Posted on 02/11/2007 4:22:42 PM PST by John Jorsett
$5000 an hour plus crew costs
And the govt. wants me to pay taxes for crap like this.
The bigger plane was all about more seats to allow access,ie the donor express.I'm sure there were several coffees planned.
The 89th Airlift Wings 99th Airlift Squadron, Andrews Air Force Base, Md., operates four C-37A's. The 6th Air Mobility Wings 310th Airlift Squadron, MacDill AFB, Fla., operates three C-37A's. Both the 15th Airlift Wing, 65th Airlift Squadron at Hickam AFB, Hawaii, and the 86th Airlift Wing, 309th Airlift Squadron, at Chievres Air Base, Belgium, have one C-37A.
General Characteristics
Primary Function: Special air missions
Builder: Gulfstream Aerospace Corp.
Power Plant: Two BMW/Rolls Royce BR710A1-10 high bypass
ratio turbofan engines Thrust: 14,750 pounds each engine Length: 96 feet, 5 inches (29.38 meters) Height: 25 feet, 11 inches (7.9 meters) Wingspan: 93 feet, 6 inches (28.5 meters) Speed: 600 mph (.885 Mach) maximum Maximum Altitude: 51,000 feet (15,545 meters) Maximum Takeoff Weight: 90,500 pounds (41,050 kilograms) Range: 6,300 miles (5,500 nautical miles) normal cruise Load: 12 passengers Unit Cost: $36 million (1998 constant dollars) Crew: Five Date Deployed: 1998 Inventory: Active force, 9; Air National Guard, 0; Reserve, 0
The G-5 can fly from D.C. to San Fran, make a 180 turn and return to D.C. NonStop. Pelosi and her cadre always knew that! They wanted a plane equivalent to the Vice Presidents as a symbol of power(eg. actually decadence).
Teresa Heinz has a Gulfstream 3 by comparison and it will make the same DC to SF run with over a 1000 nm still in reserve. This story that she needed a nonstop plane and hence the 757 was and is a pile of crap! The Gulfstream just was too small for her perceived new status and those of her Entourage.
I agree and understand the need for security .. since the speaker is the next person in line to the Presidency - if something should happen to the Pres and the VP.
However, I really felt the 42 seater was a bit much .. AND TOTALLY UNNECESSARY. The 12 seater could easily make the non-stop trip.
And .. while the dims are whining so much about the deficit .. it was a bit irritating for her to insist on spending hundreds of thousands of dollars WEEKLY for a trip home.
Besides .. landing to refuel (if necessary) at a military base could have easily been accommodated.
Hastert used these planes, and maybe the C-37 (Gulfstream G500/550 formerly V) also. Most of the time Hastert would not have needed a C-37 to go from Illinois to DC. Unless he was traveling with a few more people, or somewhere other than the midwest.
The C-37 is more than capable of coast to coast at FTO + reserves.
Beck on CNN said 300 grand for the larger aircraft she requested.. That will teach me not to watch CNN : )
More than likely, that is EXACTLY where it would have gone.
Never a ground to air missile handy when you need one. ;)
Until this mocking of his own party, we haen't been hearing anything about Tony. I guess he is no longer being reviled like his predecessor. The DBM sure has had a field day with this one, however,
Tony, take a lesson from it. Defend your own side or stay quiet.
This is a very inaccurate description. The 42 seat configuration meant that the larger plane had a stateroom, meeting room, crew of 16, etc. It actually would hold almost 200 seats without all the special spaces.
I thought this was the plane she wanted.
Tony is a nice guy, and I believe a FReeper. But he seems too conserned with being liked for my taste.
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