Posted on 03/11/2006 8:10:34 AM PST by ChuckShick
The luxury plane was exported to Havana from Russia Cuba is buying one of Russia's most up-to-date airliners, carefully crafted for President Fidel Castro's personal comfort.
The purchase is part of an initial Cuban order for two brand new Ilyushin planes worth $110 million (£63 million) which Russian officials say is a shot in the arm for their struggling airline industry.
To head off criticism that a new presidential jet is an expensive luxury in austere times, Cuba says one of its new planes is being used to ferry workers to and from Venezuela.
To finance the deal, Cuba has paid 15% of the total sum up front, the rest coming from a 10-year loan from Russian banks.
Creature comforts
Russian NTV Mir television said the designers at Ilyushin had worked hard to give Mr Castro as smooth and secure a journey as possible.
"This is a sofa bed on which he can spend his hours of rest or read a book from his own library. Everything has been designed to be as ergonomic as possible, with a personal reading lamp," designer Aleksandr Kuchukhidze told the channel.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.bbc.co.uk ...
I figured the just kept the old DC-3 runnin.
Iy has a library, I didnt know Castro could read, The other plane will ferry workers to Venezuela. What are they working on ?
DU reaction: "Do you know how many families $110 million could feed and house??? Huh, huh, huh???
Oh wait, it's about Fidel not Bush, uh...nevermind..."
What are they afraid of, someone will burst in the cockpit and order the plane to fly to Cuba? [note to historians, note how that joke lost its punch in a post 9-11 world.] As to making bombs safe, anyone remember the movie Dark Star?
Shoot, this is what I had in mind.
I don't think Castro understands the finer points of communism...
"....for two brand new Ilyushin planes worth $110 million (£63 million) which Russian officials say is a shot in the arm for their struggling airline industry"
Two Planes .... TWO ... count 'em
Thank God, now they can keep those factories rolling !
I think he intereprets this as "to each according to his needs" - and if you don't like it, off to the gulag with you, or worse.
Maybe it is an island paradise? True communism, where the inner circle enjoys all the benefits, like the clintons and their FOBs.
Pray for W and Our Freedom Fighters
Meanwhile the regular folk can't get toilet paper or tampons
oh yeah, or food.
Wow. Spared no expense for luxury. A reading lamp! All Mod Cons.
BUt, but... It thought the embargo was causing uncountable suffering for the citizens of Cuba.
This just demonstrates what a communist dictator is really all about - himself.
"a personal reading lamp"
Wow! How can McDonnell Douglas compete with that?
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! Suckers!!
That's a narrow view. The dictatorship of the proletariat is a necessary step on the way to the utopia of communism. Some reasonable perks are needed to keep the interest of those talented enough to run the show.
Oh! You people are so dense.. HYave you not been paying attention? All Hollyweird Fidelphiles have alaways exclaimed about their wonderful universal health care and education. Just like their clinics which have two doctors and five pills, their libraries have two librarians and five books.
1.The sayings of Mao
2. The Communist Manifesto
3. 3 large volumes of excerpted Castro speecches
Is that a Castro Convertible sofa???
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