Onboard Marine One | National Geographic

the President of the United States is in
the hands of Colonel Raymond LaRue the
lift is underway
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[Music]
doing this particular mission in
Manhattan first of all it’s a treat to
fly around Manhattan being one of the
more majestic cities in our country when
you get to see New York City at a
hundred feet to 200 feet
airborne that’s pretty silly
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but it’s it’s also very challenging in
that some of the busiest airspace that
this country has that we fly into so
enough got to always plan for
contingencies as well JFK to Wall Street
in under 10 minutes
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at the Wall Street heliport the pad is
clear the presidential motorcade waits
for the last leg of the trip
the helos of hmx appear on the horizon
bus all now is the time for Frenchie and
his team to earn their stripes for this
presidential mission not one but four
helicopters must squeeze onto the pad a
concrete pier smaller than a football
field
to troop carriers with press and support
staff land first
there’s a certain portion during final
approach in a helicopter where you have
to get into ground effect than a cushion
of air if you will when you’re coming in
landing on an elevated platform over
water you really don’t get that help
from that ground effect until you’re
actually on the ground
next to touchdown is a backup
presidential white top
only then does marine one begin final
descent
when we get there Wall Street pad is
already clobbered with aircraft
depending on how the winds are we’ve got
to get in and we’re going to very small
space that we have to land in you only
go one shot at it it’s at zero failed
mission and that’s why we rehearse
everything so that on game day we make
it seamless
touchdown the latest in a 51 year string
of perfect landings
once again the Marines of hmx have
delivered