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Supporting a 747 aircraft employed in a charter role is also a monumental undertaking. The personnel and special equipment needed to service, maintain and inspect the aircraft are also very important. The major airlines that operate these aircraft have prepositioned this support at the various hubs they operate from. A charter must either have this support flown ahead or have it contracted. There will also be times when standard support is not enough. In January, the world witnessed Air Force One, with President Clinton, go off the taxiway and become stuck in the mud during a campaign trip.4 It was no easy task to remove the 885,000 pound aircraft from the mud even with all the Presidential aides on board. CIA has not demonstrated that they can provide the required support to operate domestically or internationally. The affordability of purchasing and supporting a 747 is also no small matter.
Supporting a 747 aircraft employed in a charter role is also a monumental undertaking. The personnel and special equipment needed to service, maintain and inspect the aircraft are also very important. The major airlines that operate these aircraft have prepositioned this support at the various hubs they operate from. A charter must either have this support flown ahead or have it contracted. There will also be times when standard support is not enough. In January, the world witnessed Air Force One, with President Clinton, go off the taxiway and become stuck in the mud during a campaign trip.4 It was no easy task to remove the 885,000 pound aircraft from the mud even with all the Presidential aides on board. CIA has not demonstrated that they can provide the required support to operate domestically or internationally. The affordability of purchasing and supporting a 747 is also no small matter.