Presidents may soon be boarding Marine One from a marked landing pad rather than the open grass of the South Lawn. President Trump is weighing construction of a permanent helipad at the White House as early as this summer, people familiar with internal discussions tell the Washington Post, in a move tied less to convenience than to the quirks of a new helicopter fleet. The problem lies with the Marine Corps' VH-92A Patriot helicopters, made by Lockheed Martin's Sikorsky and meant to fully replace the aging Sea King and White Hawk models. The Patriots blast hot exhaust straight down—raising the risk of charring the lawn. That means that despite a nearly $5 billion pricetag for a 23-chopper fleet, delivery of which was complete two years ago, a Patriot has yet to land on the South Lawn, reports the Wall Street Journal.
A helipad is seen by some officials as a long-delayed fix, "not a wild Trump idea," as one anonymous retired military officer tells the Post. Critics argue it would mar a historic landscape and say temporary pads or other workarounds could solve the problem. The White House, Sikorsky, and Lockheed Martin aren't commenting on the pad idea, and sources caution Trump could still change course. For now, the older choppers will keep flying presidents to and from that familiar patch of grass at least into the next decade. "Nothing there is broken—so don't mess with it," said Ray L'Heureux, a retired commander of Marine Helicopter Squadron One.
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