Debt Free

250 gallons of fuel. It sounds like quite a bit, and it is. Ahnold can drive his Hummer from the Guv's mansion in Sacramento to Washington DC on that much gas. Sean Penn's Prius can go there and back and have a bit left over. I don't know what you're driving, but I'd wager that you probably don't burn that much gas in a month. Your new speaker of the house, Princess Nancy Pelosi, however, will gulp that much Jet A just getting off the ground in her new Air Force C-32, the military version of the Boeing 757-200. Why couldn't she be satisfied with the last speaker's jet? Ostensibly it's a range problem with the other jet.

The range issue is obviously a load of total crap. If range was the only issue, Princess Pelosi could wing around the nation, and even back to her home district in total comfort. She could accomplish this while ensconced in the luxury provided by an Air Force C-37A, the military version of that executive uberjet, the Gulfstream G500. Donald Trump swears by those things, you know. If it's luxurious enough for him, you'd think it would be for her. The C-37A has enough range, 6,000 miles, to fly her highness from Washington DC to San Francisco and back without stopping to refuel. So don't try and tell me the larger aircraft request had only to do with the added range offered by a Boeing 757.

The average fuel consumption for a Boeing 757-200 cruising at 37,000 feet is around 1,100 gallons per hour. Pelosi's jet may even consume less because, instead of flying 200 passengers as the commercial version does, she'll be conferring flying privileges on only 20 to 30 people. The spot price of jet fuel is about $1.80 per gallon, so figure about $2,000 per hour for fuel. In 2003 the maintenance costs of a 757-200 ran about $875 / hr. Her highnesses also has a crew of, get this, 15. If they are paid, including benefits, an average of $30/hr, you're looking at another $3,600 a day for aircraft crew costs.

The flight from DC to San Fran is about 2,100 nautical miles. At the 500 knot cruise of a 757, that's about 4 hours, plus a half hour of ground time. So, not including actually purchasing the aircraft, depreciation, or financing charges, Pelosi One costs the American taxpayer about $30,000 for the round trip to San Francisco from DC. That's if the plane sits around waiting for her return. If it has to journey back to DC, then wing its way back to San Francisco to fetch her and her entourage, figure about 60 grand.

What the C-32 does offer, however, is the ability for Pelosi to ferry around a larger planeload of servants, friends, contributors, and supporters than the C-37A. In addition, they'll be enjoying a much more spacious interior, more lavish bar and nicer entertainment system than those poor plebs in the C-37s must make due with. Nothing but the best for those champions of the common man I suppose. Oh, well, it's only your money.