They can land in a field, has a 525 mile range, and can be fitted with the finest accompaniments available to Russian peasants. It's still produced in China, and is amazing...
DK
Posted on 11/12/2005 1:52:53 PM PST by freepatriot32
"Better yet, a funnel, a hose and a curtain for $50."
Cheaper yet, I used to carry a 3# coffee can and a roll of toilet paper so it was useable for everyone.
I figured that if a woman was too modest to use it she could just hold it until the fuel stop which was only 6 hours or less. Didn't get any complaints.
You do realize how big Alaska is don't you? Take a US map and superimpose Alaska over the western United States. Then figure in how far it is from Alaska to it's nearest state.
A Helo doesn't have the range or speed.
I don't see a Jet as being a bad investment for the govenors office. I'm sure they'll still have the turboprop for local, more inaccessable strips.
Actually, a lot of turboprops cost more than AK spent on the Westwind. Both to own, and to operate.
I just looked at a new Caravan (simple, single-engine fixed-gear turboprop -- kind of an executive-configured SUV). It is not as fast, nor as safe as the Westwind -- it can't climb over any weather at all, as it isn't pressurized, and with the single engine there's no redundancy). It's one of the cheapest turboprops you can buy and it's $1.6 million. And you burn more fuel in a turbojet than a turbofan does, both per hour and because you spend more hours in the air.
There is a new "Caravan-killer" called the Kodiak coming along, with much more useful load, but it isn't certified yet. Every sixth or eighth or so Kodiak will be sold to missionaries at a reduced cost, which is interesting. But these planes are not suitable for the transport of execs for whom "time is money."
You cannot beat a jet for getting face time with people in distant places. That's why newer jets are pushing for higher speeds, like the SJ-30-2 or the Citation X (a scalding M 0.92). Indeed, two start-ups are working on supersonic business jets, and Avions Marcel Dassault is rumoured to be doing the same thing. The same things that make these useful for businesses make them useful for governments.
To put speeds in perspective, a King Air C90 will cost about as much as the Westwind to maintain, maybe a little more, and is 200 kt slower. A Caravan is another 120 kt slower than that. A Westwind is about $2,000 an hour to charter, so there comes a point where it pays for itself to own -- although not until several years have passed.
The guy who pointed out that British officials fly British air needs to realise: Alaska is a lot larger than Britain ever was, and no US state has ever had a nationalized airline (nationalization is why the USA has an aero industry and the UK, which once paced us advance for advance, now makes parts for the French). There also are not a lot of scheduled airlines that take you where you need to go, now, regardless of who or where you are.
The guy who suggested a helicopter has clearly never been to Alaska (or anywhere that people try to operate helicopters over long distances). Helicopters are about five to one more expensive to maintain than jets, and equally, or more, expensive to buy. Not to mention, far less safe due to their complexity.
d.o.l.
Criminal Number 18F
They can land in a field, has a 525 mile range, and can be fitted with the finest accompaniments available to Russian peasants. It's still produced in China, and is amazing...
DK
That is a lie. There are four runways on the North Slope alone that handle bigger jets. All but one of those runways are gravel.
BTW, NM is one of the least-populated and poorest States.
Get an L-19. If it was good enough for Ike, it ought to be up to the standards of Alaska's royalty.
Amen Brother. PA-18
If you've ever been to Anchorage, you'd get the impression that half of Alaska is employed as bush pilots. Many places in Alaska do not have regular commercial service, demand is too sparse and too irregular.
Most officials in the U.S. government and the several states fly commercial. I doubt most governors have "official aircraft". Even in tiny Massachusetts, it is not unheard of for the Governor to "hitch" a ride on a State Police helicopter, though.
Try taking a C-130 from Elmendorf to Shemya. God bless the G4.
The issue seems to be that the jet will not be able to land on many rural (gravel) runways, and is pretty limited in where it can go (in state) for that reason.
Someone who knows nothing about airplanes may think 2.5 million is a lot of money for a plane. It is not at all. I love the line "leather sofa, burgundy carpeting and a flush toilet". The burgundy reference is intentionally trying to make it seem luxurious. It is nothing more than color.
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