I'm glad no one was hurt at LaGuardia, but geeze . . . . . a 737-300? Really?

[Stinky The Clown]

That's kinda like driving a 1961 Hudson Hornet. The 300s were first flown in late 1980 and replaced by the 400s in about 1987. That's a long time ago. The current variant is the 737-900, with 500, 600, 700, and 800 filling out the airplane's lineage.

It may be one of the refabricated/updated aftermarket models, since I think I saw winglets on the picture of Pence's plane I saw tonight on the news.

Then there's the matter - just now being reported by media embeds - of too many hard landings.

All that, taken together, says cheap charter with low hour/low pay pilots.

For the record, the Clinton aircraft is an 800 series, one model back from the current airplane series, but one that still in very wide service in commercial fleets.

I'm not sure what Tim Kaine tools around in.

[Wilms]

1. Short runways at that airport.

That could dictate equipment choices.

[KeepItReal]

2. Trump himself flies around in an old and busted 757

Can't have his Veep outshining racist Trump.

A real Baller would have the latest Gulfstream...

That's the first clue Trump ain't that rich.

[Stinky The Clown]

3. I think Trump's ride is about 25 years old.

It was formerly owned by better celebrities. I think Bill Gates or Paul Allen owned it at one point.

[awoke_in_2003]

4. Actually

The difference between the 600, 700, 800, and 900 is size. Very few fly the 900, because seating capacity puts it close to 757 territory. The 300s, though, are old- but if maintained are very serviceable

[Massacure]

5. The 737-400 was not a replacement for the 737-300.

The 737-300, 737-400, and 737-500 are all variants based off a common air frame. The 737-700 replaced the 737-300, the 737-800 replaced the 737-400, and the 737-600 replaced the 737-500. The 400/800 variants are essentially lengthened versions of the 300/700 version. The 500/600 variant was economized for fewer passengers over longer routes.

The 737-300 was produced between 1984 and 1999, so Pence's plane is between 17 and 32 years old.

[VMA131Marine]

6. Pence's plane owned by Eastern Airlines

They bought the rights to the name.

[Make7]

7. I believe Boeing currently manufactures more of the 737-800 models than any other variant...

... by quite a wide margin.

ETA:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_737_Next_Generation#Orders_and_deliveries

[lithiumbomb]

8. The 737 classic was manufactured until 2000

Last edited Fri Oct 28, 2016, 09:13 AM - Edit history (1)

These model designations are not subsequent models but different models within the same family, much like you can get a transit bus of different lengths and specifications. The 737 'classic' consisted of the 300, 400, and 500 models. They can be rebuilt and retrofitted with newer developments (like winglets) for many years to come.

*Edit, if you look at the Livery of Pence's plane, it's clearly a current Eastern Airlines aircraft.

http://easternairlines.aero/

They've reconstituted themselves as a charter airline and seem to have added some Caribbean and Central and South American destinations.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Air_Lines_(2015)

Further, wikipedia says that they have one 737-700, which is decorated in Trump/Pence livery. Perhaps the OP misidentified this plane making this whole thread moot.

[Jim Beard]

11. 737 is Southwest Airlines life blood. They are buying larger 737's and slowly replacing the smaller

737's. At least that is what I was told by a pilot.

[Snarkoleptic]

9. Sounds like operator error.

"We've got the best people"...

http://www.politico.com/story/2016/09/pence-charter-pilot-vincent-caldara-228785

A pilot who ferried GOP vice presidential nominee Mike Pence, his family, staff, secret service contingent and traveling press has been fired following revelations that he faces criminal charges for intentionally hitting a man with his car.

The pilot, Vincent Caldara, is a former police officer and chairman of Trump's Florida Law Enforcement Coalition. The news of Caldara’s criminal charges was first reported by The Guardian in an article on potential criminal activities of some of those in law enforcement supporting Trump.

“I’m a very strong Trump supporter, I’m a retired law enforcement officer, and I’m currently on Governor Mike Pence’s flight operations team as one of his pilots during the campaign,” Caldara told a crowd at the opening of a Trump campaign office in Brevard County in early September. “Donald Trump and Governor Mike Pence are the law and order candidates.”

Pence’s camp distanced itself from Caldara: “All of our pilots are assigned by the airline,” Pence spokesman Marc Lotter told POLITICO.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

10. According to CNN it was a 737-700 belonging to Eastern Air Lines, a charter company.

http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/27/politics/plane-carrying-pence-skids-off-runway/index.html

The problem wasn't a hard landing; it was hydroplaning as a result of rain on the runway. If there's too much standing water the braking system won't work because the tires just spin in the water. The airplane was stopped by the EMAS system at the end of the runway (a sort of pavement that breaks up and absorbs energy - it's a safety feature at a lot of large airports). Maybe the crew wasn't told about standing water on the runway; most air carriers won't accept a landing if the runway is considered "contaminated" (a certain amount of water, snow, slush, etc., that would make braking difficult or impossible, depending on the runway length and the weight and landing speed of the airplane). Obviously the cause remains to be determined by the NTSB (though the Trump campaign will probably try to blame it on Hillary).

[Warren DeMontague]

12. It's kind of an apt metaphor for their campaign, though.

Yes, glad everyone is okay.