President Dilma Rousseff in the helicopter with the grandson
Despite having banned the trip in first class for ministers and given them to share flights to save and reduce wages the first step in government as "cutting the flesh" sign on fiscal adjustment times, President Dilma Rousseff not dispensed using the VH-35 helicopter to move between the Brasilia Air Base and the Alvorada Palace, the official residence of the chief executive.
According to Google Maps, the 21.6 kilometers between the two points can be covered by car in 23 minutes when there is no traffic jams. Helicopter, are 5 minutes round 5 back.
The Plateau does not disclose the cost of the operation, citing issues of "security" of the president. But according to inquiries by the air taxi companies, based on the civilian version of the presidential helicopter - the EC-135, similar to the VH-35 -, flight hour costs the 12000-13000 real. That is, proportionally, each five-minute trip made by President between Dawn and the Air Base would cost about 1,000 reais.
Frequent use of the helicopter for Dilma, in times of contingent funds, is troubling Airmen because the disbursement of expenditure of flights is made in the FAB account, which, like all other folders, suffered drastic cut in funds . It is true that the helicopter pilots need to meet the minimum hours of flights planned to train. But the complaint is that heavy use of the helicopter is consuming resources that could be distributed to pilot training in other air force equipment, and not only this model.
Fiscal adjustment was announced on September 14. Since then, the president used the helicopter 28 times to go or return to the base. Because each piece would cost around 1,000 reais, the last two months have been 28,000 actual spending to go a path that could be done by car, as Dilma has scouts on hand.
In the early hours of Monday to Tuesday of last week, for example, when he landed in Brasilia Air Base, around two in the morning, reaching the trip to Turkey, even without any traffic or any problem that prevented its rapid shift to the Alvorada Palace, the president made the short helicopter ride.
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Fernando Henrique Cardoso, Rousseff's predecessor, also used the FAB helicopters between Dawn and the Air Base, but less frequently. In 2004, a year after leaving office, FHC, in an interview said that he missed two things when he was president, "the helicopter, an extraordinary working tool" and "Dawn of the pool."
Sought, the Presidential press office said it would not be manifest, since it involves the safety of the president.
Font: Thesky
