That might be a good look for Ditty but it's a bit over the top for any normal person.

Irreverence is a powerful talent.

... into building AF-1s. That it wasn't built to AF-1s specifications. That it will take months and millions to make it meet specifications for an AF-1.

U-2s and B-52s flying are more than 40 years old. The age has little to with a plane, how it was maintained and modified does. There's already another AF-1 under construction at Boeing.

Personally, I hope he flies to Valhalla on this plane.

No there isn't.

Boeing has shuttered the 747 production. The last airframe was delivered in January of 2023 to Atlas Air, a cargo airline. No further 747's will be built.

There is a lot of misinformation on DU about the "new" Air Force 1 aircraft that will replace the current 747 - 200's

Boeing did have a contract to construct two new air frames specifically for the Air Force and the role as presidential transport, but Trumpy famously scrapped that order in his first term and forced the Air Force to purchase two existing aircraft that were originally destined for a Russian airline. Those were never delivered because the airline when belly up, and those two planes were ferried to the Southern California Logistics Airport in Victorville, CA. for high desert storage.

Trumpy, in all his infinite wisdom, thought he would save the taxpayers money by purchasing two existing planes instead of having Boeing build two new ones, but these two were constructed as passenger airplanes, not built with the AF1 mission in mind.

As a result, they had to be stripped to their frame rails, if you'll excuse the auto reference, and completely rewired with shielded components and wiring and other modifications to comply with, among other things, the anti electromagnetic pulse capabilities the Air Force requires for the flying White House. This has resulted in massive cost overruns for Boeing because their original contract would have allowed them to build the planes with the right equipment to begin with. Not to mention the original contractor engaged to do the work went belly up if I remember correctly and they have had a hard time finding enough workers that can pass security clearances to retrofit these two planes.

So like everything Trumpy touches, the whole program has turned to a steaming pile of shit, and because he is a fucking toddler, he wants his shiny new planes NOW! So the Qatari plane entered the picture.

But I doubt seriously the Air Force or the Secret Service will ever let him fly on it while president. Not unless it underwent a similar massive refit.

To retrofit this flying palace

say that Boeing is building "new" planes.

In fact, in this article linked in the story you linked, on page 5 in the timeline of events, it states "Aug 2017 Purchased two (2) 747-8 commercial aircraft from Boeing." Which are the two passenger planes originally destined for the Russian airline. I could get you the tail numbers and/or the serial numbers if you need them.

They are overseeing the modifications and using contractors, but that work is being done in San Antonio, not at the Boeing Everett facility where the planes were assembled.

and I seriously hope the Secret Service can keep him off the damn thing or let him fly alone with rented pilots from Saudi Arabia.
Then hopefully, they will just take him away.
That way, his troubles and this nation's troubles will be alleviated.

And not for war zeroes or depraved people. So why would he go there?

Me, personally? I’d like him to fly in it to Deigo García in the middle of the Indian Ocean and park it there. With him on board. No flight crew. No fuel. But plenty of survival gear and written directions on how to use it to get food and stay alive

Wrong. It would be a loan, NOT a gift to military. It IS a gift to the Mango Mussolini because it would devolve to him in three years.

It would take a couple of years to convert it into the command center the planes have to be. Then more money to rip that out.

It is likely riddled with Qatari bugs that would be tapped on the ground by the Russians / Chinese.

Welcome to DU, I think. Yes, it is just you, and you posted a simplistic talking point.

From what I have read, the Air Force figured that with the extended range the dash 8 had over the -200's, mid-air refueling was not needed. So the two new ones will not have the receptacle installed.

They may have since changed that spec, but I read an article about this back in his first term.

After Trump is out of office, the plane is to be donate to his presidential library, and he retains the use of it. Furthermore, it's going to cost hundreds of millions of taxpayer money to retrofit it for security and survivability standards, not to mention tearing down to the studs to check for bugs and such, which will take a couple of years and even then it may not have the complete package that you get from building the plane from scratch.

Also, it will entail drawing from the highly specialized labor pool already at work building the new AF1's, delaying those projects even longer.

Not to mention that this is all illegal under the emollients clause.

What this plane is going to be once all us said and done is a replacement for Trump's personal plane. It might serve as AF1 for a few months at the end of Trump's presidency, but in reality this is going to serve as Trump's personal plane. It isn't free, but it is an illegal bribe.

Where is Epstien.

It has been in service since 2012 - so it is an accurate description.

Keep reminding Trump that his gift is really just a used, hand-me-down from the Thanis. He doesn't get a nice, shiny new one like George Bush got back in 1990. See how long that takes to get to him.

However the lack of en banc outrage with strategic action from the Democrat party is the weakest and most subservient.

I remember stories in the 90's I think that talked about how riddled with spyware some of the old embassies were because the USA allowed other countries to help build them.
Why isn't anyone talking about the spying possibilities especially since the Middle East as a group has gotten more Russia friendly with OPEC+.
He is such a sucker and loser.

Let him pay for it out of his own pocket...

That amount of money is pocket change to the Muskrat.

That will be the day...

He needs to stay grounded in the White House and no more wasting our tax dollars.