The Boeing 747-8 being offered to Donald Trump by Qatar once served the Qatari royal family and has been sitting unsold for years.
The jet, a lavishly configured version of Boeing’s largest passenger aircraft, has been lingering without a buyer since being put up for sale in 2020, according to aircraft listings and aviation analysts.
John Goglia, a former member of the National Transportation Safety Board, told Forbes that giving the 747-8 to the U.S. would allow the Qataris to avoid maintenance costs that were only getting higher—with the 747 fleet shrinking worldwide and fewer mechanics available who know how to work on them.
Dare I hope that with the recent failures in the FAA and the shit condition of this plane, we may have some good news in the future?
I’m curious how they would convert this to be a functional Air Force One plane.
That aircraft is disassembled and reassembled almost entirely on a regular basis to keep it in tip top shape and find sabotage and issues, etc.
It’s also equipped specially with military defences, and of course has an onboard suite of equipment and personnel to run a war from the sky, in air refuelling, etc etc.
It’s an EXTREMELY specialised version of that very reliable aircraft, is what I’m saying.
How would they bring this new plane up to that standard, and why should they waste tax money on doing so? What’s the benefit to the nation?
It all seems ridiculous from the outside looking in. It seems that they’re just trying to appease a stupid man who thinks like a dodgy car salesman, and thus is happy to accept big dumb bribes, always getting the worst end of a deal, when the smarter people play him over and over.
…no?
How would they bring this new plane up to that standard
Spoilers: They absolutely will not be bringing this death trap up to the current plane’s standards.
This will either site on a tarmac largely forgotten about for four years, at which point Trump will try and off-load it (if he hasn’t completely forgotten he owns it). Or it’ll become one of those “never going to be finished” government vanity projects that becomes an excuse to write blank checks to Boeing for billing statements littered with “Headlight Fluid: $4k, Crank Shaft Lengthening Service: $20k” line items.
Absolute best case scenario, someone in the administration actually tries to fly in this thing before the term is complete. And we all get to laugh (or cry, depending on who it lands on) on reading the consequences.
It seems that they’re just trying to appease a stupid man who thinks like a dodgy car salesman, and thus is happy to accept big dumb bribes
That’s who Americans believe is best able to run our country. We have been kicking and screaming for the last 40 years to have the US run like a business. And what other business best exemplifies the US than Used Car Dealership?
What’s the benefit to the nation?
Why do you even jokingly use a framework in which you’re assuming the current US government does anything “for the nation” instead of themselves?
And also, they’re just gonna ward off attacks with, uhm… gilded smoothie machines and massaging chairs.
Jesus fucking Christ… Qatar is basically a scumbag real estate agent conning an idiot into buying a condemned shack in a swamp as a “cozy waterfront getaway”, but on a colossally stupid level.
I have a submarine to sell this guy
A white elephant.
Soon Musk will offer Trump a special Cybertruck as a replacement for The Beast. Because he doesn’t know what to do with all those swasticars nobody buys anymore.
I wonder at what price point it becomes worth it to buy his swasticars and chop them up for parts. That’s assuming that the parts aren’t so poorly made that no one would want them. I have some nifty ideas for a battery pack that big, which would probably burn down my house.
I would guess the only decent thing in it is the Tesla motors. Body is riddled with issues. Batteries as well. And all the electronics are proprietary and for the most part not repurposable.
I look forward to a picture sometime in the future of a field of stripped out swastikars waiting to be crushed.
Rig them with remote controls, and then hold a competition. Each contest, different winning conditions and course are used. Month 1, modify the cars with weapons and duke it out. The next, a marathon where the car with the most distance is the victor, the third a destruction derby, and so forth.
It would be way more fun than a Mr. Beast show, I tell ya.
I see your giant RC car idea and raise you cybertrck demolition derby.
And every year, sand takes the trophy.
I see nothing wrong with this.
To meet Air Force One standards, the plane would need extensive modifications, including secure communications, nuclear blast shielding and missile defense systems.
Nuclear blast shielding?
EMP shielding. Nuclear explosions release an absolutely insane amount of electromagnetic energy and it fries electronics. This is actually where the first EMP was observed - a high altitude nuclear test fried a bunch of electronics. The idea is that it needs to be able to keep flying even if a nuclear blast goes off even quite some distance away. There’s obviously no way to actually nuke proof a plane, it would get vaporized or knocked out of the sky if it were close to the epicenter.
I think they have systems in place to stop EMPs from affecting and potentially taking down AirForce One, and nuclear blasts create EMPs that if left otherwise unshielded would do exactly that.
There’s also hardening from nuclear radiation.
That’s just the shit they are willing to tell you about.
I legit would not be surprised if there was a secret ejection capsule for the president and some staff that could rocket out of the plane and get caught in mid-air by one of the escort planes.
Then they just need him:
i gonna make an assumption here and say probably EMP resistance?
see, thats the difference between a smart leader and a rube.
It’s the modem day white elephant. Lol
I had to do a double take. I thought your comment might have had an issue with keming…
Wait a minute… What’s modem
I don’t know; what’s modem?
Beeeeeeeeeeeep.
As long as it’s Hayes compatible.
Trump is even bad at being bribed… 🙄
not even asking for new items, is also Used and expensive. even his older jets/planes he has is very old.
Right? Being gifted a plane is kind of a financial nightmare.
Its like “winning” a boat or car. Great, you have this thing you couldn’t afford. Now pay the taxes on it, that you can’t afford.
But also, we all know Trump doesn’t pay taxes.
Reminds me of the time Oprah screwed her audience over with a free car
https://www.jalopnik.com/that-time-oprah-gave-276-people-free-cars-that-actually-1838106001/
Fwiw a brand new Saturn g6 would have been probably about 15k.
Most of the time, these shows allow you to take the value of the prize instead. Sounds like they could have easily come away with ~9k in profit if they just took the value.
I’m not sure the hate is warranted here. Of course, that is if they were allowed to take the value.
What kind of country taxes prizes? Seems a bit ridiculous if you ask me.
Prizes are income, otherwise companiea would hold a raffle each month to determine your salary.
Or, and this is a wild one, or the law could give a devinition of “price” that doesn’t open it up for abuse while not taking from people who won something.
Because that will definitely not lead to loopholes.
It’s how the law is in my country (Germany) and I wouldn’t know of any loopholes here.
If you win something in a lottery or a quiz show here, as long as it’s not job related, you don’t have to pay taxes on it. If you win a million you get a million. But if you put that million into a bank or invest it in any way, you have to pay taxes on the money you earn trough that.
Not here in the UK. I think there are exceptions - bonuses at work are taxed, if a professional artist wins money in an art competition that’s regarded as work money and taxed. But if you win the lottery or a bet on the horses, no tax to pay.
So trump would have to pay taxes on the plane eh?
According to the rules (who knows if they are followed nowadays), the plane belongs to America for now. When Trump’s presidency is over he would have to pay taxes and stuff on it if he wants to keep it (which it looks like his foundation or whatever shell company he’s got going on will pay the taxes on that).
In general, if any gifts given to the president belongs to the country and when they leave the position, they can elect to keep the gift as a personal item if they pay the taxes for it. Otherwise the gift stays belonging to America in the archives somewhere.
These types of policies are just government greed very, verrrrrry thinly disguised as -yet more- taxes.
“Oh, well done, good for you. You did all the work and you’ve won something…HA, nope, we’ve won something. I’ve done fuck all in this but I demand my percentage, where’s my cut?”
Windfall and winnings are some of the most punitivly taxed gains in the US. They take a big chunk.
Good ol USA, at a high rate.
If you plan on flying it yes. But something like this I bet you could rent out as an AirBnB (assuming there are beds). You also need a place to put it…
This is the same energy as people who buy their SO a vehicle without any input. Enjoy the new car payments babe.
Not when taxpayers are paying for all the expenses.
My in-laws used to do this.
I love them, but every time they bought something new, they’d give us the old one like it wasn’t something they were getting rid of. Easier to give it to us than throw it away.
The last time was a sofa and a love seat. We were stuck with the most uncomfortable furniture I’ve ever had in my life.
If you don’t like it, why would you take it?
Trying to avoid being rude, making them feel bad.
You have to stand up for yourself. You can decline stuff perfectly fine without being rude. And if they would consider that rude, they are the rude ones.
At the end, we did. At this point my FIL passed away more than 10 years ago. MIL downsized and tossed most things. There’s really nothing left that we would need to deal with.
She still owns the most uncomfortable furniture. I was thinking that it might just be because of my size (6’4"), but my wife (5’1") agrees that it’s just terrible. There’s one chair my MIL uses and I wonder if that’s the only comfortable one.
If this keeps up, they’d think you’re such a pushover and take advantage of you.
I truly believe they thought they were helping.
The last time was a sofa and a love seat. We were stuck with the most uncomfortable furniture I’ve ever had in my life.
Oh no. They realy gave you an uncomfortable sofa? Bummer. At least you got a nice love seat out of it.
I’ve started telling people to not give me their garbage.
I’ve made a lot of people upset, but also I don’t have to dispose of other people’s garbage, so as far as I’m concerned that’s a win.
It made my mind upset but I had to tell her eventually to stop buying me stuff for my house because although I appreciate it I have my own aesthetics and if I feel I need it I will buy myself.
It put a stop to it. I’m happier now and she got over it.
Tell them to deliver it, and send them the address of the county landfill.
they just show up at my house, unannounced, usually while I’m not there, and my roommates tell me “here’s a gift from ms derpinshnek”, and I have to say “tell her to take it back.”
they gave away a used love seat?
They needed room for a love swing.
Watch trump ask for a 787 and they switch it out.
I guess he finally realized that a 747 really is bigger and faster that his 757.
But number more huge!
It’d be funny if the US decides to accept the plane and then Boeing spends the next 4 years retrofitting it with all the military communications and air defense features that the typical Air Force One carries. Then if Trump leaves office, because of military secrets, they spend the next 4 years stripping it back down to civilian level and he dies before ever getting to use it.
I just hope there are enough people working in the section tasked with inspecting the plane who hate Dump’s fucking guts, so the schedule gets drawn out indefinitely. “Oh yes sir boss man, we made good progress today on that plane. Got at least 3 screws checked for structural soundness! Maybe tomorrow we’ll have time to check out like 5 more.”
As a US taxpayer, I don’t find that very amusing. Well, other than the part where Trump dies.
nothing about this is amusing, but wasting your money is better than using your money to oppress you and minorities
hell yknow what, literally burning your money is better than having the same amount funnel into corruption
It would make more sense to equip it up if they planned on keeping it as Air Force One after Trump leaves office, but they have already said they plan on keeping it with the Trump Presidential Library… so the U.S. gov will spend all this money on a secure aircraft for a few months before it’s decommissioned… but he’s just a CHAMPION of cutting wasteful spending. /s
Like a spoiled child, everything is wasteful unless it’s for him.
Ooh, say that last part again.
don’t stop, I’m almost there!
Trump is like a little baby who wants something he knows he shouldn’t have. Waaa. I want palace. If he thought he was leaving it 4 years he wouldn’t accept.
Why don’t they give it to him after his term is up. See if he goes for that. Promise you he wouldn’t go for that deal. :). Wonder why.
At least it exposes his selfishness and greeed which is obscene that people need to have this demonstrated given the man clearly has some serious personality issues.
Tell him that retrofitting it to AirForceOne security standards would “ruin the beautiful golden interior” so it will be better to just wait until he’s a private citizen again and won’t have to follow those stupid security rules. Meanwhile, as President, he’ll have to keep using the “little” presidential aircraft.
He might be tempted into quitting early, or at least not extending his reign. Or he’ll insist on using the unsecured plane, and maybe something catastrophic will happen over the Pacific.
he will make gaudy after they retrofit, and make them add diamonds, gold leaf, marble all in the interior, with diamond chandelier, and only gold toilets.
The current two Air Force One planes (whatever the president is flying in is called Air Force One) are the exact same model as this “gift”.
Kinda. It’s still all very silly and stupid, but the 747-8 is a few metres longer, and generally more modern than the 747-200b the current VC25A are based on.
No, the VC25As are reinforced in many ways. If you mean the size, he’s the one called them small.
That’s fair. I shouldn’t have said model. You’re right.
And yet they’re bigger, fly higher and faster, and have longer range than his 757.
He will take it with him if he leaves office.
He will XO a charity gift to the newly found “Trumps School For Governments That Can’t Democracy Good”, and use it to fly around and give intimate talks at lavish dinners (not keynote speeches. Just be at a table)
