Puckish Russian Offers Romney a Plane Whose Windows Open

[highplainsdem]

Source: ABC News

After Mitt Romney joked that “the windows don’t open” on Ann Romney’s plane, which filled with smoke last Friday, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitri Rogozin offered to send her a replacement: the AN-2, an old Soviet biplane which had a notoriously dubious safety record.

“No problem! We’ll send our AN-2 to Romney’s campaign headquarters,” Rogozin wrote on Facebook last night.

“Not only do the windows not close, but the doors sometimes swing open mid-flight. On the plus side, there’s fresh air to breathe, and you can take in the nature,” he added.

-snip-

Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/09/russian-offers-romney-a-plane-whose-windows-open/

[hlthe2b]

1. OMG... LOLOL

Got give it to that Russian...Touche'

[KurtNYC]

2. In Russia plane window opens YOU.

[LadyHawkAZ]

3. *snort*

[Angry Dragon]

4. LOL

ANd Willard goes around saying how Russia is our main enemy
Here they are trying to help Willard out ........... he should thank them

[saidsimplesimon]

5. It's no joke

Thank you Rogozin, Russians do have a sense of humour.

[catnhatnh]

6. The AN-2 is actually still produced in China...

and is one hell of a fine machine for it's intended purposes:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonov_An-2

[byeya]

12. The An-2(Anushka - "Auntie") along with the DC-3 and a couple of others is one of the finest

most durable airplanes ever built. Although it's a biplane, it wasn't built until after WW2 and was the largest single engine biplane. It was used for freight; crop dusting; forest fire fighting; general transportation, etc.
It has non-retractable landing gear - so it could be strengthened - and was almost impossible to make stall.
Great for its intended purpose.
Now as to its maintenance, I can't say...

[Scairp]

15. If crashing & death is your intended purpose

I'll pass. I'd rather take a dog sled team across Siberia in winter than get on one of those planes.

[byeya]

16. From 1000 feet, say, if the engine quit, the pilot would pull back on the joy stick all

the way and the AN-2 would descend to the ground, hitting the ground at a slower speed than a paratrooper with a functioning parachute would.
The landing gear was beefed up to withstand an emergency maneuver like this.
The stall speed was between 25 and 30 mph, very low.
Either the AN-2 or the DC-3(C-47) had more copies made than any other plane I think.

[catnhatnh]

18. Over 18,000 produced....

387 crashed and 356 killed over nearly 75 years of operation? So rather less than two "modern" airliners on Tenneriffe on one afternoon? Oh-and the 387, if you read the Wiki article includes several shot down in southeast Asia during the Vietnam conflict. Yep-they were actually used in combat in the '70s. Good luck with your puppies...

[nolabear]

7. Ann Romney, bridging the chasm with Russia.

Bless our Queen Ann.

[gateley]

8. Haha! Good for him!

[cloudbase]

9. Those are cool planes.

The A&P mechanic I use was doing some work on one. It's got a beauty all of its own.

[tanyev]

10. You can take in the nature right up your nose.

[yurbud]

11. PHOTO of the offered plane

Of course this is a photo AFTER the Romney campaign accepted delivery.

[Ikonoklast]

17. Why are the landing gear mounted upright on the top wi....never mind.

[allan01]

13. re:Puckish Russian Offers Romney a Plane Whose Windows Open

here is your plane mr rmoney. no windows open on this plane either .

[zonkers]

14. Romney is an equal opportunity whipping boy.