House funds for slick new jets raise eyebrows

The almost $200 million appropriation to buy three C-37 jets, the military version of the Gulfstream 550, is buried in a $636 billion Pentagon budget passed by the House last week. It’s not as fancy as the version sold to private customers, but still is a very nice ride.

The Pentagon asked for only one of the $65 million planes as part of an ongoing effort to replace aging jets such as the C-20, an older Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. plane that costs about $6,100 an hour to operate, compared with less than $2,700 for the C-37, according to department figures.

“The Air Force is planning to replace these planes,’’ said House Appropriations Committee spokesman Ellis Brachman. “The question is whether to do it sooner rather than later.’’

But the move raised eyebrows from some Congress-watchers because the planes are sometimes used to ferry lawmakers on overseas trips.

And the House measure directs that two of the aircraft be located at Andrews Air Force Base in the Washington suburbs - a favored departure point for congressional trips.

“Congress decided, ‘No, no, you’re going to buy two more - and those two are going to go to those units right here at Andrews,’ ’’ said Steve Ellis of Taxpayers for Common Sense, a budget watchdog group.

Among the members of Congress who fly on the planes is House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who generally flies Pentagon aircraft between Washington and her home in San Francisco.

But Pelosi generally flies commercial on political and personal travel, such as a trip yesterday between San Francisco and Denver in which she flew first class, accompanied by a security agent.

The Pentagon describes the mission of the planes as flying “worldwide special air missions for high-ranking government and Defense Department officials.’’