"John Noble" wrote in message om...
Was watching "West Wing" on TV (love that show), and in one scene they
swooped in with Marine 1 (POTUS onboard) in a pretty aggresive approach.
Seemed pretty cool flying, with a tight LZ; trees, buncha cars and such all
around (yeah, TV- I know).

But it made me wonder; just how agile is that Sikorski? Anyone know who
flys it for the show?

John,

The aircraft currently used by HMX-1 is the VH-3D, a modified version
of the H-3 (civil S-61). It is a tried and true machine, but not the
latest vintage. That machine is certainly a good transport, but only
average in agility as compared with latest designs. The same dynamic
systems (blades, rotors, transmissions engines) was used on the S-67
Blackhawk experimental aircraft that flew in the early 70's and did
great aerobatics, so it is not a slouch agility-wise.

To transport the President, the Squadron also uses a VH-60N, which is
a version of the UH-60 Black Hawk. I know several members of the
Squadron, they are (what would you expect?) as good as it can get, in
every department. They are basically line Marine pilots and mechs who
are selected based on their skills and character.

That scene in last week's "West Wing" used an S-62 with a snazzy paint
job. The shape is vaguely similar, but the S-62 is half the size and
single engine, with less than half the capacity of the H-3. The
opening sequence of WW uses a civil S-61L with paint job. The
President's VH-3 has round sponsons at its sides where the landing
gear come out, as it is a derviative of the US Navy H-3, which is
amphibious. The S-61L is the civil airliner version, with simple gear
struts.

Nick