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I don't think some folks realize the support structure that is built into Air Force 1. That size airframe is needed to carry the communications and other support tools needed to support the Office of the President.
That and the countermeasures AF1 carries negate the use of anything smaller than a 757-sized aircraft.
While it should not be a sole reason for using a 747, worldwide the big Boeing is recognized as being an icon in aviation, distinctly American and unlike anything out there. The C-5 looks very similar to the AN-124 (C-5ski) and lacks that uniqueness. That, and has been mentioned earlier, is out of production for decades. I've only flown in a C-5 once, Kuwait to Aviano to Keflavik to the US. A two-day trip took almost a week. "Parts plus two" they said. A lot. At least we broke in Aviano and not Iceland (in late October). It's said of the C-5: "One C-5 flying on the schedule is normal, two is a prayer, three is a miracle, and any more than three is a mathematical impossibility. Or The Apocalypse."
That and the countermeasures AF1 carries negate the use of anything smaller than a 757-sized aircraft."
Well I was in a hurry and included the countermeasures under 'support equipment'. Do you think they could go as small as a 757? I would think you would need a wide body as the minimum size just because of people flow if you compartmented parts of the a/c.
Part of the reason that the existing a/c have to be replaced is that AF1 used the international support environment for radid response of parts, etc. AF1 is one of the last of the 200 series being flown and there is no longer the parts inventory, etc available around the world for short notice use. There is a well stocked logistics network for 800 series aircraft.
Question: You're on an Air Force base and you see three C-5 aircraft. Two of them are sitting on jacks. What can you deduce from this scenario.
Answer: The base only has two sets of jacks. And this this the problem with the C-5. It breaks down on almost every mission. The President needs an aircraft that is reliable. The C-5 ain't it. And there are a host of other issues, which have surely been covered by now.
Isn't the C-5 out of production? And its smaller successor-the C-17-I believe is also no longer being made.
That would be an interesting scenario. It makes sense. But I just don't see it happening. Despite all this saber rattling, I still expect to eventually see a pair of 748's chosen as the AF1 successor. Like you said. There's really nothing else out there that can do it.
In the aviation world AF1 is the designator for Air France 1. Air Force 1 is A1. Like the steak sauce.
The Galaxy despite the M upgrade is still not economical to operate compared to a 747. Their range cannot be compared to even a 340 long haul.
I'm surprised that the concord wasn't built as air force one since it's fast and can most likely get out of tricky situations faster.
But the new 747-8 are a doll to fly. Boeing should offer a one of a kind airplane to POTUS with aerial refueling capability as well just like the current 200B
Make a bigger supersonic jet for POTUS. I'm sure the engine technology has advanced to the point that it would be more economical to operate compared to the older concords.
I'm sure the engine technology has advanced to the point that it would be more economical to operate compared to the older concords.
More economical than Concorde, yes. But NOT more economical than modern conventional subsonic. And therein lies the perpetually unsolved riddle.
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. Do you think they could go as small as a 757? I would think you would need a wide body as the minimum size just because of people flow if you compartmented parts of the a/c.
