President Donald Trump’s new ride looks to be ready for its entry to service. The Boeing 747-8, which was donated by Qatar’s royal family as an upgrade from the 30-year-old 200 series Jumbo Jets that now serve as Air Force One, is out of paint and sporting the red, white and blue paint scheme similar to the model in the Oval Office. Texas photographer Travis Ghormley spotted the specially outfitted jet outside the paint shop in Waco earlier this week and posted it online.
It’s assumed that the new livery was the finishing touch for the aircraft, which has been under serious modification by L3Harris in Texas for almost a year. The so-called “Flying Palace” needed security system and communications upgrades to meet the needs of a traveling president and it would appear that was all accomplished ahead of schedule. The Air Force wanted to have the plane ready for the July 4 celebration of the U.S.’s 250th anniversary. Boeing is at least two years behind on its contract to build the two official replacement VC-25s. It’s not clear if the newish plane will be publicly celebrated as part of those festivities.
Leave it to the Great President Donald Trump to once again finish a project in record time and under budget with beautiful results. Just in time for his birthday this Sunday, June 14th, another reason to be flying our American flags across the nation that day. TDS sufferers, smell the roses and enjoy life in these United States.
How do you attribute this “project” to your “Great President Donald Trump” (sounds awfully lot like the North Korean “Great Leader Kim Jong Un”…)? Exactly what role dit he have in refurbishing an airplane? The project was given to a private firm, which did what it was requested.
And the American population still hasn’t been told exactly what did the government of Qatar get in return for “donating” an aircraft worth half a billion (with a B) dollars.
TDS? Trump Delusion Syndrome? A common MAGA ailment…😁
We’re all pilots and plane lovers here; we all have a lot in common that we could have fun chatting about… Kent, the fact that you raced in here before anyone said anything and started barking “TDS” at everyone in the very first comment, well, it’s something you must care about a lot, but it’s just kinda sad.
Hope you’re doing OK…
Anti-American boomer meltdown in 3….2….1….
What’s anti-American is labeling not approving of a particular leader or his actions to being anti-American. That right is in fact, fundamentally and foundationally American.
This airplane should definitely do a flyover at Oshkosh!
Yet another colossal waste of taxpayer money.
It was donated, genius.
The complete refurb, paint job, electronic communications suite, self defense suite, and everything else to make it usable for POTUS was NOT donated. Like I said, a colossal waste of taxpayer money. Where’s the Epstein files? How’s Iran coming along? Past time to wake up.
…and it goes to his “library” after his term is up.
There exists no such thing as “free lunch”. It takes a very special level of naïve to believe that the state of Qatar gifted USA an airplane with zero strings attached.
It is profoundly troubling that the government never disclosed what the state of Qatar was promised in return for this “donation”.
In the history of America, no government has ever accepted a gift from another government of such massive value. To call it unprecedented is a colossal understatement. And it seems, for a current government, it’s just another Thursday.
Wasn’t the Statue of Liberty a gift from the French government and of very significant value in its day?
It certainly was, and it came with many strings attached.
Its value (adjusted for inflation) was nowhere near the one from Qatar.
Still significant value even if not as high. I’m sure the 747 has strings attached as well, just more opaque.
Geunius, donations are not donations. They are transactions.
Did I miss when the VC-25A broke down and left Trump stranded?
Flying Palace? No, Flying Payoff would be a better name.
Lol, this comment section is like watching Rachel Maddow interview Scott Jennings.
Kiwi, so no dog in this fight ….. but what part of this aircraft bring donated by a foreign country sits easily with you Kent?
Russ knows how to elicit emotional comments. An article we’ll return to many times over the next few days, just to watch a bunch of adults from the not quite so united states call each other names.
😆😂😆
Sigh. Like, the demise of so many other great aviation briefings, the comment section has devolved into the political quagmire and hijacked by absolute ideologues (or idiots as I call them) on both sides. Kent’s comment was nauseating and of course provoking, and sure enough within 2 spins of the prop, here comes the other side.
Don’t folks see how idiotic their statements are? Is everyone so blinded by their prejudice to their cause, that they can’t enjoy the good writing on AvBrief of Russ trying to walk down the middle and just write about the story?
I read the story twice to try to find Russ’ bias and I could tell he crafted it as neutral as is possible in today’s world. But it didn’t matter.
Frankly, folks on the right and left, I’m tired of your BS and bloviating. It really makes you look unintelligent, narrow-minded, and clueless about our shared love of all things aviation. The freedom of flight we enjoy in this country is unprecedented in today’s world and how about we work together to preserve it.
Yes, enjoy or don’t enjoy the airplane as you see fit. Like it’s new color or don’t. But, looking at it, it is one large mutha. Is it the largest aircraft, or do bigger ones exist?
They call B-747 the Queen of the Sky.
There IS a bigger, more majestic and elegant passenger airplane out there, and it is Airbus A-380, the King of the Sky.
Frankly, I’m tired of the lack of critical thinking by commenters who think political both-sidesism—or false equivalence— is a harmless or neutral viewpoint.
This false balance poses many major dangers, not the least of which is eroding public trust in objective facts – it also encourages passivity, inhibits journalistic integrity and suppresses civic engagement.
It’s naive and uninformed to think aviation isn’t greatly affected by politics, and that unbiased vigilance is constantly needed and frankly, ‘really makes you look unintelligent, narrow-minded, and clueless.’
The paint scheme reminds me of the Queen’s Royal yacht “Brittania” with a dark blue hull, a gold stripe just below the bulwarks and white topsides. There was no name painted on her ship when it served her. Nice choice of livery.