Trump's new helicopter has a flaw: It scorches the White House lawn
WASHINGTON _ The presidential helicopter isn't supposed to leave scorch marks on the White House lawn. So the Navy and Lockheed Martin Corp. are working to fix a "high risk" problem after the new Marine One did just that in a test without the president on board.
The first in a $5 billion fleet of new Marine One helicopters is supposed to be ready to go into service by September 2020. President Donald Trump already has showcased the new aircraft with a flyover during his Fourth of July appearance in Washington.
The previously undisclosed episode occurred last September, during a test "conducted in a manner very different than normal Marine Helicopter Squadron One operations to the White House South Lawn," Lt. Col. Mike Andrews, a spokesman for the Pentagon's testing office, said in an email.
He said the cause of the incident involving the helicopter, which is designated VH-92A, was under investigation and more information will be released when it's available.
Greg Kuntz, a spokesman for the Naval Air Systems Command, said that "under certain conditions, the VH-92A exhaust can affect a grass landing zone," and "discoloration of landing zone grass occurred" during the September test.
_ Bloomberg News
