The mightiest nation in world. Our defense budget is greater then the GDP of many nations. We have the some of the most advanced air forces in the world.
But our President still tools around in an old Sikorsky S-61? I know that ‘Marine-1’ is simply the callsign for any USMC-piloted aircraft that the President travels on, but whenever I see him disembarking, it is from a S-61.
Why not a Super Stallion, Blackhawk, or Chinook? Is the S-61 THAT good?
The S-61 has much more headroom. Presidents look much more dignified when standing to embark/disembark, rather than crouching. Aircraft performance really doesn’t matter for the short hop to Andrews.