I recently ran across the homepage for a National Geographic special on Air Force One, the name given to whichever of the two custom-built Air Force Boeing 747-200s is carrying the President of the United States and entourage.
This is a very interesting quote about it on the home page:
"The personification -the living symbol- of the Constitution, of this freedom-loving land, and all the people who live in it."
Jack Valenti, Aide to U.S. President Lyndon Johnson
Well, Jack, maybe it was back in your day when the president traveled on a rather humble B707 (which I've toured ... it truly is humble.).
Today, however, Air Force One is extravagant airborne bloviation, Pimp My Ride taken aloft at 500 knots.
I'm not talking about the electronic countermeasures and security. I'm talking about the luxury, right down to gold-plated seatbelt buckles and the presidential seal stamped on everything a visitor might touch. I'm talking about cramming the fuselage with cronies, and handing certificates to the people that get to visit or fly on it. "Coongratulations, mere mortal! You've been to Mount Olympus."
JFK could weather the Cuban Missile Crisis on his homely three by three. Can a modern president not function without being draped in expensive luxury? And guess what? The B747 doesn't seem to be good enough: The Air Force has actually considered replacing it with the even more gargantuan Airbus A380.
I really hope that doesn't happen. But I do think the current B747-200s should go out to pasture, and I think President-Elect Obama could make a real statement with his choice. If I were whispering in his ear, here's what I'd tell him:
Wait for Boeing to finish the 787. Order one with all the capabilities it needs, minus the useless luxury. Don't make it bare-bones, but make it sensible. Make a visitor aboard feel that this is the aircraft of a person who's here to serve, not here to be served. I think that a president with such a multinational background can also make another vital statement with the 787 - he's supporting an American company, but on a project that unites nations across the globe in one effort (not to mention that it will be the most fuel-efficient plane of its size ever).
Granted, the current Air Force One clones make a statement of wealth and power everywhere they go. There are few aircraft more striking, that arrest such attention just in the common act of rumbling down a taxiway. But imagine a 787 as Air Force One: Progressive, innovative, efficient and maybe -just maybe- a touch more humble than we used to be. Let's just hope that our government could live up to that plane's statement.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
'Cause you're probably sicking of reading about elections...
It you've ever spent time among Australians in their natural habitat, you'll notice that there is a stereotypical Australian bloke. And most of his characteristics are good.
He's not politically correct, but he doesn't care how other people lives their lives. He might not read "important" literature, but he has a practical sensibility. He tries not to let people get under him. He also won't think twice about trying to turn a stranger into a new friend.
The Australian film Kenny perfectly captures this creature. The title character works for a company called Splashdown that provides portable toilets for events of all sizes. Kenny knows his job's not glamorous - but until people stop dropping edgars a few hours after they eat, he also knows it's important. The movie takes him from event to event, handling everything that drops his way in the manner of the aforementioned stereotypical bloke - whether that's someone starting his porta-loos on fire, a father that's disappointed in him, a shrew of an ex-wife or seasonal workers who let him down when things turn to crap. It also has a cute romantic turn when he impresses a woman during his first airplane flight by ... wait for it ... fixing the lavatory.
Now, I've only met one person locally who's seen Kenny ... and he's of Australian decent, married to an Ozzie, and spends a fair amount of time Down Under. He was amazed that I'd found it since he saw it in Sydney.
He thought for sure that I'd gotten it on Netflix, when my wife has actually flushed it out of the local Blockbuster.
Netflix: Hmmm. I've never warmed to it. I hate going to the post office, and I kind like the experience of wandering around and examining the covers, plus asking the clerks what they think. And I really hate the post office, just in case I didn't make that explicitly clear.
And really, the rise of Netflix has prompted Blockbuster to do away with late fees. Huzzah! So no burning gas and time to go to the post office. I'll just walk to Blockbuster, grab some groceries at Sprouts, and bounce my way back to watch my flicks. Granted, the selection's not as big. But I really don't watch that much TV, anyway. For stuff that's harder to find, I have an artsy-fartsy local video store that can handle those tasks.
So gimme Blockbuster until otherwise notified.
And go see Kenny. It's not all turdly humor - it has some heart, and Kenny himself is Rocky Balboa with a pipe wrench. Only cooler.
He's not politically correct, but he doesn't care how other people lives their lives. He might not read "important" literature, but he has a practical sensibility. He tries not to let people get under him. He also won't think twice about trying to turn a stranger into a new friend.
The Australian film Kenny perfectly captures this creature. The title character works for a company called Splashdown that provides portable toilets for events of all sizes. Kenny knows his job's not glamorous - but until people stop dropping edgars a few hours after they eat, he also knows it's important. The movie takes him from event to event, handling everything that drops his way in the manner of the aforementioned stereotypical bloke - whether that's someone starting his porta-loos on fire, a father that's disappointed in him, a shrew of an ex-wife or seasonal workers who let him down when things turn to crap. It also has a cute romantic turn when he impresses a woman during his first airplane flight by ... wait for it ... fixing the lavatory.
Now, I've only met one person locally who's seen Kenny ... and he's of Australian decent, married to an Ozzie, and spends a fair amount of time Down Under. He was amazed that I'd found it since he saw it in Sydney.
He thought for sure that I'd gotten it on Netflix, when my wife has actually flushed it out of the local Blockbuster.
Netflix: Hmmm. I've never warmed to it. I hate going to the post office, and I kind like the experience of wandering around and examining the covers, plus asking the clerks what they think. And I really hate the post office, just in case I didn't make that explicitly clear.
And really, the rise of Netflix has prompted Blockbuster to do away with late fees. Huzzah! So no burning gas and time to go to the post office. I'll just walk to Blockbuster, grab some groceries at Sprouts, and bounce my way back to watch my flicks. Granted, the selection's not as big. But I really don't watch that much TV, anyway. For stuff that's harder to find, I have an artsy-fartsy local video store that can handle those tasks.
So gimme Blockbuster until otherwise notified.
And go see Kenny. It's not all turdly humor - it has some heart, and Kenny himself is Rocky Balboa with a pipe wrench. Only cooler.
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