KWAMENA ?ANANIAS? BARTELS LIES AGAIN!

In trying to explain away the controversial and inexplicable NPP Government decision to swap the Gulfstream III Presidential Jet for four Chinese K-8 Trainer Jets and a Flight Simulator, Minister of Information and National Orientation Kwamena ?Ananias? Bartels continues to tell more and more lies, which tend to make the deal sound more and more suspicious and less and less credible.

On Radio Gold last Monday, the Minister stated that his earlier explanation had been misunderstood. According to him, what he said was that Conklin & de Decker had said that a Gulfstream III manufactured in 1987 would cost between US$5.1 million and US$7.0 million. Therefore, Ghana?s Gulfstream III, having been manufactured in 1986 and being older, would be worth less than that range.

Ghana Palaver?s research has revealed that this explanation is a lot of bunkum and that once again, the Honourable Kwamena ?Ananias? Bartels is lying. We can state authoritatively that no Gulfstream III aircraft was manufactured in 1987. The last Gulfstream III was manufactured in 1986 after which production ceased in favour of Gulfstream IV.

We advise Kwamena Bartels to visit the Internet website of Omni Jet Trading, an internationally acclaimed aircraft data base information provider, and he will find that this information is freely available there. Their address is http://www.omnijet.com/database/g2g2bg3/

He will find there also that the total number of Gulfstream III Jets produced worldwide was 201, with serial numbers 300-498. Ghana?s Gulfstream III with serial number 0493 must therefore be the last but five Gulfstream IIIs to have been produced.

Kwamena ?Ananias? Bartels will also find out that the maximum number of passengers that a Gulfstream III can take is 19. His statement on Radio Gold that Cote d?Ivoire?s Presidential Gulfstream III can take ?a large number of people? is therefore another lie.

The Minister will also find at the website the following as the Annual Fixed Costs on a Gulfstream III, meaning for the 5 years that the Presidential Jet has been standing idle, the amount of US$379,000 x 5 or US$1.895 million is what Ghana has spent on it:

Gulfstream III ? Annual Fixed Costs

Crew salaries

(i) Captain salary US$195,000

(ii) Co-pilot salary US$98,000

(iii) Benefits US$36,000

Hangar Cost US$90,000

Insurance

(i) Hull $27,000

(ii) Liability US$26,000

Training US$27,000

Computer Maintenance Programme US$5,000

Charts US$5,000

Total: 379,000

A brief history of Gulfstream IIIs worldwide is also given at the website as follows:

The improved Gulfstream III followed Gulfstream American?s purchase of Grumman?s GA lines in 1978. The Gulfstream III first flew on December 2, 1979. Changes compared with the GII include a revised wing of greater span and area with drag reducing winglets, more fuel tankage and thus range, re-profiled nose and a 97 cm (3 ft 2 in) fuselage stretch.

Production deliveries of GIIIs began in late 1980 and continued until 1986 when production ceased in favour of the Gulfstream IV.