Question about Marine one

[flyguy06]

While I was at the Inauguration as we were leaving, we saw the Presidents Helicopter fly overhead. But it was Bush. He was going to the Airport to get on Air Force 1 to go back to Midland TX, Since he wasnt the Pres at the time it wasnt called Air Force one, it was called Special Air Mission. So, what was he helicopter called?

[Eclipse]

Its call sign was "Executive One" while transporting the recently former President Bush.

[Stonewall]

Called a friend at HMX-1 but he didn't answer.

This from Wikipedia...

Executive One is the call sign designated for any United States civilian aircraft when the President of the United States is on board. Typically, the President flies in military aircraft that are under the command of the Presidential Airlift Group, part of Air Mobility Command's 89th Airlift Wing, based at Andrews Air Force Base in Suitland, Maryland. In 1973, to "set an example for the rest of the nation during the current energy crisis" and to "demonstrate his confidence in the airlines", then-President Richard Nixon became the only sitting president to travel on a regularly scheduled commercial airline flight when he flew on a United Airlines DC-10 from Washington Dulles International Airport to Los Angeles International Airport.  That flight did use the Executive One callsign. Additionally, Air Force One flew behind the flight in case of an emergency.

If the president's family members are aboard, but not the president himself, the flight can optionally use the callsign Executive One Foxtrot. Similarly, Executive Two Foxtrot can be used for flights carrying family members of the Vice President.

On January 20, 2009, the military helicopter that is normally designated as "Marine One" was given the call sign "Executive One" when it took on George W. Bush, whose term as president had just expired.

[davidsinn]

Called a friend at HMX-1 but he didn't answer.

This from Wikipedia...

On January 20, 2009, the military helicopter that is normally designated as "Marine One" was given the call sign "Executive One" when it took on George W. Bush, whose term as president had just expired.

That was stated by one of the major news outlets so I'm not sure if it's accurate or not.

[O-Rex]

There was a similar situation when Nixon resigned in 1974, but he was on Air Fore One while Gerald Ford was taking the oath.  They took off as Air Force One, and landed with another callsign.

[Flying Pig]

Its pretty awesome to see Marine 1 fly with the President on board.  When you see it on TV it llooks like its flying by itself.  When you see it in person, it is surrounded by several other helicopters and fighters flying overhead.  Obviously not the case on the 20th because Bush was no longer President.  When I used to spend my weekends in DC it was something I really enjoyed seeing.  As well as seeing the Marine White House Guards.  

The Marines Guard the President, The Army guards the cemetery.  Sorry Stonewall....I couldnt resist.

[O-Rex]

I had the privilege of seeing 'Marine One' fairly close-up, it's pretty sweet.

It also has protrusions, blisters and attached boxes that other Blackhawks don't have.

Heaven only knows what gizmos abide there....

[Flying Pig]

I had the privilege of seeing 'Marine One' fairly close-up, it's pretty sweet.

It also has protrusions, blisters and attached boxes that other Blackhawks don't have.

Heaven only knows what gizmos abide there....

But Marine One isnt a Blackhawk......   Its an H-3 Sea King.

[O-Rex]

Its pretty awesome to see Marine 1 fly with the President on board.  When you see it on TV it llooks like its flying by itself.  When you see it in person, it is surrounded by several other helicopters and fighters flying overhead.  Obviously not the case on the 20th because Bush was no longer President.  When I used to spend my weekends in DC it was something I really enjoyed seeing.  As well as seeing the Marine White House Guards.  

The Marines Guard the President, The Army guards the cemetery.  Sorry Stonewall....I couldnt resist.

I remembered that Clint Eastwood movie about Secret Service Agents, when they were jogging alongside the Presidential Limo.

So when they president flies, I always wondered if they...um...never mind.

Sorry FP, your jovial mood is infectious 

Also, They do use a UH-60 variant to fly the big-guy around, but I thought HMX-1 totally got rid of the SH-3's (and were among the last to do so)

?

[Flying Pig]

They do fly the VH-60.  However, the President rarely flies in it.  It generally flies his staff and aides around.  Interesting trivia....The HMX-1 Squadron is the only unit in the Marines who use the Blackhawk.  The H-3 Sea King is now only used by HMX-1 and over the next few years will be replaced by the US101..which...unfortunately is not an American made helicopter.    This will complete the decommissioning of the H3 from military service.  The US101 is actually the AugustaWestland EH 101 Merlin (AW101) which is made jointly by Italy and the UK.

US101

[O-Rex]

Looks nice, and very comparable to the SH-3

My only question is: the way things are going, when will we start seeing the Presidential Mercedes?? 

[Flying Pig]

Im thinking a Ferrari or Lamborghini since Italy is involved!  If we are going to start a tradition, lets do it right.

[Trung Si Ma]

The Marines Guard the President, The Army guards the cemetery.  Sorry Stonewall....I couldnt resist.

And the Army has never had to question the honor, integrity, patriotism, or service of those that they guard.

[Always Ready]

The Marines Guard the President, The Army guards the cemetery.  Sorry Stonewall....I couldnt resist.

And the Army has never had to question the honor, integrity, patriotism, or service of those that they guard.

So they didn't question Nixon's honor, etc. etc. etc.? 

[AlphaSigOU]

There was a similar situation when Nixon resigned in 1974, but he was on Air Fore One while Gerald Ford was taking the oath.  They took off as Air Force One, and landed with another callsign.

Yup... it was Air Force One until noon EDT, then SAM 27000 from that point forward. At the precise moment of the oath Air Force One/SAM 27000 was somewhere near Kansas City.

[Flying Pig]

The Marines Guard the President, The Army guards the cemetery.  Sorry Stonewall....I couldnt resist.

And the Army has never had to question the honor, integrity, patriotism, or service of those that they guard.

So they didn't question Nixon's honor, etc. etc. etc.? 

Trivia......Why is there a Soldier at the stairs and not a Marine?  Anyone? Anyone?

[lordmonar]

Was that photo take at Camp David?

[Flying Pig]

No.  But the Marines Guard Camp David.

[Always Ready]

To answer Flying Pig's trivia question...the Army was in charge of the helicopter transporting the President from 1957 to 1976. After that, the Marines took it over.

lordmonar: The photo was taken on the White House lawn right after President Nixon resigned as President.

[Flying Pig]

We have a WINNER :clap:  Back when it was "Army One".   That just makes me shudder to even type it!

[Pumbaa]

The US 101 is over 60% American.  The Airframe is built in the UK.  It is being completed at the Lockheed facilities in Owego NY.  It uses 3 GE engines.  All missionization is US, inital testing is in MD and integration and completion is in Owego NY.

The US 101 is a joint effort with Lockheed Martin Systems Integration - Owego and AugustaWestland.

My office looks out over the US101 building on the Lockheed campus.  I get to see this baby fly quite a bit.  Hands down this is the best medium lift helo out there.  I also get to see the MH60R (and S) fly daily as well.  I park right near the helipad.

So it's time for the neighsayers to just get over it.  Lockheed had the best helo to fly the president in.  The design, price, and capabilities far outshines the competition.

[Pumbaa]

Some facts about the US101 weapons

Weapon systems include air-to-surface missiles, rockets and machine guns. A 12.7mm machine gun can be mounted in a chin turret and machine gun pintle mounts can be fitted in the doorway and in the rear ramp way.

The helicopter can be equipped with a range of sensors, weapons, electronic warfare and self protection systems according to the mission requirements. The defensive aids suite installed on the US101 includes laser and radar warning receivers and a Doppler radar missile approach warner, chaff and flare dispensers and infrared countermeasures.

For the VH-71A Marine One, the US101 will be fitted with Northrop Grumman DIRCM (directional infrared countermeasures) System and ITT AN/ALQ-211 SIRFC integrated radio frequency countermeasures suite.

Sensor systems include tactical surveillance and over-the-horizon targeting, search radar, weather radar and forward looking infrared.

[bosshawk]

I believe that the press reported that the aircraft that transported former President Bush to Texas used the call sign:" Special Air Mission Flight 28000", which happens to be the tail number assigned to the aircraft by the AF.

My first cousin was the Chief of Security for the presidential aircraft*87th Airlift Wing when Kennedy and Johnson were in office.

[BuckeyeDEJ]

To answer Flying Pig's trivia question...the Army was in charge of the helicopter transporting the President from 1957 to 1976. After that, the Marines took it over.

lordmonar: The photo was taken on the White House lawn right after President Nixon resigned as President.

The decision was made because President Carter thought he could get along with a smaller helicopter fleet, supposedly -- if I remember correctly. Yip, Army 1, it was.

I think you guys are a little off on your tail numbers, though. Nixon was on SAM 26000, pronounced "Sam," when Gerald Ford's oath was taken. And in the interest of accuracy, I'd bet that George W. Bush did not fly back to Texas with any other call sign but SAM 28000 (assuming he took the backup plane), especially since Executive 1 is reserved for the President when he's on a civilian bird.

[Pumbaa]

One of the other issues with the aircraft is the rotor downwash when landing on the whitehouse lawn.  This was one thing in the RFP.  A heavy lift such as what Boeing is offering in the CSAR-X would never do.

[flyguy06]

Its pretty awesome to see Marine 1 fly with the President on board.  When you see it on TV it llooks like its flying by itself.  When you see it in person, it is surrounded by several other helicopters and fighters flying overhead.  Obviously not the case on the 20th because Bush was no longer President.  When I used to spend my weekends in DC it was something I really enjoyed seeing.  As well as seeing the Marine White House Guards.  

The Marines Guard the President, The Army guards the cemetery.  Sorry Stonewall....I couldnt resist.

in 2004, I worked the G-8 summit with my National Guard unit. We saw Marine one fly overhead. there was another helicopeter that looked just like it rightbehind. i was told they do that so people wont know which one the President is actually on

[Stonewall]

Its pretty awesome to see Marine 1 fly with the President on board.  When you see it on TV it llooks like its flying by itself.  When you see it in person, it is surrounded by several other helicopters and fighters flying overhead.  Obviously not the case on the 20th because Bush was no longer President.  When I used to spend my weekends in DC it was something I really enjoyed seeing.  As well as seeing the Marine White House Guards.  

The Marines Guard the President, The Army guards the cemetery.  Sorry Stonewall....I couldnt resist.

in 2004, I worked the G-8 summit with my National Guard unit. We saw Marine one fly overhead. there was another helicopeter that looked just like it rightbehind. i was told they do that so people wont know which one the President is actually on

I was at that G-8 Summit too, but I was on the protection detail for one of the attendees.

I lived in DC for almost 15 years and saw what appeared to be Marine One on a daily basis.  Seriously, the same helicopter would fly up and down the Potomac River all the time, among other official helos (UH-1s, UH-60s, CH-46s and of course a V-22 on occasion). 

And FP, the Marines don't guard the President, the Secret Service does.  The Marines open doors, stand by gates and look pretty for photos.  And contract security guards provide access control to Arlington National Cemetery; the Army protects the Tomb of the Unknowns...  So bite me  

[Stonewall]

While looking at the National Geographic Channels website about a show tonight on Air Force One, they have a link to Marine One.

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/on-board/3654/Overview#tab-Videos/06277_00

[Flying Pig]

Its pretty awesome to see Marine 1 fly with the President on board.  When you see it on TV it llooks like its flying by itself.  When you see it in person, it is surrounded by several other helicopters and fighters flying overhead.  Obviously not the case on the 20th because Bush was no longer President.  When I used to spend my weekends in DC it was something I really enjoyed seeing.  As well as seeing the Marine White House Guards.  

The Marines Guard the President, The Army guards the cemetery.  Sorry Stonewall....I couldnt resist.

in 2004, I worked the G-8 summit with my National Guard unit. We saw Marine one fly overhead. there was another helicopeter that looked just like it rightbehind. i was told they do that so people wont know which one the President is actually on

I was at that G-8 Summit too, but I was on the protection detail for one of the attendees.

I lived in DC for almost 15 years and saw what appeared to be Marine One on a daily basis.  Seriously, the same helicopter would fly up and down the Potomac River all the time, among other official helos (UH-1s, UH-60s, CH-46s and of course a V-22 on occasion). 

And FP, the Marines don't guard the President, the Secret Service does.  The Marines open doors, stand by gates and look pretty for photos.  And contract security guards provide access control to Arlington National Cemetery; the Army protects the Tomb of the Unknowns...  So bite me  

Have you ever been to Camp David?  Marines provide the security of Camp David and patrol.....with GUNS! :clap:  And by the way.....someone has to look good in uniform.

[O-Rex]

We have a WINNER :clap:  Back when it was "Army One".   That just makes me shudder to even type it!

I forgot about that!  I now remember that Eisenhower's (and early Kennedy;s) H-34 is on display at the Army Aviation Museum at Ft. Rucker.

I imagine that the current (or at least one of the current) H-3's still flying is from the Kennedy era (?)  I remember that the Air Force One 707 that transported JFK's remains and that LBJ took the oath in was in service until replaced with the 747 in the early 90's.

Considering the maintenance those babies get, they could keep 'em flying forever.

[BuckeyeDEJ]

Have you ever been to Camp David?  Marines provide the security of Camp David and patrol.....with GUNS! :clap:  And by the way.....someone has to look good in uniform.

Isn't that the reason CAP had the TPU to begin with?

(Now opening umbrella to dodge tomatoes, but at least I mentioned CAP...)

[O-Rex]

Some facts about the US101 weapons

Weapon systems include air-to-surface missiles, rockets and machine guns. A 12.7mm machine gun can be mounted in a chin turret and machine gun pintle mounts can be fitted in the doorway and in the rear ramp way.

The helicopter can be equipped with a range of sensors, weapons, electronic warfare and self protection systems according to the mission requirements. The defensive aids suite installed on the US101 includes laser and radar warning receivers and a Doppler radar missile approach warner, chaff and flare dispensers and infrared countermeasures.

For the VH-71A Marine One, the US101 will be fitted with Northrop Grumman DIRCM (directional infrared countermeasures) System and ITT AN/ALQ-211 SIRFC integrated radio frequency countermeasures suite.

Sensor systems include tactical surveillance and over-the-horizon targeting, search radar, weather radar and forward looking infrared.

Pumbaa:  that's a lot of info.  Beware the black vans, REAL ones