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One of the reasons I started this thread was to invite lots of ideas. Armstrong HAS ideas that you do not see in very many places.
I like guys like Rickards* & Dent as well. They too have ideas.
And for me, that's what I want. After lots of reading, I will make up my own mind on whose ideas I like the best.
We all have to choose our own way.
* * *
* Rickards did make a serious error on Page 274 in his book The Death of Money.
A 747 cannot hold 150 tonnes (two 747s carrying 150 tonnes each to Japan) of gold, especially on its UPPER DECK. 3 - 5 tonnes maybe. Whoops.
A 747-400ERF freighter has max. payload of approx. 112 metric tons.
The max. take-off weight is approx 412 metric tons. Some fuel can be substituted for additional payload depending on range required, etc.
OK, I'll accept that. I stand corrected then. But, Rickards wrote on the 747's upper deck...
Japan wanted 300 tonnes of gold to mint some special commemorative coin for Emperor Hirohito (in the 1980s). Rickards went on to write (after quoting Eisuke Sakakibara, "Mr. Yen") that the gold went on two shipments on the upper deck of a cargo 747.
James Rickards,
The Death of Money, 2014. Page 272.
150 tonnes of gold would be a dangerous cargo. It would have to be packed and loaded carefully. The upper deck (what approx. 15 rows in a passenger version) would hold 5 tonnes or so max. Any more and the weight of the gold would make the plane top-heavy, dangerous!