream), and came to a consensus that a good used 737-300/500 fully refurbished was still a better buy than a brand new G650. 737, a fraction of the price of a G650, but higher operating costs. G650 high upfront cost, low operating costs. 737, bigger, more comfortable, more options, higher operating costs. G650, smaller (any airport really), fraction of fuel burn, higher cruise speed and altitude. But cramped inside for someone like me.
While I agree with most of your points, there are a couple that I question. There are tons of pilots with 747 time, including many retired airline guys who are interested in finding something to do. Finding pilots would not be hard. Likewise, there are a fair number of simulators for airline types, and I would be pretty sure that 747 training is both cheaper and easier to schedule than G650 training. Finally, I'd be quite surprised if parts weren't both less expensive and more easily available for the Boeing, and certainly are available world wide. You can also find people who know how to work on a 747 just about everywhere. Gulfstream's support is excellent, though, but I wouldn't give this one over to the Gulfstream. It is true that a 747 has more parts, though, and particularly true in regard to the engines.
Pilots not being available isn't the problem. It's their salaries. They're still going to command significantly higher salaries than a Gulfstream (most anyway) pilot. Cost is all, availability isn't the problem. G650 burns so little fuel in comparison to a 747 that it would be significantly cheaper to have G650 pilots train on actual aircraft doing actual flights (like 747 pilots did BEFORE there were simulators). That was my point. 747 gulps too much fuel, cheaper to do simulator training with 747, G650 train on actual plane. Parts aren't cheap - even compared to a G650 in most cases. But I'm also less aware on parts so who ultimately knows. Agree on finding people to work on a 747 a lot easier and more prolific. However, my summation wasn't that a G650 is the better buy, it's just different. Most people with no aircraft insight think "I'll win a bazillion dollars in a lotto then buy a 747" but never think what it really costs to operate per hour. I think my rough estimate (I could be way off) back a few years ago for a 747SP was somewhere in the $33,000 per flight hour (fuel/maintenance/crew/insurance/landing fees). Put that up against a G650 that burns 15% the fuel a 747 does (plus maintenance/crew/insurance/landing fees) and it's like $5-$7k per hour (assuming you own plane outright). If not, well add that in too. Always dreamed of owning an SP so I did a bit of research on the math, and well, that's what I came up with. "Hey honey, let's jet off (from LAX) to New York for the weekend" - that'll be $132,000 each way.
Not true. Most 747 pilots don't work for BA or United-- they work for Atlas, or formerly for Evergreen, or various overseas carriers, and most of them don't pay as well as many Gulfstream jobs. However, I think we can agree that the crew is probably the cheapest part of this operation! True. In a G650, it's only going to run you $30k or so each way...
