Air Capital Insider

My story today on the Air Force’s plan to replace the two Boeing-747s that make up the presidential air fleet is today’s top-read story. (The planes are called Air Force One whenever the president is on board. Technically, Air Force One is the radio call sign). So far, the story has generated more than five pages of comments on Kansas.com expressing a variety of opinion. Many express an outrage that the government could consider a bid from Airbus. I’ve also received an e-mail today from a recently-retired airline transport captain and flight instructor from Mississippi who brings an interesting perspective.

He thinks the Air Force should not replace the two 747-200s but continue to maintain them. The aircraft took years for Boeing and other contractors to build at a cost of hundreds of millions of dollars, he notes. Although they are over 25 years old, they are two “lowest time” 747-200s in the world, he said. Although the 747-200 is now out of production, parts on the shelf and parts that could be ordered now could keep the plane flying for another 50 years. “Why spend another billion or two simply to advertise we have borrowed (again) enough money to buy the most expensive?”