Helicopters the US spent $5B on can't carry president because they scorch lawn

businessinsider.com

6 points·nradov··5 comments

I’m very skeptical about this story. There aren’t any suitable solutions like turning on the sprinklers for a few minutes before landing? AstroTurf? A concrete landing pad? Deflectors on the exhaust? This doesn’t seem like a hard problem, which makes me suspect there’s a lot more to it.

"A high-profile niggle was given away by the sight of dead grass left over as exhaust from the helicopter’s pair of General Electric CT7-8A engines scorched the White House lawn on repeated test flights. Subsequent modifications to the exhausts fixed the problem along with some seed and fertilizer from the White House gardener.

The most important issue and the one holding back the Sikorsky from stepping into the VH-3D’s shoes lies with the VH-92’s Mission Communication System (MCS). The MCS provides secure, encrypted communication at very high data rates without interruption anywhere in the world. It enables the President, Vice President or other senior officials to stay in contact with the government’s command structure (including the National Command Authority that directs U.S. nuclear deterrents) while airborne and on the move."

https://www.forbes.com/sites/erictegler/2022/12/30/practice-...

Bit of a butchered title? Suggestion: New $5B helicopters can't carry president; might scorch lawns

If the issue only arises at the White House, maybe a paved helipad might be the best solution?

Bird burning Biden's beautiful bermuda.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sikorsky_VH-92_Patriot

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