Flights Grounded
During the first Trump Administration, the then-President was criticized because of changes he wanted to make to the paint scheme of the proposed new Air Force One. Too gaudy, critics complained. The planes–there are multiple identical planes, which get the designation Air Force One when the President is aboard–were to be white with red, dark blue and gold markings as opposed to today’s models, which have shades of light blue.
Those critics had to eat a little crow when it was noted that the paint scheme Trump proposed actually was a nod to predecessors…the planes would look like they did before John Kennedy was president, for example.
All that fuss was about six years ago…and as Mr. Trump prepares to take the oath again, we’re still using the old planes. And now comes word he won’t have a new plane during his second term.
Blame Boeing…yes, again, Boeing. Delays in production mean the company won’t turn the planes over until 2029. This is a nearly $4 billion project that has had problems since it started.
In 2015, the Air Force chose Boeing to build two new planes to replace its aging 747 presidential fleet. In 2018, the planemaker and the Trump Administration agreed to pay $3.9 billion for the planes. They were supposed to be delivered right about now, but a number of problems–including a bankrupt supplier–led Boeing to promise delivery of the first plane in 2026 and the second in 2027. Now…it’s all bumped to 2029.
Good news for taxpayers–any cost overruns will be absorbed by Boeing, since this is a “fixed rate” contract.
Another example of why the country is not as great as it once was. Perhaps again, though?
