G8/G20 VIP air travel

[niss]

Well, the one thing I learned from my little foray into the gov't leaders air travel, was that it takes an obscene amount of $$ to move these guys around. Now I understand the security issues and they are heads of state after all, but it seems much of the spending is excessive, particularly for some countries that just don't have the $$. Of course the most obscene is the U.S., the cost to move the president around is in the hundreds of millions of dollars per year ( I read somewhere that 800 marines are employed just to operate the fleet of approx 12 Marine One helicopters)...and people were complaining about auto execs flying around in challengers & citations. Perhaps one of Obama's steps to deficit reduction can be cutting back a little there.

Interesting how anyone one of us here can die and few will notice, but look at what is spent to protect 1 person and their entourage.

We are all made of meat and bone.

United States
United States Air Force Boeing VC-25A 92-9000
United States Air Force Boeing C-40B 01-0041
United States Air Force Boeing C-17A 04-4136
United States Air Force Boeing C-17A unknown
United States Air Force Boeing KC-135T 59-1468
United States Air Force Boeing KC-135T 59-1490
United States Air Force Lockheed C-5B 85-0002
United States Air Force Lockheed Martin EC-130J 96-8154
United States Army Short C-23C 90-07015
United States Army Sikorsky UH-60L 91-26328
United States Army Sikorsky UH-60L 91-26974
United States Coast Guard Aerospatiale HH-65C unknown
United States Coast Guard Aerospatiale HH-65C unknown
United States Marine Corps VH-60N unknown
United States DHS Pilatus PC-12/45 N593PC
United States FBI Bell 407 *****
United States FBI Bell 407 *****
United States FBI Bell 412 *****
United States FBI Bell 412 *****
United States FBI Sikorsky UH-60Q 08-20174
United States FBI Cessna R182 *****
United States FBI (chartered) Boeing 727-200 N720CK
United States ICE Pilatus PC-12/45 N541PB
Pennsylvania State Police Agusta SPA A119 N165P
Pennsylvania State Police Bell 206L-3 N153P
Pennsylvania State Police Bell 206L-3 N173P
Pennsylvania State Police Cessna 208B N1287G
Pennsylvania DOT Raytheon B300 N81PA

All this so 1 person can sit in a meeting for 4 days.

[tedcuthbert]

Niss, that list was from last year, and many of those AC were for general security (the Summit was in Pittsburgh), but still...

[niss]

Niss, that list was from last year, and many of those AC were for general security (the Summit was in Pittsburgh), but still...

My bad, but I think my point still stands.

[C-FABH]

Interesting how anyone one of us here can die and few will notice, but look at what is spent to protect 1 person and their entourage.

There are easily hundreds upon hundreds of delegates and thousands of support staff. The Japanese brought two jumbo jets, and the Russians brought at least 5 to 8 aircraft.

You don't feel that these indivuals require any level of protection or security? This was a global event, not the Barrie city mayoral race.

[niss]

Interesting how anyone one of us here can die and few will notice, but look at what is spent to protect 1 person and their entourage.

There are easily hundreds upon hundreds of delegates and thousands of support staff. The Japanese brought two jumbo jets, and the Russians brought at least 5 to 8 aircraft.

You don't feel that these individuals require any level of protection or security? This was a global event, not the Barrie city mayoral race.

I never said that. But these thousands of support staff are their to support how many people?

I do believe they require security but 1B$ and thousands inconvenienced is not worth it so people can meet together. How much to hold this event in the NWT?

[C-FABH]

How much to hold this event in the NWT?

Less for security, but you'd it would increase immensely for logistics. I wouldn't want to hear Sarkozy's opinion of the Yamouri Inn, either.

I know you'd have to admit it Niss, but the leaders of the free world are more important than either you or me. Perhaps even both of us combined.

[niss]

How much to hold this event in the NWT?

Less for security, but you'd it would increase immensely for logistics. I wouldn't want to hear Sarkozy's opinion of the Yamouri Inn, either.

I know you'd have to admit it Niss, but the leaders of the free world are more important than either you or me. Perhaps even both of us combined.

I agree but I seriously think that some of this needs to be put into perspective.

Why should a porter flight that is destined for YTZ not be allowed to divert to YYZ just because of foreign dignitaries?

I would have to think that if someones devious plan of booking a flight to the island in the hopes of bad weather at the exact time that they would divert to YYZ so he could attack the president goes together that smoothly he deserves to get a crack at him

Some of this is just ridicules! What about people getting locked out of their own businesses due to security? What about shutting down the highways so the leaders can go down in their motorcades instead of flying them up to Muskoka or god forbid their venue that has its own 3000' strip?

World leaders or not no one is worth the kind of disruption these people caused.

[C-FABH]

Why should a porter flight that is destined for YTZ not be allowed to divert to YYZ just because of foreign dignitaries?

I was at YYZ last night, and there certainly was no stoppage in the flow of normal scheduled commercial traffic. It was simply due to overall volume, but more importantly, the terrible weather in conjunction with large storm cells that caused these delays. It is common for airspace to be closed for 30 minutes while Air Force One moves through airports, to my knowledge, no such closure occurred at Pearson. I was there the entire time and tuned into Tower, Delivery, Departure, etc. It was all very routine, nobody was delayed apart from the FAA GDPs.

Some of this is just ridicules! What about people getting locked out of their own businesses due to security? What about shutting down the highways so the leaders can go down in their motorcades instead of flying them up to Muskoka or god forbid their venue that has its own 3000' strip?

Although the leaders themselves flew in the Griffons (and Marine One), the rest of their motorcades did travel by highway. It was almost exclusively travel by highway in the GTA, as they travelled on the 427 and down the Gardiner.