Thursday, March 24, 2016

WA Times: Obama brings two fuel-guzzling planes to serve as Air Force One in Argentina - Kind of like tying a canoe on top your stationwagon. --tma



U.S. President Barack Obama and his wife, First Lady Michelle Obama, wave from the door of Air Force One, as they depart from the International Buenos Aires airport on their way to the resort town of Bariloche, Argentina, Thursday, March 24, 2016. Obama is closing his two-day visit to Argentina by spending the afternoon with his family in Bariloche, a picturesque city in southern Argentina, before departing for Washington. (AP Photo/Ivan Fernandez)


President Obama brought along a second, smaller Air Force One for his family to enjoy a day of sightseeing in Argentina on Thursday.
After dancing the tango at a state dinner in Buenos Aires Wednesday night, the president and first lady Michelle Obama took their daughters aboard the government plane colloquially known as “baby” Air Force One Thursday to fly to the scenic town of Bariloche in southern Argentina. It’s a Boeing 757 used when traveling to places where the runway is too short for the primary Air Force One.
The larger Air Force One, a 747-200, was parked alongside the smaller plane at the airport in Buenos Aires, according to pool reporters traveling with the president. It costs about $206,000 per hour to fly the larger plane, which the president is expected to use for the 10-plus-hour flight back to Washington late Thursday night. ...