Boeing VC-25A VC-25B Air Force One

On a somewhat more serious note:
jalopnik.com

Trump's New 'More American' Air Force One Is A Disgrace To The Name - Jalopnik

Since the Kennedy Administration, the light-blue and white jet carrying the president has been more than just transportation for American leadership. It has been a symbol of what that leadership was meant to represent. An internationally-minded, forward-thinking ethos steeped in Modernism and...
jalopnik.com jalopnik.com
 
Grey Havoc said:
www.flightglobal.com

Boeing starts ‘Air Force One’ modifications of 747-8

Known by its "Air Force One" call sign when the US president flies aboard, the VC-25B are to operate as the USA's top executive transports for the next 30 years. Modifications are being done at Boeing's San Antonio, Texas facility.
www.flightglobal.com www.flightglobal.com
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sgeorges4 said:
air force one concept from boeing image secure website, the livery is different from both the classic and the trump one

Boeing Images

Welcome to The Boeing Company's official source for licensed aerospace photography, illustrations and videos.
secure.boeingimages.com secure.boeingimages.com
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The two future Boeing VC-25B presidential aircrafts will wear a paint scheme, which is more in line with the ones on the existing Boeing VC-25A presidential aircrafts. But a resident from Florida might call the new paint scheme "Woke Force One". :p
www.thedrive.com

Biden Dumps Trump's Air Force One Paint Job For Iconic Design

Biden has picked a livery for the new Air Force One jets in line with the existing Kennedy-era design over Trump's red, white, and blue one.
www.thedrive.com www.thedrive.com
 
To be fair, the livery Trump proposed wasn't half bad, actually. One could have feared much worse, bearing in mind the instigator, and in most other government flying services it would've constituted an improvement. But it should have been glaringly obvious any attempt to drastically alter something so iconic and timelessly classy as the AF1 paint job without it ending up a regression was doomed to failure.
 


President Trump, furious about delays in delivering two new Air Force One jets, has empowered Elon Musk to explore drastic options to prod Boeing to move faster, including relaxing security clearance standards for some who work on the presidential planes.

His administration has even discussed whether a luxury jet could be acquired and refitted during the wait, according to five people with knowledge of the discussions who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe closely held deliberations.
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Boeing and the USAF have lowered security clearance requirements for workers on the VC-25B “Air Force One” program. This change addresses longstanding workforce challenges and aims to reduce delays in the program.

A few weeks ago at the Palm Beach International Airport (PBI), POTUS 47 visited a 13-year-old Boeing 747-8 BBJ, formerly owned by Qatar's royal family.

IMHO this new Air Force One will just be a normal Boeing 747-8 BBJ with less sensitive systems (smaller C4I center in the upper deck, no AAR, no EMI protection, no foldbale boarding stairs in the cargo deck etc.) as originally planned, so that current US administration can use it before the end of its second term in January 2029. ;) :rolleyes:

Source (Paywall):

Boeing, USAF Lower Security Requirements For New Air Force One | Aviation Week Network

Until recently, almost all workers on the program needed a Yankee White security clearance.
aviationweek.com aviationweek.com
 
fightingirish said:
Boeing and the USAF have lowered security clearance requirements for workers on the VC-25B “Air Force One” program. This change addresses longstanding workforce challenges and aims to reduce delays in the program.

A few weeks ago at the Palm Beach International Airport (PBI), POTUS 47 visited a 13-year-old Boeing 747-8 BBJ, formerly owned by Qatar's royal family.

IMHO this new Air Force One will just be a normal Boeing 747-8 BBJ with less sensitive systems (smaller C4I center in the upper deck, no AAR, no EMI protection, no foldbale boarding stairs in the cargo deck etc.) as originally planned, so that current US administration can use it before the end of its second term in January 2029. ;) :rolleyes:

Source (Paywall):

Boeing, USAF Lower Security Requirements For New Air Force One | Aviation Week Network

Until recently, almost all workers on the program needed a Yankee White security clearance.
aviationweek.com aviationweek.com
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As I've previously posted I used to work for Boeing. One of the things I saw while there is that the engineer who sat next to me spent a lot of hours coaching the VC-25B team on how to design an ADA compliant lavatory on the aircraft, but I digress...
 
First article I have seen giving the current issues on the VC-25B

* The flight handling characteristics arising from the change to the outer mold line have been computer modelled but not validated with test flights.
* Boeing are behind on wiring because of insufficient trained staff, exacerbated by them having to redo it.
* Windows; UK based GKN aerospace have struggled to meet the demanding specification for the windows but they are expected to be validated this summer. PPG Industries responsible for the Cockpit and flight deck windows however has demonstrated 'poor performance'.
* The change to the interior layout has increased noise levels on the plane, Boeing is assessing possible solutions.
* The fuselage stringers (longitudinal fuselage braces that provide stiffness and distribute loads) have cracks and are needing to be repaired.
* In addition Co-vid related delays, manpower shortages, change of interior supplier, insulation problems, wiring design delays, and anticipated lengthy future testing programme.

www.yahoo.com

Trump Wants a New Air Force One. Boeing Has About a Dozen Problems

(Bloomberg) -- Donald Trump has come, gone and returned to the White House, but Boeing Co. still hasn’t delivered the new Air Force One jet that he’s eager to board after it’s painted in a red, white and blue color scheme of his own invention.Most Read from BloombergTrump Administration Plans to...
www.yahoo.com www.yahoo.com
 
I wasn't entirely serious, Airbus Mobile never assembled anything bigger than A320s. Sierra Nevada Corporation in Dayton slipped my mind, they would be a much better candidate to help out.
 
www.bbc.com

Trump defends plan to use Qatari luxury jet for Air Force One

Trump says he'd be "stupid" to not accept the aircraft "free of charge", after Qatar denied it amounted to a gift.
www.bbc.com www.bbc.com

www.telegraph.co.uk

Qatar to give Trump $400m jet to replace Air Force One

Gift raises ethical and constitutional questions as US president prepares to tour Gulf states
www.telegraph.co.uk www.telegraph.co.uk

www.yahoo.com

Turning Qatar’s Gifted 747 Into Air Force One Will Be Anything But Free

Saying only a “stupid person” would turn down a free, highly-modified 747-8i airliner, President Donald Trump on Monday doubled down on his justification for receiving a donated jet from Qatar to serve as a presidential plane until Boeing completes delivery of two future VC-25B Air Force One...
www.yahoo.com www.yahoo.com

Regarding the VC-25B, from the last article:
The Air Force has “also relieved some of the security requirements for construction, for a production facility for a period of time,” Costello added. “It will not be a permanent relief, but that has enabled Boeing to be more efficient and productive in assembling the aircraft and … getting their mechanics to do the work, but we’re down to a few remaining issues that we have to work through, and we will hope to close out in the very near future and then we will have, I believe, a better estimate on the schedule.”
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That is likely to not end well...
 
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mkellytx said:
As I've previously posted I used to work for Boeing. One of the things I saw while there is that the engineer who sat next to me spent a lot of hours coaching the VC-25B team on how to design an ADA compliant lavatory on the aircraft, but I digress...
Click to expand...
Remember Clinton and his 'stealth crutches', and FDR for that matter. If the US will keep electing 80yos as President, accessibility is even more important than usual.

And getting an accessible toilet right isn't as obvious as it may seem, I've run into some real stupid errors over the years.
 
@Grey Havoc : especially that the staff re-routed to work on Qatar One will certainly be coming from those affected today on AF1... (think security clearance).
The great news for the Fana is that we will still probably see an US president fly onboard a VC-25 in the 22th Century...
 

One startling example: even if Qatar is (supposedly) a friendly country, that 747 will nonetheless have to be stripped to the bones just to check whether some wiretap sensors are not embedded here and there... Qatar or not, Trump or not, being privy to POTUS conversations is of interest for everybody and his dog.

Also the damn plane has no aerial refueling apparatus, which dooms it in case of apocalypse (nuclear, zombies, cordyceps, eurodance... whatever).
 
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