McCain calls out Obama on Marine 1

Yeah the current fleet of white tops are 30 yrs old... A friend of mine is working on that program now.. I would hate to see him loose his job... I recently watched a show on the National Geographic about the HMX-1 group and the fleet, I was really impressed with that group of Marines.
 
Wow...I didn't know they were 30 yrs old! I have always been impressed by Marine 1 and AF 1 pilots, we must admit to be in those squadrons they are the epitome of the best.

I agree I would hate to see anybody lose a job, but for those who stated the 22 should be closed down isn't that cherry picking? The 22 is a much larger production line, which means more jobs. The 22 will also be defending our nation for the next 30 or so yrs in an operational defense manner. I am just amazed that there are 28 Marine 1 helo's...my bad...I just assumed there were maybe a dozen or so, b/c I know they always fly in groups so nobody knows which one has our President, but I never expected 28.

Lockheed is being hit left and right. Just yesterday they took another full page ad out in the WaPo defending the need for the 22 for fiscal reasons, I wonder when they will take an ad out for Marine 1 since they are making that too!
 
Wow...I didn't know they were 30 yrs old! I have always been impressed by Marine 1 and AF 1 pilots, we must admit to be in those squadrons they are the epitome of the best.

I agree I would hate to see anybody lose a job, but for those who stated the 22 should be closed down isn't that cherry picking? The 22 is a much larger production line, which means more jobs. The 22 will also be defending our nation for the next 30 or so yrs in an operational defense manner. I am just amazed that there are 28 Marine 1 helo's...my bad...I just assumed there were maybe a dozen or so, b/c I know they always fly in groups so nobody knows which one has our President, but I never expected 28.

Lockheed is being hit left and right. Just yesterday they took another full page ad out in the WaPo defending the need for the 22 for fiscal reasons, I wonder when they will take an ad out for Marine 1 since they are making that too!
If you see the show advertised on NAt'l Geo watch it... I was amazed, the MC pilots train for 3 yrs just flying that helo before they ever get to fly it, then many tests they have to do.. those DOTS they land on on the white house grounds are sat there just before they land... anyway it was an extremely informative show... how they always have three helos flying together so no one knows where the president is... so much more..
it was just pretty cool.
 
Maybe McCain, like many others, cannot stomach the idea of the President of the United States flying around in a foreign helicopter.
 
Maybe McCain, like many others, cannot stomach the idea of the President of the United States flying around in a foreign helicopter.

McCain was the biggest opponent of the AF KC-X program, calling them out on scandal when he could have been silent and let the domestic Boeing design win against the foreign made Airbus design. I doubt "buy American" was McCain's driving factor.
 
McCain was the biggest opponent of the AF KC-X program, calling them out on scandal when he could have been silent and let the domestic Boeing design win against the foreign made Airbus design. I doubt "buy American" was McCain's driving factor.

Pretty big jump there. In the Boeing case he was definitely against the scandal. I think 'buy American' had nothing to do with it. No idea at all about this one, just wishfully speculating.
 
The place the "dots" at different locations each time so that the helo doesn't damage or sink into the soil and lawn. They are 6' wide and are arranged so that the president exits facing the crowd, cameras or audience if there is one, otherwise it faces him to the entrance.

Not only do the 3 birds fly together, they swap positions constantly while enroute.

James


If you see the show advertised on NAt'l Geo watch it... I was amazed, the MC pilots train for 3 yrs just flying that helo before they ever get to fly it, then many tests they have to do.. those DOTS they land on on the white house grounds are sat there just before they land... anyway it was an extremely informative show... how they always have three helos flying together so no one knows where the president is... so much more..
it was just pretty cool.
 
The place the "dots" at different locations each time so that the helo doesn't damage or sink into the soil and lawn. They are 6' wide and are arranged so that the president exits facing the crowd, cameras or audience if there is one, otherwise it faces him to the entrance.

Not only do the 3 birds fly together, they swap positions constantly while enroute.

James


hey I thought the show said they were 3' not 6' :)

I have a friend that was a HMX1 pilot for Clinton. he is retired now, but after I saw the show I had to call him and tell him I learned all about it.
 
I am just amazed that there are 28 Marine 1 helo's...my bad...I just assumed there were maybe a dozen or so, b/c I know they always fly in groups so nobody knows which one has our President, but I never expected 28.

You are correct. There are only a dozen or so of the VH-3s, the ones that actually transport the president and are approaching 50 years old. The remainder are newer H-60s which provide support services.

Therefore, perhaps McCain's concern is why does it take 20+ modern new helicopters to do the job of half as many 50 year old aircraft. The H-60s are perfectly capable of continuing in the support mission which does not need airborne command electronics, hardened airframes, anti-missile capabilities, etc. which are responsible for the H-71 cost escalations.

As an aside, I cannot wait to hear the public reaction when the presidential fleet is grounded for parts because a bunch of Italian aircraft workers are on strike.
 
Probably the same response as when they hear that our tankers are grounded because the French government isn't too happy with our latest foreign policy choice.
 
Report: Pennsylvania Company Discovers Marine One Security Breach
FOXNews.com
Sunday, March 01, 2009

A Pennsylvania company that monitors peer-to-peer file-sharing networks discovered a potentially serious security breach involving President Obama's helicopter, Marine One, NBC affiliate WPXI in Pittsburgh reported.

Sensitive information about Marine One was reportedly found by Tiversa employees at an IP address in Tehran.

Tiversa CEO Bob Boback said a defense contractor in Bethesda, Md., had a file sharing program on one of their systems that contained highly sensitive blueprints for Marine One and financial information about the cost of the helicopter.

"We found a file containing entire blueprints and avionics package for Marine One," Boback said.

Boback said the issue most likely stemmed from someone downloading the file-sharing program without realizing the problems that could result.

"When downloading one of these file-sharing programs, you are effectively allowing others around the world to access your hard drive," Boback told WPXI.

"We found where this information came from. We know exactly what computer it came from. I'm sure that person is embarrassed and may even lose their job, but we know where it came from and we know where it went," Retired Gen. Wesley Clark, an adviser to Tiversa, told WPXI.

Click here to read the full story.
 
"Might" lose their job...?


This is the perfect excuse to get the new choppers now.
 
I think Senator McCain was just trying to see which way President Obama would answer that question. He was probably hoping to catch him off guard after telling Wall Street "bosses" to stop flying around on tax-payer money, and then see that he wouldn't mind spending more than 11 billion dollars for his affairs. I don't think this issue should be analyzed more that it should. He already expressed his views and unless the President is convinced that he needs that many new planes for his protection (which I doubt he will) the helicopters aren't going to be built/bought. And if he is convinced, he'll probably ask for a smaller fleet.
 
Report: Pennsylvania Company Discovers Marine One Security Breach
FOXNews.com
Sunday, March 01, 2009

A Pennsylvania company that monitors peer-to-peer file-sharing networks discovered a potentially serious security breach involving President Obama's helicopter, Marine One, NBC affiliate WPXI in Pittsburgh reported.

Sensitive information about Marine One was reportedly found by Tiversa employees at an IP address in Tehran.

Tiversa CEO Bob Boback said a defense contractor in Bethesda, Md., had a file sharing program on one of their systems that contained highly sensitive blueprints for Marine One and financial information about the cost of the helicopter.

"We found a file containing entire blueprints and avionics package for Marine One," Boback said.

Boback said the issue most likely stemmed from someone downloading the file-sharing program without realizing the problems that could result.

"When downloading one of these file-sharing programs, you are effectively allowing others around the world to access your hard drive," Boback told WPXI.

"We found where this information came from. We know exactly what computer it came from. I'm sure that person is embarrassed and may even lose their job, but we know where it came from and we know where it went," Retired Gen. Wesley Clark, an adviser to Tiversa, told WPXI.

Click here to read the full story.

no classified documents were found, and actually this happened early in 2008...(like a year ago) I talked to a friend of mine that works on this project... Evidently the news have been just holding the info, waiting for a reason to release it....
 
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I have 2 issues

1. I do watch Fox News, but it will be seen as something else b/c drive by is for Obama.
2. I am not a fan of Wesley Clark...he was reknown to have a horrendous temper and yet he went off and said McCain can't be a leader b/c of his temperment. Thus, anything he states always makes me take a second look.
 
McCain's temper wasn't the only issue why he didn't think he could be president- he had stated that his military experience didn't give him enough leadership experience to make him presidential.

But because someone with a temper says that another easily irritable person cannot lead because of it is in no way hypocritical unless that person thinks they are, themselves, fully capable of leading. It would be like a green colored person (literately green) saying that a green colored candidate couldn't be president because he is green. Since that person is not running for president, he could most definitely say that, but at the same time he is saying that he himself cannot run for president.

I respect Wesley Clark fully. I think people should take Fox News with a lot of salt.
 
Wesley Clark was vying for the democratic nomination in 2004, he is being hypocritical.
 
Wesley Clark was vying for the democratic nomination in 2004, he is being hypocritical.

And the candidate he endorsed in 2008?

She had no leadership experience to compare with a USNA graduate and military officer.
 
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