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| China-Japan-Koreas |
| Avjet Corp. Scrambled For Clinton Flight to Norks |
| 2009-08-07 |
| From Aviation Week The unofficial diplomatic mission done and a complete success, the operator of the Boeing Business Jet that transported former president Bill Clinton from the US to North Korea on Monday Aug. 3 and back on Tuesday Aug. 4 is now free to provide details of the that flight resulted in the release of American journalists Euna Lee and Laura Ling who returned with Clinton to Burbank. The aircraft is managed and operated by Burbank, Calif.-based Avjet Corp. This ain't no C-130 with web seats in the cargo bay. Check out their website. "We got the request on Friday, July 31 at 11:00 AM and immediately we called the U.S. Department of State for assistance," Marc Foulkrod, Avjet's chairman and CEO, said. "We had to get a waiver from SFAR 79 that prohibits flights to North Korea, obtain an overflight permit from Russia, arrange for flight coordination between Japan and North Korea, set up ground support at Elmendorf AFB near Anchorage and Misawa AFB in Japan, request special Customs and Immigration services at Burbank, vet our crews with U.S. Secret Service and pre-position pilots in Alaska. We also had to coordinate with FAA and the U.S. Department of Defense because of the special and sensitive nature of the mission. State Department made it happen. Sixty-six hours later, we were airborne from Burbank to Pyongyang via Elmendorf and Misawa with President Clinton's team at 3:00 AM on Monday." By "State Department" read Hillary. The mission was conducted as a private flight in accordance with FAR Part 91, sponsored by the aircraft's owner, Stephen Bing of L.A.-based Shangri-la Entertainment. Bing's BBJ has seven aux fuel tanks, giving it a 12.5 hour endurance and a 5,500 nm range. However, the longest leg on the Pyongyang trip was the 2,700+ nm, six-hour leg between Elmendorf AFB and Misawa AFB. After departing Burbank early Monday morning, the Avjet crew flew the Clinton team to Elmendorf AFB where the aircraft was refueled and the second flight crew boarded the airplane. It then flew to Misawa AFB where it again was refueled and the first crew was dropped off, along with the flight attendants and other non-essential personnel. The aircraft then departed for North Korea with President Clinton's team. The great circle distance from Misawa AFB to Pyongyang only is 726 miles, but the BBJ spent an hour in a holding pattern in Japanese airspace before being given clearance by the North Koreans to continue to Pyongyang. Foulkrod believes it was escorted by North Korean fighters during the entire time it operated in North Korean airspace. And a warm, fuzzy feeling was had by all. The aircraft remained on the ground in Pyongyang for 20 hours during the President's diplomatic mission. The flight crew remained on board the aircraft during the layover. Once the President's team was safely back aboard with Lee and Ling, it departed for Misawa AFB, picked up the other crew members and few directly home to Burbank. Foulkrod said the mission was tough, especially considering the short lead time during which all the preparations had to be completed. Bu he says the mission is generating a lot of new business leads for his company. It's a win-win. Clintons ace out the Big O. Kimmie gets the image as one who is willing to work with the West, at the expense of the Big O, and Foulkrod gets more business deals from the trip. |
| Posted by:Alaska Paul |
| #2 Pan---you're an agitator and obstruction of the program. Turn in your email address. Heh. All kidding aside, Did SoS Clinton do this on her own, or did she get the ok from the Big O for this little op? THAT is the question. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2009-08-07 19:33 |
| #1 So Avjet provided tha plane but who really paid for this? They landed at Air Force bases, jerked the State Dept around for days, jerked the FAA and US Customs as well. And if anyone thinks they did not have escorts as well as the Sat and other tracking of that ex-prez we are kidding our selves. This cost millions, the aircraft was the cheap part of this trip. All to do what??? Pick up Al Gore's messy and ignorant employees. |
| Posted by: 49 Pan 2009-08-07 15:30 |