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highplainsdem

(55,159 posts)
Wed Feb 19, 2025, 09:07 PM Feb 19

A Frustrated Trump Wants His New Air Force One Planes Pronto

Source: NYT

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.

-snip-

Boeing’s executives have indicated to the government that they might not be able to deliver the new Air Force Ones until the end of Mr. Trump’s second term. But Mr. Musk, who is known for setting aggressive — in some cases unachievable — deadlines at his companies, has insisted that at least one of the planes can be delivered within a year’s time.

Officials involved in the project — a complicated feat of engineering that requires the plane to be capable of evading certain missile attacks or surviving the fallout from a nuclear blast — regard Mr. Musk’s timeline as unrealistic.

-snip-

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/19/us/politics/trump-musk-air-force-one-boeing.html



According to the article, Trump has told people that if Musk "can fly a rocket" (NYT's wording, not a direct quote) then he "can probably figure out an airplane" (again, the NYT's wording, not a direct quote, but I wouldn't be surprised if one of their sources told them these were Trump's words).

Such genius. Both Musk and Trump.

If Musk does succeed in getting the plane's production rushed, it would be only fitting if he and Trump were alone on Trump's first flight. Musk as pilot. He "can probably figure out" how to become a pilot in a short time, if he doesn't already have a pilot's license. Trump could wear a pilot's uniform and pretend he's a pilot. It would be so much more awesome than Trump in a truck...and what a chapter in their bromance! I'd recommend a long first flight east, maybe to South Africa. Musk could keep Trump entertained with stories of his apartheid-loving pilot grandfather, and Trump could talk about his grandfather the brothel owner. It would be a flight for the ages, and they could probably sell film rights...
39 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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A Frustrated Trump Wants His New Air Force One Planes Pronto (Original Post) highplainsdem Feb 19 OP
WHAT?????????????? montanacowboy Feb 19 #1
I'm sure it is fine to ship today Bluetus Feb 19 #2
Today is a great day to ship BonnieJW Feb 19 #13
Can it take off? Danascot Feb 20 #23
I'll second that... Wuddles440 Feb 19 #3
Give the man his planes! tanyev Feb 19 #4
By all means...get it to him as quickly as possible! EarthFirst Feb 19 #5
Can someone give him a rattle and a binkie? sakabatou Feb 19 #6
He can just use the DENVERPOPS Feb 20 #16
Git 'er done, me boys! JoseBalow Feb 19 #7
Oh do it do it do it... Marie Marie Feb 19 #8
Rush that plane! The way things are going so far truthisfreedom Feb 19 #9
Faster, faster, skip a few things, won't matter. defacto7 Feb 19 #10
If there was ever a time to take short cuts, it's now, Boeing. Buddyzbuddy Feb 19 #11
PLEASE, GO FOR IT! orangecrush Feb 19 #12
Please, Boeing. Move faster. LudwigPastorius Feb 19 #14
Maybe they can take a few shortcuts. Turbineguy Feb 20 #15
Come fly with me. usonian Feb 20 #17
He wants Boeing the hurry up and slap something together? JohnnyRingo Feb 20 #18
He's probably promised one of them to Putin! Nt Hope22 Feb 20 #19
Just give him the plane "as is"!!! IzzaNuDay Feb 20 #20
Just save money and skimp on some of the more vital safety features DFW Feb 20 #21
Give them to him now liberalgunwilltravel Feb 20 #22
The comvicted felon bdamomma Feb 20 #24
Let him bdamomma Feb 20 #25
Go for it. Get the new AF1s put together and out the door as fast as possible. Ocelot II Feb 20 #26
Give himRFN malaise Feb 20 #27
Put a rush on it!...Get it done quickly.... MiHale Feb 20 #28
It will sport two right wings instead...... SergeStorms Feb 20 #30
It may fly in circles...rather fitting. MiHale Feb 20 #31
It would be a shame..... SergeStorms Feb 20 #29
Some quick flying lessons and musk should be good to go! Omnipresent Feb 20 #32
What's wrong with the plane he's got?? I thought they were into "cost cutting" to the point of mass firings Rhiannon12866 Feb 20 #33
Trump bought two unsold civilian planes instead of new military spec ones... Historic NY Feb 20 #34
What does he need a plane that big for? milestogo Feb 20 #35
Penis envy Historic NY Feb 20 #38
Of course, if it's anything like the Cybertruck, it probably can't take off in the snow. SKKY Feb 20 #36
Give him his plane, if there are any extra parts doc03 Feb 20 #37
Faster.... FASTER!!!! Blue Owl Feb 20 #39

montanacowboy

(6,469 posts)
1. WHAT??????????????
Wed Feb 19, 2025, 09:11 PM
Feb 19

relax the security requirements, by all means proceed quickly!!!!
bwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

Bluetus

(866 posts)
2. I'm sure it is fine to ship today
Wed Feb 19, 2025, 09:13 PM
Feb 19

Just to make sure, Elon should fire anybody involved in the project, particularly anybody holding up any safety testing results.

BonnieJW

(2,838 posts)
13. Today is a great day to ship
Wed Feb 19, 2025, 11:03 PM
Feb 19

A little super glue, some fishing line, and shipping tape and it's good to go.

Danascot

(4,997 posts)
23. Can it take off?
Thu Feb 20, 2025, 07:36 AM
Feb 20

Then it's good to go. Those other details will take care of themselves.

EarthFirst

(3,580 posts)
5. By all means...get it to him as quickly as possible!
Wed Feb 19, 2025, 09:20 PM
Feb 19

“I’m sure he can figure it out…” -works for me!

Safe travels!

DENVERPOPS

(11,591 posts)
16. He can just use the
Thu Feb 20, 2025, 12:58 AM
Feb 20

existing 747 AirForce planes..........

The real issue here, is that he spec'd the exterior paint job, and Biden cancelled it.......
Trump wanted three horizontal Red, White and Blue stripes...

(The same as the Russian Flag, just in a different order, so it wouldn't upset people for him being so obvious about who ordered him to do that.)

Marie Marie

(10,126 posts)
8. Oh do it do it do it...
Wed Feb 19, 2025, 09:37 PM
Feb 19

cut every cost, regulatory, safety and quality corner you can. Slap that bitch together with Elmer's and scotch tape. Let geriatric hamsters run the engines. Our King wants what he wants when he wants it and I say give it to him. Hee hee hee....

Buddyzbuddy

(623 posts)
11. If there was ever a time to take short cuts, it's now, Boeing.
Wed Feb 19, 2025, 10:13 PM
Feb 19

DOGE would want you to cut costs. Throw in a little gremlin while you're at it.

usonian

(16,854 posts)
17. Come fly with me.
Thu Feb 20, 2025, 02:11 AM
Feb 20

Crew hastily learns to fly, design, build and test airplanes in one day.



IT'S FULLY SELF-FLYING
NOTHING COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG


And no chance of gremlins on Mutring airplanes (MuskTrumpBoeing abbreviation)



Enjoy

JohnnyRingo

(19,791 posts)
18. He wants Boeing the hurry up and slap something together?
Thu Feb 20, 2025, 02:59 AM
Feb 20

Boeing?!
I don't see how this could go south. haha

DFW

(57,626 posts)
21. Just save money and skimp on some of the more vital safety features
Thu Feb 20, 2025, 06:11 AM
Feb 20

Make sure that it's just Trump, Musk, some of his cabinet, and a Russian crew on the first few test flights, and make them long ones to test endurance--polar route flights to Moscow and back, for example. Not that I wish anyone ill, of course, oh, no, nothing like that. But it's kind of an exclusive occasion, so only the inner circle should be along. Hegseth, Bondi, Rubio, Bobby Jr., Noem, Gabbard, and of course, his trusty VP and the House Speaker.

Trump appears to be in a really big hurry to get this done, so to hell with expensive, time consuming safety backups. Leave those for the next plane's "libbrul" CiC.

bdamomma

(67,847 posts)
24. The comvicted felon
Thu Feb 20, 2025, 07:51 AM
Feb 20

baby wants his toys. He's a convicted isn't he not supposed to fly outside the country?

Ocelot II

(123,950 posts)
26. Go for it. Get the new AF1s put together and out the door as fast as possible.
Thu Feb 20, 2025, 07:59 AM
Feb 20

There's no need for security clearances for anybody who works on them. And don't waste time on inspections; I'm sure they'll be just fine, and Trump and Musk should have the honor of taking delivery personally.

MiHale

(11,439 posts)
28. Put a rush on it!...Get it done quickly....
Thu Feb 20, 2025, 08:11 AM
Feb 20

No need to have employees with questionable security issues rejected if they’re willing to hurry up and get stuff done.
Paint it so it stands out in the sky, leaving no doubt who’s in that plane. Not one of those workers would leave a bolt loose or a wire crossed.

Will the plane have a left wing?

SergeStorms

(19,538 posts)
30. It will sport two right wings instead......
Thu Feb 20, 2025, 08:30 AM
Feb 20

since The Big Orange Fascist Pig has declared anything left of Hitler illegal.

SergeStorms

(19,538 posts)
29. It would be a shame.....
Thu Feb 20, 2025, 08:27 AM
Feb 20

if Boeing forgot some crucial parts in their haste to give His Assholiness his planes. Yep........a real shame.

Rhiannon12866

(231,316 posts)
33. What's wrong with the plane he's got?? I thought they were into "cost cutting" to the point of mass firings
Thu Feb 20, 2025, 09:03 AM
Feb 20

Historic NY

(38,738 posts)
34. Trump bought two unsold civilian planes instead of new military spec ones...
Thu Feb 20, 2025, 09:31 AM
Feb 20

747s are no longer produced. the last 747-8F freight variant was delivered in 2023

They need to be fitted with hardware and systems, for defense and avoidance of threats. An aerial refueling system. Thousands a miles of wiring. The Air force wasn't keen on the conversion, rather than bespoke, but dumbo wanted the biggest target he could get.

The current two took four years to outfit and complete. They were purpose built, these aren't.

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