Nearly 50 years ago, Dwight D. Eisenhower became the first President to fly by helicopter, journeying between the White House and Camp David aboard a Bell UH-13-J. In 1958, the Executive Flight Detachment was created as part of the U.S. Army and given the responsibility of using helos to airlift the President and top officials to safety in the event of an attack or other emergency. A few months later, the Executive Marine Helicopter Squadron was formed to support Presidential transportation. As a result, White House helos have had a two-service personality over the years, known sometimes as Army One and sometimes as Marine One when the President was aboard. In 1976, the Marines took over exclusive operation of the President's fleet.
Soon after creation of the Army and Marine units, the Bell aircraft were replaced by helos manufactured by the Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation of Bridgeport, Connecticut. The helo on display at the Nixon Library, a VH-3A "Sea King," tail number 150617, was in the Presidential fleet from 1961-1976, transporting Presidents Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, and Ford and many foreign heads of state and government. It was flown by military transport plane to Egypt for President Nixon's historic 1974 Visit, during which the President presented Anwar Sadat with an identical aircraft.
This Oval Office in the Sky seats up to 16. While cruising, it is as quiet as a Boeing 727. This is the same carpet, upholstery, and other appointments President Nixon and his family and staff experienced during more than 180 missions, including his and Mrs. Nixon's final flight from the White House to Andrews Air Force Base on August 9, 1974. The President's chair, in the front of the cabin on the left facing front, is exactly as he left it.
The Nixon Library extends its appreciation to the National Museum of the Marine Corps, the personnel of the U.S. Navy Inventory Control Point, Sikorsky Aircraft, and the staff and volunteers of the March Air Reserve Base and March Field Air Museum in Riverside. We extend special thanks to our curator, Olivia Anastasiads, and to Chief Pilot Lt. Col. Gene Boyer (U.S. Army ret.), who flew 750 hours in the Sea King over 11 years, for his vision and inexhaustible energy in making this display possible.
VH-3A Sea King Helicopter Facts
Manufacturer:
- Made in 1961 by the Sikorsky Manufacturing Company and assembled in their Stratford, Connecticut plant at a cost of $1 million or $6.3 million in today's dollars.
- Developed for use by the Navy, the VH-3A is called the "Sea King"
Length:
- 72 feet, 9 inches
Rotor Diameter:
- 62 feet
Weight:
- 11,301 pounds (empty)
Engines:
- Two 1500-horsepower turbine engines, nearly powerful enough to fly on its side evasively
Performance:
- Maximum cruising speed of 140 miles per hour
- Range of 600 miles
- Ceiling of 14,500 feet
Crew:
- Aircraft Commander
- Co-Pilot
- Flight Engineer
Seating:
- Seats 16, including a seat for the military attache who carried the "football," a suitcase containing the nation's nuclear-launch codes, and two seats for the Secret Service
Safety Precautions:
- Double-paned bullet-resistant glass and light armor plating to protect against small-arms fire
- Self-sealing fuel tanks
VH-3A Sea King Helicopter Facts
Presidential Service:
- 1961 - 1976
Presidents Served:
- John F. Kennedy 1961 - 1963
- Lyndon B. Johnson 1963 - 1969
- Richard Nixon 1969 - 1974
- Gerald R. Ford 1974-1976
Heads of State On Board:
- President Anwar Sadat of Egypt
- King Hussein of Jordan
- Prime Minister Edward Heath of the United Kingdom
- Prime Minister Harold Wilson of the United Kingdom
- Chancellor Willy Brandt of West Germany
- King Faisal of Saudi Arabia
- Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka of Japan
- President Nguyen Van Thieu of South Vietnam
Missions with President Nixon On Board:
- 181
Nixon Missions Included:
- 20 trips between Andrews Air Force Base and the White House
- 56 trips between Camp David and the White House
- 19 trips to and from the Western White House, Casa Pacifica
- President Nixon's historic mission to Egypt and the Pyramids (7/14/74)
- Landing next to the Statue of Liberty for the dedication of the American Museum of Immigration (9/26/12)
- President Nixon's triumphant return to the White House following his trip to China (2/28/72)
- President Nixon's arrival to the Miami Convention Center during the Republican National Convention (8/23/72)
- President Nixon's final flight, departing the White House for Andrews Air Force Base (8/9/74)
