CamJet

[TBM-Legend]

"fly free, fly VIP" as the old saying goes.

Cheaper than "Blairforce One" I guess..

Prime Minister To Get CamJet For World Trips (http://news.sky.com/story/1590411/prime-minister-to-get-camjet-for-world-trips)

[ORAC]

That'll be the third thread then.....

Really? (http://www.pprune.org/military-aviation/570819-really.html#post9185047)

http://www.pprune.org/military-aviation/570102-sdsr-rumours-6.html#post9184961

[Eclectic]

It isn't Cameron's aircraft it is ours.
He has an incredibly difficult job to do and how he does has a huge effect on all of our lives.
The plane is just a tool to help him do this job better.

It is great pity that because of stupid, ignorant class warfare in Britain we have underprovided for many years with air transport for senior politicians and civil servants. Virtually every other country does it better.

With the current ISIS threat in the world and our misguided involvement in their conflict Cameron is now a prime terrorist target. This aircraft helps to mitigate the risk.

[son of brommers]

Alternative names:

Camair
DaveFarce 0.5


feel free to add to this..................

[MOSTAFA]

Eclectic, are you a MP or somebody that works in procurement or worse still from the company that will provide said aircraft 20 years late and 20 times over budget?

I have never heard such a load of tosh in my life. As someone who spent hundreds of hours, probably thousands moving nebby's around I see it differently. Why can't he use the RAF to move him around in the style, safety and comfort you seem to think he deserves? Lets lease another C17 just for the job!

It is because of him and his likes, that decimated the tools and the services to do it. If he is such a threat why doesn't he stop dithering and help to destroy the cancer that he and his likes dithering, is causing.

[Eclectic]

This is costing us 20p each to make the government of Britain more efficient.
Bargain.

[thunderbird7]

Efficient? How? ...and.."when not in use can be used for air refuelling"..

How long does the re-role take for the aircraft?

[smujsmith]

After recent events, AIRPORK 1 might be a more suitable title :rolleyes:

Smudge :ok:

[GipsyMagpie]

£2000 per hour for an A330. On what planet are these guys on!?

[ShotOne]

Thunderbird, not necessarily any time at all. All AAR fuel is from regular tanks on Voyager; interior doesn't change at all. In theory they could tank with the great Man on board!

I'm right with eclectic. When we send someone overseas to represent us I don't want him travelling Ryanair...or worse some rag tag foreign charter (most recently from Angola FFS!) This isn't even a new aircraft it's already on the inventory...ok leased, but hey!

MOSTAFA, "why can't he use the RAF ...?" He will do, that's rather the point.
"Lease another C17?" That would require us spending tens of millions of £'s to, er, lease another C17 (if there are any) We already have this one.

[chevvron]

With him using an A330, it would give the government the excuse to disband 32 Sqdn and close Northolt as it I think it highly unlikely an A330 could operate from there with any useful payload.

[Parson]

Possibly, but Dave lives just down the road from Brize....

[Easy Street]

Chevron,

Most VIP trips are short-haul and involve the aircraft waiting to back-load the pax. Neither of those factors are conducive to using Voyager. Ability to use small airports, close to the VIP's destination, is also very important. For that reason 32(TR) and Northolt are probably going to be OK I would say.

[glad rag]

There's plenty of Chinooks doing sweet fa just now use one of them and retain this valuable asset for its intended purpose!

[RAFpilot23]

You won't get a Voyager in and out of Northolt.

I'd say it smells of prep for SDSR to bin 32 Sqn.

[HaveQuick2]

You won't get a Voyager in and out of Northolt.

I'd say it smells of prep for SDSR to bin 32 Sqn.


I don't think so, as they've just got a brand new Agusta 109

[thunderbird7]

Thanks ShotOne. There's still rather a lot of spin surrounding this though... certainly cost wise.

[ShotOne]

In general, tbird I'd say you're right to be sceptical. For most projects run by the govt, multiply the cost by about five. I can only guess the £2000 refers just to fuel cost. On one level this is clearly tosh, since there are significant other costs. They would maybe argue that these must be paid anyway.

[A4scooter]

The Prime Minister should have a dedicated aircraft.
If it is taken from the 9 operational aircraft this represents a loss in capability but if it from the 5 spare / leased aircraft it could represent an increase in capability - my money is on the former.
If the RAF is to get additional fast jet squadrons additional AAR assets could probably be justified but as an "armchair expert" the contract with Airtanker and the leasing airline may make this option unrealistic.

[chevvron]

I don't think so, as they've just got a brand new Agusta 109

Probably leased like the ones they had before.

[Flymee 2 Da Moon]

"or worse some rag tag foreign charter (most recently from Angola FFS!)"

ShotOne. Please could you elucidate to the details of the PM's most recent chartered flight. Which Angolan rag-tag outfit was flying him? Where was the trip to/from?

[Porrohman]

We could debate the merits or otherwise of improving VIP transport using RAF or commercial aircraft but that's not the real issue here. According to the BBC and others in the mainstream media, a "source" has said that the A330 Voyager is only going to cost £2,000 per hour to operate. I have a topic in the Spectator's Balcony that tries to identify the true cost per flying hour which is massively higher than this. The thing I object to is not the provision of a sensible VIP capability. I agree with those that argue that provision needs to be improved. What I strongly object to is the dishonesty in reporting the true cost and the fact that the media are apparently relying upon some un-named "source" for this information. In my experience, when un-named sources are quoted this usually means that the information has been leaked by the government but they don't want to be associated with it because they know it's a lie. Meanwhile, the mainstream media reports it verbatim and doesn't think to question it. The government gets its propaganda message out and there is plausible deniability if anyone is smart enough to spot the lie. This is what allegedly passes as democratic accountability and a free media in the UK these days.

[Krystal n chips]

An alternative perception.....possibly missed by most on here.

Steve Bell on David Cameron's personal jet ? cartoon | Comment is free | The Guardian (http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/picture/2015/nov/19/steve-bell-david-cameron-personal-jet-cartoon)

However, an ATP can carry 7 / 8 LD3's.....cheaper to operate as well....albeit when actually serviceable. :E

[ShotOne]

Flymee, the PM Flew with SonAir, a subsidiary of Sonangol, an Angolan state owned company (investigated for a "missing" 20 billion oil revenues but that's another story) to Jakarta, Indonesia, April 2012. Purpose of flight "to fly the flag for Britain"