In the wake of global geopolitical tomfoolery that truly spans the globe this month, one DC-based YouTuber appears to see two of its most prominent actors crossing paths at Dulles International Airport. As Andrew Leyden, the man behind the penguinsix YouTube channel, walks past sprawling protests outside the Library of Congress engaged in business not related to our lane of journalism, a trip over to Dulles reveals aviation-related matters that certainly do.
Right there, parked in a reserved portion of the taxiway beside the labyrinth of runways at Dulles Airport, sat the twin-engine Boeing 757-2J4ER under the ownership of Donald Trump. In the midst of one of the most polarizing and firebrand presidential races in American history, Trump Force One found itself parked next to a quad-engine Ilyushin Il-series airliner, likely an executive variant of the Il-96. The brief snapshots Andrew was able to take with his Sony A7IV camera didn't reveal much about the origins of the mystery Russian jet, even with a beefy 100-400mm lens.
But it's safe to assume it's certainly not your typical mostly coach airliner. In all likelihood, the Ilyushin jet is in the service of the Russian embassy, located roughly a 45-minute drive east of Dulles Airport in Washington DC proper. But with the war in Ukraine still raging and media pundits covering 2024's first Presidential Debate raging just as much, the seemingly circumstantial sighting of a Russian jet tied to the Kremlin sitting yards away from the aerial chariot of the Republican nominee for president is a comedy routine that writes itself, if nothing else.
Will it get the conspiracy nuts and armchair pundit bloggers into a frenzy about some more profound, deeper meaning? Very likely, but it's more likely the case that the ultra-expensive executive jets of heads of state and dignitaries just get parked in a more secure portion of the airport. It is Washington, DC, after all; this isn't too far out of the norm. According to the aviation publication One Mile at a Time, there was indeed an Ilyushin Il-96-300 en route to New York's JFK Airport via Moscow only a few days before the chance encounter with Trump Force One in DC.
Due to airspace restrictions related to Ukraine, flight log data shows the trip took a grueling 12 hours, owning to having to avoid NATO-aligned countries along the journey, particularly Canada. Records from almost a year ago to the date reveal a similar flight was undertaken that indicates a similar trip from Moscow to JFK to Dulles was done by an equally similar Russian aircraft, a period when such trips were supposed to be heavily restricted. Such restrictions lend credence to the theory that the plane is embassy-related, as personnel occasionally need to come and go in semi-rhythmic yearly shifts.
Still, in a cultural climate such as this, it won't stop people from speculating that there's a deeper, nefarious purpose behind the encounter between these two jets. At least for the moment, the only explanation is an extremely awkward and ill-time moment of happenstance. Doesn't it feel like the universe is mocking us sometimes? There's a pang of that in the air about this one. At least there are people online who can bring us the chance to gawk at both jets for our enjoyment.
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