Marine One only has one radio??? Sounds fishy to me...

[m1911owner]

This story: http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/04/19/D8H34DGG0.html, says:

A radio problem on the Marine One helicopter prevented it from taking off from the White House lawn Wednesday, forcing President Bush to wait for a motorcade to take him to nearby Andrews Air Force Base.

Bush and his senior advisers had boarded the helicopter and it revved up in preparation for takeoff, but after about a minute its engines were shut down. Bush got off smiling.

"We had an issue with the helicopter," the president said. "Everyone's safe."

Bush walked off to shake hands with visitors who came to see the takeoff. White House Deputy Chief of Staff Joe Hagin said the helicopter's radio had failed. "They couldn't talk to anyone," he said.

A motorcade was being assembled to take Bush to the air force base to begin his flight to Tuskegee, Ala.

This sounds rather fishy to me.  As I recall from when I was piloting a few years ago, any IFR-rated aircraft has to have dual navcoms.   It is not plausible that Marine One does not carry full IFR equipment.  Therefore, even if a radio was out, they'd still be able to talk on the second radio.  Not, "They couldn't talk to anyone", as we're being told.

I'd guess there was some other issue that they don't want to talk about.  Since we're fighting a war and they have need from time-to-time to not tell us everything, I guess I can accept this may be one of those times, so I'll wish them good luck and Godspeed.  Still, I do wonder what was up...

[K Frame]

My guess?

It's exactly what they're saying it is.

If the radio fails on the ground, you don't take off simply because you have a second.

The back up is there for when you're en route and the main radio fails.

[Leatherneck]

The VH-3 called Marine One when the president is aboard has UHF, VHF, SATCOM and a suite of other comms in the back.  Can't imagine why they couldn't use a different radio. Mind you, that helicopter is 30 years old, so it may have suffered a bus failure or some such. Also don't know why the backup didn't step in.

TC

[Stickjockey]

Mike Irwin's got it. If you've got the option, you go back and get whatever failed repaired/replaced. The backups are for getting you out of a situation you can't get out of any other way.

[jefnvk]

What everyone else said, and the whole 'we couldn't talk to anyone' comment came from a passenger, not the crew.

But the Marine One is 30 years old?

[Mabs2]

...thought that said motorCYCLE for some reason.  I guess it's the pain medication.
My thought was, "Bush rode a chopper to the AFB?  KICKREAR*"

*Curse my PG-13 rating.

I'm pretty sure they have two navcoms, aye.  But if an important system goes down...why would you want to take off with just the backup?  The back up is there in-case you're in-flight...
Sounds dangerous to put yourself in an already risky area with only backup systems.
When you take off, you want to take off with everything working.  Because if you have a problem, don't get it fixed and take off...that problem can spread elsewhere.  Then you're up a creak sans paddle.

[Azrael256]

34 years, to be exact.  The VH-3s in the squadron assigned to ferry the president around entered service in 1962.

[Waitone]

How 'bout a credible report of a manpad in the area?

[Perd Hapley]

You're getting way too skeptical, m1911owner.  This Deputy COS probably was just told it was a radio problem and then ad-libbed the "They can't talk to anyone."

[garrettwc]

I think Mike Irwin has it.

Add to that the cargo is POTUS.

Do you take off on back up radio and take a chance that the radio didn't fail because of an electrical problem that could affect other systems? Not me brother. I'd say safety protocols to the 10th power at work here.

[Kharn]

The VH-3 called Marine One when the president is aboard has UHF, VHF, SATCOM and a suite of other comms in the back.  Can't imagine why they couldn't use a different radio. Mind you, that helicopter is 30 years old, so it may have suffered a bus failure or some such. Also don't know why the backup didn't step in.

The airframe might be 30 years old, but I know some people that would argue otherwise about the state of the electronics.

Kharn

[RevDisk]

Not that I know the specifics, but the White House Signal Detachment keeps the President and the other brass wired at all times.   There are redundent communication systems at all times.  (This is SOP for the military.)   I agree with Mike Irwin.   If the primary communications fail and you're supposed to fly the President somewhere, it's best to use another bird than rely on the backups.

[grampster]

"If the wings are traveling faster than the fuselage, it's probably a helicopter: Therefore unsafe."

Anon. Marine

[garrettwc]

"If the wings are traveling faster than the fuselage, it's probably a helicopter: Therefore unsafe."

Anon. Marine

Unless it's an Osprey. Wait a minute.....

[RevDisk]

"If the wings are traveling faster than the fuselage, it's probably a helicopter: Therefore unsafe."

Anon. Marine

Unless it's an Osprey. Wait a minute.....

Once I was at a base here in the States, driving past the heliplex.  Noticed an Osprey on the pad, so I put on my k-pot.   Got some odd looks.   Any time someone asked me about it, I said an Osprey was in the area.   By the end of the day, EVERYONE was nervously looking at the sky, hoping it fell on someone else.

[Jamisjockey]

I'd bet money its got more than one standard means of communication, on top of other radios.  And, I'd also venture to guess, since its VM1, they don't want to run it in any-than-other optimal condition.  I'd imagine if any piece of equipment goes out, they probably are fixing it asap rather than going airborne.

[Guest]

They probably have a dozen radios on board. Several of them are for convenience and security etc. and a couple of them are required equipment to opperate a military aircraft. Regardless the aircraft failed its preflight check, and that means you dont fly, wether your cargo is a load of scrap iron or the president of the United States.

[publius]

MEL = Minimum Equipment List.

Airliners have them, so Marine One probably does as well. You can take off with some things broken, but not the things on that list.