In Hyderabad, visiting United States President George W Bush flew from the airport to the Acharya N G Ranga Agricultural University on a Marine One helicopter.
Here are some interesting details about Marine One.
- Any US Marine aircraft carrying the American President is given the call sign Marine One. It is one of the choppers off the Marine Helicopter Squadron 1, or HMX 1.
- On September 7, 1957 Dwight D Eisenhower, the 34th US President, became the first American President to travel in a helicopter when he took a seven-minute trip in an HMX-1 UH-34 Seahorse . It did not have air conditioning, or a loo.
- Shortly after that, the president's naval aide asked for an evaluation of the feasibility of helicopter landings and take-offs in the South Lawn of the WHite House. in
- In his last days as President, Bill Clinton flew across the Grand Canyon in Marine One. On landing, he was met by a single Marine standing on the edge of the canyon. The reason: American protocol says at least one American Marine in full uniform must meet Marine One wherever it flies.
- Marine One is generally accompanied by a decoy helicopter.
- The Marine One fleet, based in Quantico, Virginia, is supervised by more than 800 Marines.
- You can't touch a Marine One unless you have Yankee White clearance, a strict background check by the American Defence Department.
