# How does "Marine One" get to Zurick? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 30, 2000, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-marine-one-get-to-zurick/6671 "2000-01-30T01:40:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lord\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecccb3/32.png) [@Lord\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Jim)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2000, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-marine-one-get-to-zurick/6671/1 "2000-01-30T01:40:00Z")
I saw this in a Reuters news article. > [@](#): > > To reach the World Economic Forum, Clinton flew overnight from Washington to Zurich then boarded his Marine One helicopter for a half-hour trip through the snow-cloaked Swiss Alps on a grey day. He was only expected to be on the ground in Switzerland about 12 hours before flying home. Can it fly that far? If it can, would it need mid-air re-fueling? I thought helicopters were moved overseas by ship. Wouldn’t that take it out of Washington for weeks? Doesn’t the president use it often going back and forth to Air Force One and other places around Washington? And, what’s so special about “his Marine One” that you would take it to Zurick for a 12 hours visit. Aren’t there other VIP type helicopters already stationed in Europe? A few too many questions, huh? Well, just pick one. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecccb3/32.png) [@Lord\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Jim)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2000, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-marine-one-get-to-zurick/6671/2 "2000-01-30T01:47:00Z")
Hmmm, there really isn’t a good excuse for misspelling Zurich twice when it is written in the article. ---
**Author:** ![Rysdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7cd45c/32.png) [@Rysdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysdad)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2000, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-marine-one-get-to-zurick/6671/3 "2000-01-30T02:02:00Z")
There are lots of military helicopters in Europe already. Any helicopter POTUS boards becomes Marine 1 or Army 1 or Navy 1, IIRC. ---
**Author:** ![Rysdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7cd45c/32.png) [@Rysdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysdad)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2000, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-marine-one-get-to-zurick/6671/4 "2000-01-30T02:04:00Z")
Oh yeah…I’m sure there are “special” aircraft maintained in lots of places overseas just in case a VIP needs one. ---
**Author:** ![royalbill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8491ac/32.png) [@royalbill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/royalbill)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2000, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-marine-one-get-to-zurick/6671/5 "2000-01-30T02:20:00Z")
I once saw a documentary that showed that before the President arrives anther cargo plane lands a little before it. It contains secret service, the limos the Pres will ride in and such. I believe that they may be able to fit Marine One into a large cargo plane and then unload it where ever needed. As to the in flight refueling…perhaps…although those particular choppers are designed for long-ish trips… * * * Heaven…One to beam up! ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecccb3/32.png) [@Lord\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Jim)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2000, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-marine-one-get-to-zurick/6671/6 "2000-01-30T02:51:00Z")
**Rysdad** , I had heard that too about any chopper being Marine 1 or something 1, but it didn’t make sense to me. **Royalbill** , so maybe they just throw it all in the back of a C-5 and haul the whole mess everywhere he goes. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2000, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-marine-one-get-to-zurick/6671/7 "2000-01-30T07:18:00Z")
It’s true. Any aircraft carrying the president is \ - 1. If I take him for a flight in my Cessna, the Cessna is temporarily Airforce One. Often the President will land in Airforce One, and the Vice-President will take off in it, and it’s now Airforce Two. So yeah, I’d guess that ‘Marine One’ is whichever military helicopter Clinton plans on flying in. I’m pretty sure that the ‘Marine One’ you see flying off the Whitehouse grounds (I think it’s a Sikorsky Sea Stallion) could NOT be packed into a C-5 Galaxy for regular flights to Europe. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecccb3/32.png) [@Lord\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Jim)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2000, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-marine-one-get-to-zurick/6671/8 "2000-01-30T17:12:00Z")
Thanks, y’all are right. From [this site](http://www.whitehouse.gov/WH/kids/inside/html/fall98-3.html), it says that **Air Force 1** and **Marine 1** are radio call signs for _the president is onboard_, not a particular plane or helicopter. So, **dhansen** , your Cessna could be Air Force 1, but you would probably need one of those _presidential seal stickers_ to make it official. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2000, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-marine-one-get-to-zurick/6671/9 "2000-01-30T19:04:00Z")
didn’t you guys see _Air Force One_ with Harrison Ford? The 747’s going down, Harrison insists his wife and daughter transfer to the rescue plane before him, 747 crashes, big drama, anxious time while everyone waits to see if Harrison made it over the cable, then they hear from the pilot of the rescue plane, “This is Air Force One calling,” everyone realises Harrison made it, Glen Close rips up the instrument of incompetency under the 25th Amendment, generals cheer, etc? I do my best research watching old movies. * * * and the stars o’erhead were dancing heel to toe ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2000, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-marine-one-get-to-zurick/6671/10 "2000-01-31T04:13:00Z")
Actually, dhanson, JimB, the web site that JimB refers to says that AirForce 1 is only used for a US Air Force plane, and Marine 1 only used for a Marine corps helicopter, so your Cessna probably wouldn’t qualify. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Ryan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7feea3/32.png) [@The\_Ryan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Ryan)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2000, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-marine-one-get-to-zurick/6671/11 "2000-01-31T05:56:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by Arnold Winkelried: > **Actually, dhanson, JimB, the web site that JimB refers to says that AirForce 1 is only used for a US Air Force plane, and Marine 1 only used for a Marine corps helicopter, so your Cessna probably wouldn’t qualify.** So would it be Civilian 1? ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2000, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-marine-one-get-to-zurick/6671/12 "2000-01-31T05:57:00Z")
DAMN! (Flushes script down toilet) ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2000, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-marine-one-get-to-zurick/6671/13 "2000-01-31T06:46:00Z")
So if the jet we know as Air Force One is flying without the President while the President is flying in another Air Force plane, are there two planes in the air with the same call sign? Or does the original Air Force One use another callsign when the President isn’t aboard? And is there another name for that big jet which is less ambiguous? Anyway, nobody seems to have answered the original question. Does the President carry his own helicopter overseas or use ones already there? I seem to recall one of the cargo planes carrying the Presidential limo crashed a couple of years ago, but heard no mention of helicopters. ---
**Author:** ![Spiny\_Norman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@Spiny\_Norman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiny_Norman)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2000, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-marine-one-get-to-zurick/6671/14 "2000-01-31T07:59:00Z")
According to the press reports concerning Mr. Clintons visit to Copenhagen, a C-5 transport plane lands with the advance party before any presidential visit, bringing with it armored cars and - you guessed it - several helicopters. Norman-One out. ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2000, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-marine-one-get-to-zurick/6671/15 "2000-01-31T15:45:00Z")
Sorry, dhanson, to prompt you to destroy what surely would have been a masterpiece of american cinema. Is no one else bothered by the favoritism for the Air Force and the Marines? I hereby propose: When the president tours a base, the vehicle should be officially proclaimed “Army Jeep 1.” Similary, when fishing on the Potomac in a US Navy ship, “Navy PT Boat 1.” If the president decides to look at the pretty lights in a lighthouse, “Coastguard lighthouse 1.” When he gets his tetanus shot, the syringe should be “Public Health syringe 1.” Finally, when visiting a NOAA fishery, then of course “NOAA fishery 1.” There. I think we’ve covered all branches of the uniformed services. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecccb3/32.png) [@Lord\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Jim)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2000, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-marine-one-get-to-zurick/6671/16 "2000-01-31T16:30:00Z")
I also found an old presidential rail car designated as _U.S. Number 1_. Do you suppose his limo is called _Secret Service 1_?