What about Trump's 757?

History on his 757 is that it was originally ordered by Ansett (AWAS) to be leased. It was bought by Paul Allen (Vulcan Aviation) as a white tail from Ansett. Outfitted by Associated Air Center at Dallas-Love Field in the early 1990s. Very nicely done by Associated. Trump bought it from Allen for no more than $15 mil. In typical Trump fashion, made a list of discrepancies and then highly inflated prices to do the fixes. For some reason Allen wanted the aircraft gone and accepted the low price.

Trump then had the refurbishment done but very little of the configuration was changed. Whatever looks like gold is only plated.

Whenever the aircraft is parted out or converted to a freighter the old interior is headed for the dumpster, There is no value in those items.

 

lol Pay MSRP = Good. Haggle with the Seller to get best deal = Bad

 

Why I said that Allen definitely wanted the aircraft gone. Anyone with aviation knowledge that would have been around Allen would have known that Trump's offer and cost claims for the corrective actions were suspect.

I visited the shop that Trump used for the aircraft's maintenance as an evaluation for another VIP Boeing. We easily rejected the place as way too disorganized, dirty and an inattentive owner; a dirt bag operation fitting for dirt bag operators.

 

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It's interesting that the perception of non aviation public opinion above is that " the plane requires costly repairs'. All aircraft require costly repairs. My only experience is corporate aircraft, and in a world of replacing blades in a Citation from Cessna, that blade package is $192,000.00 per engine, labor is extra. Or how about a yoke overhaul in a Falcon, that's about $300,000.00. Does the journalist from the MSN article above comprehend these prices?
Gary Bobileff

 

That facility had a string of the cheap dirt bag operators. Many of their clients were VIP 727s - which is a bad sign. Maintenance costs that can quickly exceed the value of the aircraft.

 

I worked on the 747SP for the King of Saudi Arabia in 1978. I can tell you every piece of "gold" in that plane was also "only" plated. I know... I designed some of them!

That plane was the first to have removed the spiral staircase with a straight one, which was adopted by almost all airlines. The Saudi's thought it was immodest to be able to look up the dresses of those walking up the stairs. So they paid for the modification which pretty much became standard in the 80s. This was "a big freakin' deal" to do. Someone told me it was like 60 million alone in R and D costs.

That plane also had a fully working medical operating room. It was an SP so it could fly non-stop from Saudi Arabia to Cleveland Ohio where his heart doctor was. It had almost no cargo storage because a 707 flew behind it bringing whatever they needed.

Its good to be the King!

 

The SP was a hot rod, too, and could get there in a hurry. Because of the performance, especially at altitude, we initially looked at one for Airborne Laser, but there was not enough space for the chemical, oxygen, iodine laser and the crew.

 

I worked on that program, the AOA. A monstrous project.

 

It’s funny: if you weren’t big before 1995 and the internet, you no longer exist in current memory.

Does anyone know anything about Dave Sandler brokering a deal between Trump and Boeing? It happened. But it may also have been earlier 737s.

Matt

 

I don't know the name Dave Sandler but in the way back I was acquainted with George Garrells. He was the Boeing salesmen that handled VIP requests in the days of the 727s and 737s (all pre-BBJs).Mostly his response would be to say which leasing companies would sell their positions because the waiting line was too long for most VIP buyers.

Trump's first Boeing was the 727 that came from Diamond Shamrock. He did a refurbishment of it.
He sold that when he was on the verge of bankruptcy. It was bought by a Saudi family. I redid it for them at Page Avjet.
That family traded the aircraft against some Challenger. [They also bought a new Boeing 737-500 for VIP conversion]
Trump bought the 727 back from Bombardier.

Trump Shuttle got the 727s that came with the acquisition of the shuttle operation from Eastern.

As described previously Trump bought the 757 from Paul Allen.

Trump did not buy any of his aircraft as new from Boeing.

 

Posts like this are how you fall down the Googling and reading rabbit hole. Thanks LOL.

 

I worked on the ABL program when it first got started. Unfortunately cancelled just when USAF was making real progress. Would have been perfect for shutting down any North Korean missile launches.

 

Based on what I just read on wikipedia, it seems like a very useful item, and seemed like they were on track to make it work. Too bad. What a cool project.

 

Different program, different airplane

 

AOA= Airborne Optical Adjunct, was an airborne laser anti missile telescope. It was initially mounted in a 767 and eventually on a 747. Did I miss something?

 

Can you show a pic of the AOA on a 747? Can't seem to find anything about the AOA program and the 747.

 

Bob- ABL was a much later project with a huge megawatt class COIL laser and a 1.5 meter adaptive optics mirror on the nose, plus a YAG laser to measure variations in the atmosphere. The mirror segments took clues from atmospheric distortion to straighten out the COIL laser beam. Different program from AOA, which was much earlier and was designed mainly to track ballistic missiles. ABL was a boost phase system that needed to be fairly close to the launch site. I did source selection for ABL, and the two primary competitors were Boeing and Rockwell just about the time they merged, so Boeing/Rockwell won. AOA below.


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Thanks. I was in error....but close. I lost track of all that after AOA but I do remember seeing a picture of the telescope in a 747SP . The poor 767 was on its knees and breathing hard to support the weight and power requirements of that system. I had the same problem with the hours that I had to put in.

 

I was wrong about that. I do remember seeing a picture of it somewhere, though. maybe a proposal.

 

Okay, thanks for getting me straightened out. I probably saw the image of the nose mounted mirror somewhere. My involvement in that stuff was about 40 years ago, I think.

 

I know that I have posted this some time ago but i even had to do a painting of the initial AOA version that was published in Aviation Week. Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Paul had two 757s at one time. I think by the time he let the last one go (to Trump), he was already sick and the price was not a huge deal. Also, Paul had a rep for running through aviation people quickly, especially at the management level-- as he had quite a large operation, back in the day.

As for Trump, looks like he's back in the Citation X for the forseeable future.

 

I knew one of Allen's maintenance people; had worked with him at Page Avjet. He told how Allen was socially inept. When he had started he would e on the aircraft as part o the crew saying hello to Allen as he boarded. At first he too it poorly that there would not be an acknowledgement of any Welcome Aboard pleasantries. As time went on it turned into Allen had just never "learned" that it was a polite gesture to say anything back or at least do a nod as he headed to his seat.