July 12, 1957, President Dwight D. Eisenhower became the very first United States president to fly in a helicopter.
Before this flight, presidents relied entirely on traditional cars and planes, but for Eisenhower a limousine motorcade took too long for trips, it also disrupted traffic. On the other hand, Air Force One was a great choice for long distances, but it was impractical for short trips. So Eisenhower suggested a helicopter to the White House Secret Service, who approved the idea as it was a safer and more efficient choice.
Eisenhower used a Bell UH-13-J, which was the military version of the commercial Bell 47J Ranger. The helicopter weighed only 1,800 pounds, it had a single 260-horsepower engine, and a cruising speed of just over 90 miles per hour.
The presidential H-13J’s interior had some modifications to enhance safety, comfort, and operational speed, the standard blades were replaced with advanced metal rotor blades, arm and foot rests were added, and dark blue tinted Plexiglas bubble were put in place of the standard transparent installation to reduce to reduce glare and heat.
33-year-old Major Joseph E. Barrett was selected for the president’s helicopter pilot, after tests and interviews with other pilots who had more than 2,000 hours of accident-free rotary wing flight time. Captains Lawrence Cummings and John Wilkinson, were selected as the first and second alternates for presidential flights.
Eisenhower used his helicopter for convenient, short trips. It allowed him to fly from the South Lawn of the White House to his summer home in Rhode Island, the presidential retreat at Camp David, and his farm in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
Until this day most presidential helicopter flights still depart from the South Lawn.
Ask us! What questions do you have about content, strategy, pop culture, lifestyle, wellness, history or more? We may use your question in an upcoming article!
Like MediaFeed’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was syndicated by MediaFeed.co
