Fly The Proletarian Skies

Mikhail Gorbachev may have the Nobel Peace Prize, but that still doesn't bump him up to first class. While President Bush flies in a new $325 million Boeing 747-200B, the Soviet counterpart is a humble Ilyushin II-62M straight off the production line. "Aeroflot One" carries an advanced communications system but lacks the missile-deflecting capabilities of its U.S. counterpart. Air Force One rests in a new hangar at Andrews Air Force Base; Gorbachev's craft sits on a Moscow tarmac like any other Aeroflot jet. In winter, workers clear ice and snow off the plane by hand. When Gorby wants to fly on...

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