120122st

22 Jan 2012 Sunday Times 120122st

Backup plane was chatertred to follow Pres. Zuma's Plane to New York
HUH!
How would that possibily help
Wait! ... what if
High above the Atlantic the President steps onto the wing ..
They shoot a Zipline to the backup plane(AS they did in a Steven Segal Movie)
Whooooo! skrrrrt Plane-to-plane transfer accomplished
Well two planes! Do YOU have a better suggestion?

Thanks to Kerry Tavares for this cartoon idea

A backup plane was chartered to shadow President Jacob Zuma's jet during his recent visit to the United States, the department of defence confirmed on Thursday.



"There were two aircraft, but one of them turned back halfway and landed on a nearby island," defence spokesperson Ndhivuwo Mabaya said.



He said the plane was used as a backup in case Zuma's jet suffered a mechanical fault during the flight.



"The president's jet was out of circulation for three months while it had gone for a service. It is technically expected for the plane to accompany the president in case there was problem with the jet."



Mabaya said the use of a backup plane was not uncommon and was used in similar circumstances around the world.



According to Die Burger, experts estimated the cost of the flight at about R2.6m.



Extra plane unnecessary - DA



It was alleged in media reports on Thursday that the plane was seen in US airspace and that audio of it landing at John F Kennedy International Airport in New York last week, confirmed it flew using an SA Air Force call sign.



Mabaya denied that the plane had followed Zuma into the US.



"It stopped halfway because the jet was okay and it waited until the president came back to South Africa, in case something happened on the return journey," he said.



The Business Day reported on Thursday that the Bombardier Global Express ZS-AMP was chartered by a private company to shadow Zuma's jet.



DA defence spokesperson David Maynier told the newspaper the backup plane was unnecessary.



He said the use of a backup plane was not a common practice and it raised questions about why it was necessary to charter a plane if the air force had complete confidence in the jet.



The DA would submit questions to Parliament over the cost of chartering the plane and whether Zuma's safety had been compromised during the flight.



Zuma was in the US ahead of South Africa assuming the rotating presidency of the United Nations Security Council, which is based in New York.

The facts are as follows:

 

an SAA Airbus A340  (200 Series) [SA 2205] departed Oliver Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg on Monday 09 January 2012;
the call sign of the aircraft was SA 2205;
3 pilots were onboard the aircraft;
the SAA Airbus A340 "shadowed" the presidential Boeing Business Jet to Las Palmas, Canary Islands;
the presidential Boeing Business Jet then proceeded to New York, United States;
the SAA Airbus A340 (200 Series) [SA 2206] then returned from Las Palmas, Canary Islands to Oliver Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg on Tuesday 10 January 2012, arriving back early in the morning on Wednesday 11 January 2011;
the call sign for the aircraft was SA 2206;
6 pilots and 8 cabin crew were onboard the aircraft (3 of the pilots were effectively passengers, since they had flown SA 2205 on the outbound route from Oliver Tambo International, Johannesburg to Las Palmas, Canary Islands).

 

Moreover, the facts include:

 

the SAA Airbus A340 (200 Series) was met by the standby crew, comprising 3 pilots and 8 cabin crew, who had flown to Las Palmas, Canary Islands independently;
the standby crew stayed in Las Palmas, Canary Islands for 2 days waiting for the aircraft;
the standby crew flew on a scheduled SAA flight to Frankfurt and then on to Las Palmas on a scheduled Condor flight;
passengers were bumped off the SAA flight to Frankfurt in order to make space for the standby crew.

 

Zuma backup plane 'necessary
Executive Decision
Second plane shadowed Zuma on trip to US - David Maynier
Shadow plane followed Zuma to the US