It seems that the European produced Airbus A380 is being contemplated as the replacement for the Boeing 747 used to carry the President and his staff all over the world. The reasons cited are increased economy and the aging frame of the 747 fleet.

A380 - a real behemoth - and not the best record during its build cycle

the President’s ride - it has been decided it is long in the tooth, and a gas hog besides

While keeping the planes up to snuff, and energy efficient, I’m not sure moving to a larger plane is the way to do it. This is much like moving from a 31′ Winnebago to a Greyhound bus, to carry around your family of 6. Somehow, if President Kennedy got by on a B707, I should think that one of the smaller, more efficient planes from Boeing, like the 757, or 777,  would do the trick.

While some would speak of all the electronics equipment that must be loaded, along with people and their carry on items, it must be remembered that in all forms of electronics today, things are shrinking at a frenetic pace. What took a 10′ x 12′ x 8′ room years ago is able to be put on the lap of even the smallest child today.

Another thing worth thinking about is the less than adequate record of the A380, which has had many documented problems, and has been dropped by other firms. Both UPS and FedEx have dumped orders for A380s, in favor of other planes.

C - 5 Galaxy, basically a military 747. Used as a big lifter, it could be replaced by the larger and more efficient A380, but does that really show national spirit?

While the A380 could be used to replace the fleet of Galaxy planes, it really doesn’t show commitment to U.S. companies, if our military purchases planes not made domestically.

While it truly has become a world economy, with products from every nation being used in almost every other nation, does it need to be debated that military hardware should not be purchased from non-domestic producers?

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[tags] Airbus A380, Boeing 747, C-5 Galaxy, military purchases, UPS, FedEx, Winnebago, Greyhound bus [/tags]