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US Air Force Selects Boeing 747-8 To Replace Air Force One
Tyketto writes Following up on a previous story about its replacement, the US Air Force has selected the Boeing 747-8 to replace the aging Presidential fleet of two VC-25s, which are converted B747-200s. With the only other suitable aircraft being the Airbus A380, the USAF cited Boeing's 50-year history of building presidential aircraft as their reason to skip competition and opt directly for the aircraft, which due to dwindling sales and prospects, may be the last 747s to be produced.
why would you think it will be their last plane? the article notes that the 747 and the airbus are the only 2 quad engine planes available at this point in time. the replacement planes are intended to last 30+ years, as such why dont you think boeing will be able to compete again in 30 years??
And yes, because america, I think the president should rock american made transportation, and if the 747 is the only american made option, so be it
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Even if Boeing stopped building 747 variants tomorrow, they'd be around for ages. They're the mainstay for long-haul travel, and dwindling sales probably are more related to market saturation - as in, there are enough in the air now to meet current demand - than any inherent shortcoming in the design.
I suspect that there are more refinements to come - it's just too useful an airframe to discard. It may take Boeing a bit to roll in some of the working dreamliner tech but it seems reasonable that they'd try to do that when time and demand permit.
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An airplane flying over the Atlantic lost one of its four engines, and the pilot came on to reassure the passengers. “Nothing to fear,” he said, “we’ll just be half an hour late arriving in New York.” A while later, another engine was lost. “Nothing to fear,” said the pilot again, “we’ll be an hour late now but we’re still safe.” Later, a third engine went out, and the pilot informed the passengers that arrival time would now be two hours late. One of the passengers turned to his seatmate and said, “If that last engine goes, we’ll be up here forever!”
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true, but with a 4 engine plane, if 1 fails, you are still good, if 2 fail, chances are you are still good. Ive even heard of 3 engines going down and a plane landing safely with 1 of 3 engines.
your head of state needs safety and redundancy, not fuel economy
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A four engine plane will land on no engines.
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