Boeing’s production problems
Air Force One: Aircraft manufacturers forget empty liquor bottles in the new jumbo jet for the US President
One of the two older Air Force Ones landed at Rzeszwo-Jasionka Airport in Poland on March 25 with President Joe Biden on board.
© Darek Deilmanowicz/PAP/DPA
Curious finds in the future presidential plane and an employee with a positive drug test: Boeing is putting pressure on the interior of two jumbo jets to become the latest Force One.
After the disaster surrounding the Boeing 737 Max and the delivery stop for the Boeing 787 “Dreamliner”, the aircraft manufacturer from Chicago has another problem. It is about a prestigious order for the two new jumbo jets that are to fly the US President on state visits.
When Joe Biden flies to an international appointment and has to travel longer distances, he uses Air Force One. But the two copies available at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland are showing their age. It is the modified Boeing 747-200. This type of aircraft has long been phased out by almost all commercial airlines for passenger traffic. The two jets for the President of the USA are more than 30 years old: the one with the registration number 82-8000 (built in 1987) has been in service since September 1990, the one with the registration number 92-9000 since March 1991.
Delivery date uncertain
As early as 2009, the Air Force began looking for a successor. At that time there was the Boeing 747-400, and Boeing recorded the first orders for the further development, for the Boeing 747-8. At the beginning of 2018, the decision was made to use two examples of this latest variant of the jumbo jet as the future means of transport for US presidents.
The order is said to be worth $3.9 billion, according to the BBC. Because in contrast to a passenger version, the two jumbo jets will be expanded into more than just flying command posts. The equipment also includes extensive self-defense systems and a medical center including an operating room.
Boeing factory in San Antonio, Texas
The interior work has been carried out for several years with the company GDC Technics in Texas commissioned by Boeing. There, the work on the prestigious project did not always go smoothly: there were delays, bankruptcies and breaches of contract. Both companies have since sued each other.
New breakdowns have now become known which, according to the “Wall Street Journal”, occurred in the first quarter of this year at the Boeing plant in San Antonio. Twice, when one of the aircraft was jacked up, incorrect loads were applied to the lifting devices, which could have damaged the fuselage. “The situation has been corrected and action has been taken to prevent a recurrence,” an Air Force spokesman told The Hill website in Washington DC.
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Empty tequila bottles were also found inside the future presidential plane. The consumption of alcohol is strictly forbidden in aircraft hangars. One person also tested positive for a routine drug test, reports the Wall Street Journal. Special safety criteria are said to apply to the personnel working with the two aircraft.
Two jumbo jets – made for Russia The Boeing 747-8, once built for the Russian airline, will take off in March 2019 after being stored in Victorville, California, for the flight to Texas, where the conversion to Air Force One is to take place. © Gene Blevins/Zuma Press/Picture Alliance
In addition to the conversion work delayed by the pandemic and further cost increases to 5.3 billion US dollars, the delivery date for 2024 will no longer be achievable. Experts assume a delay of at least 17 months – completion well after the next US presidential election in November 2024.
Irony of history: Both jumbo jets were produced at the Renton plant in Washington State for the Russian Transaero Airlines. However, the airline had to file for bankruptcy in 2015. The ordered aircraft with the registrations N894BA and N895BA were no longer delivered but stored in the desert before being acquired by the Air Force and Secret Service as the basis for the two new Air Force Ones.
During his current tenure, Joe Biden will therefore continue to have to fly the older Air Force One models.
Livery in the Turkish colors and the lettering “Türkiye Cumhuriyeti”: “Republic of Turkey”, the red and white Boeing 747-8 of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
© Metin Aktas / Picture Alliance
The Turkish President Erdogan has been flying a Boeing 747-8 converted into a saloon aircraft with VIP facilities, including several conference and dining rooms, for more than three years. The XXL business jet with the registration TC-TRK is a state gift from the ruling house of Qatar to Turkey.
Sources: www.wsj.com, https://thehill.com, https://simpleflying.com
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