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Quote: Nareed

It's too bad you can't sleep for several days on a plane parked in a hangar, the way you can in a yacht tied to a marina.

Nicolas Berggruen, became the man known as the “homeless billionaire,” because he sold his homes in 31st floor of Manhattan’s Pierre Hotel and his Art Deco home on a private island near Miami, at roughly the age of 40, and lived on his private jet and luxury hotel rooms until he reached the age of 50 (when he bought homes in LA and NYC).

While he always lived in luxury, and ate in fancy restaurants, while still throwing a legendary celebrity New Year's Party in Beverly Hills, the "homeless angle" got him a lot of attention as a philosophical billionaire.

I often wondered if he would was stuck in some airport somewhere and was tempted to sleep in his jet.

Quote: Pacomartin

...I often wondered if he would was stuck in some airport somewhere and was tempted to sleep in his jet.

The lack of windows and fresh circulating air makes parked jets very unpleasant places to spend extended periods of time. It would get "gamey" pretty quick.

Quote: Ayecarumba

The lack of windows and fresh circulating air makes parked jets very unpleasant places to spend extended periods of time. It would get "gamey" pretty quick.

On the ground you can open the cabin doors and get air circulation. But if it's too cold or too hot, well. If there' outside noise, and I think airports tend to be noisy places, then you're out of luck, too.

What's left is to run an engine all the time you're there. Pollution aside, you'll run up a large fuel bill.

Large aircraft, and maybe some smaller jets, have an Auxiliary Power Unit (or APU). If you've ever boarded a plane with the engines off and the A/C and lights on, that's power from the APU. Of course it also uses up fuel(*). Some airports provide electrical power for parked aircraft, but again that costs money.

(*) The APU is a small turbine located usually on the tail of the plane. Look at any commercial jet, even most small regional jets, and you'll see an exhaust in the tail. That's the APU exhaust. The APU can also compress air, and that's used for starting the plane's engines.

Quote: Pacomartin

Nicolas Berggruen, became the man known as the “homeless billionaire,” because he sold his homes in 31st floor of Manhattan’s Pierre Hotel and his Art Deco home on a private island near Miami, at roughly the age of 40, and lived on his private jet and luxury hotel rooms until he reached the age of 50 (when he bought homes in LA and NYC).

Whereas most homeless people make do with commercial planes and budget motel rooms....

Really, the phrase is terribly offensive. Like when Donald Trump went gleefully around announcing any panhandler off the street had a higher net worth than he did. I'm sure Trump never had to wonder whether he would be able to afford to eat on any given day.

Quote: Nareed

Like when Donald Trump went gleefully around announcing any panhandler off the street had a higher net worth than he did.

I don't think Donald actually thought he was being offensive. I don't think he knows how he comes off.

Quote: Pacomartin

I don't think Donald actually thought he was being offensive. I don't think he knows how he comes off.

If he knew, he would either change or commit suicide.

Personally I think he ought to be president.... of Russia.

Quote: Nareed

Personally I think he ought to be president.... of Russia.

The founding fathers were high net worth individuals, and most presidents have been wealthy. George Washington is considered the richest man to hold the office. The three poorest presidents have been from the 20th century with Harry Truman considered the poorest.

Harry S. Truman
Calvin Coolidge
Woodrow Wilson

Founding Fathers net worth in 2010 $ millions
George Washington $525
Thomas Jefferson $212
James Madison $101
James Monroe $27
John Adams $19

Although Franklin D. Roosevelt was known as a patrician man, Bill Clinton may have equalled him in net worth.

Quote: Pacomartin

The founding fathers were high net worth individuals, and most presidents have been wealthy.

Given how much a campaign costs, they had better be.

I don't mind that one bit. it's the nature of politics (such as it is). trump would be as bad a candidate to run a civilized country if he were dirt poor or ten million times richer than Croesus.

Quote:

George Washington is considered the richest man to hold the office.

He also fought alongside his troop, even if he faced less hardship (what general ever faces true hardship outside a complete military disaster??), and he wasn't known for bragging about himself. Histories draw a great many comparisons between him and Cincinnatus. The latter was known for twice taking the office of Dictator in the Roman Republic, when he really wanted to return to his farm (estate, really) and run it.

I'm sure we'll see elephants fly before anyone grants Trump even a tiny fraction of a similarly favorable comparison.

Yesterday and today Emirates retired three aircraft types from its operating fleet at the same period, namely the Airbus A330-200, A340-300 and Boeing 777-200ER.

This simplification of aircraft reduced their current utilization down to just two aircraft families for passenger service.
10 Boeing 777-200LR (266 seats very long range) Under 10 years old
10 Boeing 777-300 (364 seats) Between 17 and 13.4 years old
124 Boeing 777-300ER (360 -428 seats) Under 12 years old
85 Airbus A380-800 (489-615 seats) Under 10 years old

The oldest B777 that Emirates flies is 17 years old, but the average age of the 229 jet fleet is under 6 years one of the youngest in the business.

United has invested a lot in these Polaris business class seats

In 1980 when economy seating in the B767 was 2x3x2=7 seats, first class was 2x2x2=6 seats with 38" pitch. At recommended 4 rows (24 seats) that was 13' of the fuselage. Now United is using 50' of fuselage to put in 30 seats.

Perhaps sensing that the A380 may not be around forever, Emirates is now introducing fully enclosed first class seats on the single deck B777.


Norwegian's new flights to Ireland and Britain from NorthEast on single aisle jets with 186-189 seats that make Southwest's configuration of the same plane with 175 seats seem roomy.

Norwegian 31 rows * 6 across +3 seats =189 seats 29" pitch, 17.2" width (3,440 miles max)
Southwest 29 rows * 6 across +3 seats - 2 exit seats =175 seats 32" pitch, 17.8" width (2,447 miles max)