this post was submitted on 15 May 2025
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The Boeing 747-8 being offered to Donald Trump by Qatar once served the Qatari royal family and has been sitting unsold for years.

The jet, a lavishly configured version of Boeing's largest passenger aircraft, has been lingering without a buyer since being put up for sale in 2020, according to aircraft listings and aviation analysts.

John Goglia, a former member of the National Transportation Safety Board, told Forbes that giving the 747-8 to the U.S. would allow the Qataris to avoid maintenance costs that were only getting higher—with the 747 fleet shrinking worldwide and fewer mechanics available who know how to work on them.

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[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 5 points 5 hours ago
[–] obinice@lemmy.world 16 points 9 hours ago (2 children)

I'm curious how they would convert this to be a functional Air Force One plane.

That aircraft is disassembled and reassembled almost entirely on a regular basis to keep it in tip top shape and find sabotage and issues, etc.

It's also equipped specially with military defences, and of course has an onboard suite of equipment and personnel to run a war from the sky, in air refuelling, etc etc.

It's an EXTREMELY specialised version of that very reliable aircraft, is what I'm saying.

How would they bring this new plane up to that standard, and why should they waste tax money on doing so? What's the benefit to the nation?

It all seems ridiculous from the outside looking in. It seems that they're just trying to appease a stupid man who thinks like a dodgy car salesman, and thus is happy to accept big dumb bribes, always getting the worst end of a deal, when the smarter people play him over and over.

...no?

[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 4 points 5 hours ago

How would they bring this new plane up to that standard

Spoilers: They absolutely will not be bringing this death trap up to the current plane's standards.

This will either site on a tarmac largely forgotten about for four years, at which point Trump will try and off-load it (if he hasn't completely forgotten he owns it). Or it'll become one of those "never going to be finished" government vanity projects that becomes an excuse to write blank checks to Boeing for billing statements littered with "Headlight Fluid: $4k, Crank Shaft Lengthening Service: $20k" line items.

Absolute best case scenario, someone in the administration actually tries to fly in this thing before the term is complete. And we all get to laugh (or cry, depending on who it lands on) on reading the consequences.

It seems that they’re just trying to appease a stupid man who thinks like a dodgy car salesman, and thus is happy to accept big dumb bribes

That's who Americans believe is best able to run our country. We have been kicking and screaming for the last 40 years to have the US run like a business. And what other business best exemplifies the US than Used Car Dealership?

[–] Dasus@lemmy.world 5 points 8 hours ago

What's the benefit to the nation?

Why do you even jokingly use a framework in which you're assuming the current US government does anything "for the nation" instead of themselves?

And also, they're just gonna ward off attacks with, uhm... gilded smoothie machines and massaging chairs.

[–] Lushed_Lungfish@lemmy.ca 2 points 5 hours ago

Dare I hope that with the recent failures in the FAA and the shit condition of this plane, we may have some good news in the future?

[–] Doctor_Satan@lemm.ee 8 points 9 hours ago

Jesus fucking Christ... Qatar is basically a scumbag real estate agent conning an idiot into buying a condemned shack in a swamp as a "cozy waterfront getaway", but on a colossally stupid level.

[–] Philharmonic3@lemmy.world 31 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

I have a submarine to sell this guy

[–] Tja@programming.dev 1 points 9 hours ago

A white elephant.

[–] Halcyon@discuss.tchncs.de 40 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

Soon Musk will offer Trump a special Cybertruck as a replacement for The Beast. Because he doesn't know what to do with all those swasticars nobody buys anymore.

[–] InputZero@lemmy.world 16 points 16 hours ago (2 children)

I wonder at what price point it becomes worth it to buy his swasticars and chop them up for parts. That's assuming that the parts aren't so poorly made that no one would want them. I have some nifty ideas for a battery pack that big, which would probably burn down my house.

[–] ego@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 6 hours ago

I would guess the only decent thing in it is the Tesla motors. Body is riddled with issues. Batteries as well. And all the electronics are proprietary and for the most part not repurposable.

I look forward to a picture sometime in the future of a field of stripped out swastikars waiting to be crushed.

[–] SabinStargem@lemmy.today 6 points 12 hours ago (3 children)

Rig them with remote controls, and then hold a competition. Each contest, different winning conditions and course are used. Month 1, modify the cars with weapons and duke it out. The next, a marathon where the car with the most distance is the victor, the third a destruction derby, and so forth.

It would be way more fun than a Mr. Beast show, I tell ya.

[–] muusemuuse@lemm.ee 3 points 6 hours ago

I see your giant RC car idea and raise you cybertrck demolition derby.

[–] Buddahriffic@lemmy.world 4 points 10 hours ago

And every year, sand takes the trophy.

[–] InputZero@lemmy.world 1 points 8 hours ago

I see nothing wrong with this.

[–] geneva_convenience@lemmy.ml 11 points 15 hours ago (4 children)

To meet Air Force One standards, the plane would need extensive modifications, including secure communications, nuclear blast shielding and missile defense systems.

Nuclear blast shielding?

[–] markovs_gun@lemmy.world 18 points 12 hours ago

EMP shielding. Nuclear explosions release an absolutely insane amount of electromagnetic energy and it fries electronics. This is actually where the first EMP was observed - a high altitude nuclear test fried a bunch of electronics. The idea is that it needs to be able to keep flying even if a nuclear blast goes off even quite some distance away. There's obviously no way to actually nuke proof a plane, it would get vaporized or knocked out of the sky if it were close to the epicenter.

[–] Parsizzle@lemm.ee 9 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

I think they have systems in place to stop EMPs from affecting and potentially taking down AirForce One, and nuclear blasts create EMPs that if left otherwise unshielded would do exactly that.

[–] Syd@lemm.ee 2 points 12 hours ago

There's also hardening from nuclear radiation.

[–] Bytemeister@lemmy.world 3 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

That's just the shit they are willing to tell you about.

I legit would not be surprised if there was a secret ejection capsule for the president and some staff that could rocket out of the plane and get caught in mid-air by one of the escort planes.

[–] hakunawazo@lemmy.world 5 points 12 hours ago

Then they just need him:

[–] pupbiru@aussie.zone 6 points 15 hours ago

i gonna make an assumption here and say probably EMP resistance?

[–] mavu@discuss.tchncs.de 8 points 16 hours ago

see, thats the difference between a smart leader and a rube.

[–] El_guapazo@lemmy.world 87 points 1 day ago (1 children)

It's the modem day white elephant. Lol

[–] fulcrummed@lemmy.world 28 points 23 hours ago (1 children)

I had to do a double take. I thought your comment might have had an issue with keming…

[–] And009@lemmynsfw.com 10 points 21 hours ago (2 children)

Wait a minute... What's modem

[–] AtariDump@lemmy.world 2 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

I don’t know; what’s modem?

[–] postmateDumbass@lemmy.world 3 points 9 hours ago

Beeeeeeeeeeeep.

[–] nibble4bits@lemmy.dbzer0.com 8 points 21 hours ago

As long as it's Hayes compatible.

[–] RamblingPanda@lemmynsfw.com 207 points 1 day ago (18 children)

Trump is even bad at being bribed... 🙄

[–] Ledericas@lemm.ee 5 points 19 hours ago

not even asking for new items, is also Used and expensive. even his older jets/planes he has is very old.

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[–] NABDad@lemmy.world 35 points 1 day ago (8 children)

My in-laws used to do this.

I love them, but every time they bought something new, they'd give us the old one like it wasn't something they were getting rid of. Easier to give it to us than throw it away.

The last time was a sofa and a love seat. We were stuck with the most uncomfortable furniture I've ever had in my life.

[–] Sir_Simon_Spamalot@lemmy.world 11 points 18 hours ago (5 children)

If you don't like it, why would you take it?

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[–] MuskyMelon@lemmy.world 46 points 1 day ago (6 children)

It'd be funny if the US decides to accept the plane and then Boeing spends the next 4 years retrofitting it with all the military communications and air defense features that the typical Air Force One carries. Then if Trump leaves office, because of military secrets, they spend the next 4 years stripping it back down to civilian level and he dies before ever getting to use it.

[–] darkdemize@sh.itjust.works 36 points 1 day ago (1 children)

As a US taxpayer, I don't find that very amusing. Well, other than the part where Trump dies.

[–] pupbiru@aussie.zone 3 points 15 hours ago

nothing about this is amusing, but wasting your money is better than using your money to oppress you and minorities

hell yknow what, literally burning your money is better than having the same amount funnel into corruption

[–] tigeruppercut@lemmy.zip 2 points 16 hours ago

I just hope there are enough people working in the section tasked with inspecting the plane who hate Dump's fucking guts, so the schedule gets drawn out indefinitely. "Oh yes sir boss man, we made good progress today on that plane. Got at least 3 screws checked for structural soundness! Maybe tomorrow we'll have time to check out like 5 more."

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[–] sfled@lemm.ee 10 points 23 hours ago* (last edited 23 hours ago) (1 children)

I guess he finally realized that a 747 really is bigger and faster that his 757.

[–] RamblingPanda@lemmynsfw.com 2 points 15 hours ago

But number more huge!

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