Posted on 01/15/2009 9:33:48 AM PST by lewisglad
Airbus is preparing to offer incoming US president Barack Obama a special A380 superjumbo to replace the ageing Air Force One Boeing 747 jumbo jet, it emerged today.
Tom Enders, chief executive, said the US was already thinking about new aircraft for the presidential fleet and it was "not completely absurd" to consider the superjumbo as an alternative. It can carry as many as 840 passengers and is the European plane-maker's flagship, with one sold to a Gulf sheikh.
But Enders said it was "much too early to speculate" and Airbus was concentrating on winning the re-run $40bn (£27bn) Pentagon contract for 179 air-to-air refuelling (tanker) aircraft against Boeing.
Airbus won the contract last year after one of the fiercest lobbying battles ever witnessed on Capitol Hill, but the Pentagon later revised the tender under congressional pressure. Enders said Airbus had won that contest fairly and intended to win again – provided it was on a level playing field.
Under George Bush, the White House shocked US plane-makers by awarding the contract to renew the presidential fleet of helicopters to Anglo-Italian company AgustaWestland, part of Finmeccanica.
There are some fears within the European aviation industry that Obama, with his Chicago base, could favour Boeing, which has its headquarters in the "windy city" and carries enormous congressional influence.
But senior sources said this week that the new president, who is inaugurated on Tuesday, would be determined to be impartial. Airbus has won congressional friends, particularly in the south, by setting up plants in states such as Alabama and Mississippi.
The A380, which has won 198 orders from 16 customers, is the world's biggest plane, but Airbus claims it is at least 25% more fuel-efficient than the venerable 747 and emits far fewer greenhouse gases – a key Obama preoccupation.
(Excerpt) Read more at guardian.co.uk ...
LLS
There are seldom military runways where Air Force One goes, be if U.S. or overseas. It generally uses the local commercial airports.
They need a larger plane to fit his 0oobs in.
The two 747s are versions of the smaller model. An A380 would be a complete waste of space as well as being unable to land at all but a handful of airports. If the next Air Force One is an Airbus then it’ll be one of the smaller models, but I predict it’ll be a derivative of the 787.
What would the union workers in the US aircraft industry think of Bambi flying in European built plane?
But wouldn't it lose altitude if he started doing his typical "Uhhhh....ummmmmm.....aaaaaannnnd....uhhhhhhh..."?
Not that that would be a bad thing.
It all makes perfect since to me.
Our country’s economy is in the toilet. My wife has lost over $186K from her retirement stocks in the last few months. Our dreams of retirement and decades of investment and savings, have been stolen by our own government, and what we do have left will now, be given to those that didn’t get off of their lazy fat asses and earn it.
Much of the world wants to kill us all, yet our own government works to unarm us and degrade our military might.
Hospitals and other important services have closed due, in part, to unchecked illegal immigration.
We haven’t taken a single meaningful step toward becoming energy independent.... nothing but talk, talk, talk.
Political corruption is running wild and true justice isn’t even being considered.
Our Constitution is under attack and even though our world becomes more dangerous by the day, there continues to be an increased effot to unarm us.
Our country is full of traitors, yet little to nothing is being done about it.
Our political system has lost all credibility and been all but destroyed by the enemy within, yet we do nothing.
We may very well see a full blown Depression within the next few months/years.
We are putting generations, yet to be born, into debt beyond comprehension with all of these doomed to failure Bail Out’s. Once we as a county is out of credit and the bills are all due at once, what then?
A bloody Civil War may be the only way we will soon have left to survive. Trust me, when stuck with the choice of begging or shooting, for some patriots, the choice won’t be difficult.
So sure, The Chosen Friggen One should have a new plane. Heck, burn down the White House and build him a f-—ing palace for all I care anymore.
“The Maytag worker who’s now competing with his own teenager for a $7 an hour job at the local Wal-Mart, because the factory he gave his life to shut its doors, he needs us to stop giving tax breaks to companies that ship our jobs overseas and start putting them in the pockets of working Americans who deserve it and put them in the pockets of struggling homeowners who are having a tough time and looking after seniors who should retire with dignity and respect.” - Barack Obama
You are correct. As a matter of fact, depending on logistics (ie, exactly where the President is going) they’ll sometimes land at a civilian airport even though a military base with a runway is in the area. Was stationed at Malmstrom AFB, MT in the early 80’s when Reagan came to Great Falls. Since he was doing meet and greets at the other end of the city, AF1 landed at Great Falls Airport. Easier for the Secret Service to get him back and forth.
The two 747s are versions of the smaller model. An A380 would be a complete waste of space as well as being unable to land at all but a handful of airports. If the next Air Force One is an Airbus then it’ll be one of the smaller models, but I predict it’ll be a derivative of the 787.
Provided the 787 ever gets off the ground...as it is there are many hurdles to overcome...not to mention areas of the “carbon fiber” are de - laminating...rivited areas won’t line up so the have to be redone one at a time... the -9 version has been pushed back to a first delivery of 2013 this past week.
Several posts here:http://www.airliners.net/aviation-forums/general_aviation/
Personally if they think it needs to be changed I think the 777 is perfect
The 380 would fit his ego.
Except that a 777 flies under ETOPS rules. Do you really want the POTUS to have to make an emergency landing in Siberia?
hhhehee...for Obama....SURE
DC3 airframes were shown to be sound after 50 years.
The Kenyan can go fly on a kite.
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