Air Force One: The $328,835 Picture

So this is the picture. You know the one that frightened thousands of New Yorkers and others. Apparently the picture of AF1 taken in front of Mount Rushmore was too Republican so we needed a Democratic version taken in front of the Statue of Liberty. At a mere $328,835 and the job of the White House Military Director we can all rest easy now that the photo pages in the White House handbooks are updated. It seems that Mr. Oblahblahblahma does not remember when this was discussed with him, but he sure was furious about it later.

Hey I'm all for airplane flights of any kind at any time. The bigger the plane the better. The lower said plane is to the ground the better for me to see it, but any idiot who allowed a jumbo jet to fly around NYC should be strung up by his fingernails. Its sick and a form of psychological torture. Now said official has "resigned". To me its not the money, but the stupidity. Keeping it largely a secret was classic democrat. Sort of like Pelosi getting a Boeing 757 to fly back and forth to California at her whim. Add to that Al Gore and his Boeing 707 and you have the 3 Stooges reincarnated....

The Last 747 Rolls Out

The Last 747-400
Just a few days ago the last Boeing 747 rolled out of the assembly line and made its way to the paint booth. This was number 1419 of the giant winged wonder. This one is destined to go to Kuwait as a freighter. The 747 is the most recognizable plane in the world. There is nothing else that even resembles it. I have been lucky enough to fly on them many times and every time I book a trip I always see if there are any segments where I might be able to hop just one more ride. I still remember the last time I flew on one and its been quite a while now. It was a TWA flight from St. Louis to LAX and then the return a week later in 1993. That was just a small hop for these guys. I took many trips on TWA from JFK to London aboard the 747. It was always a pleasure.

The 747-8 Intercontinental

The good part to this is that now that the 747-400 series is complete its time to begin building the 747-8 which is the totally redesigned version. The 747-8F will come first as the freight haulers have lined up to buy them. After awhile we will begin to see the passenger version. Right now only Lufthansa has ordered, but I expect others to hop on board. The current economic climate has limited the ability for airlines to find financing.

Delta Boeing 747-400 After Repaint

If you want to fly an American registered passenger 747 today then head to Delta where the former Northwest 747's are being repainted and deployed on long haul routes to the Far East and other faraway locales.