This year, 2022, is the 65th Anniversary of OPERATION ALERT in which a Bell UH-13J evacuated President Dwight D. Eisenhower to Camp David. This Civil Defense drill would be the first time a president flew in a helicopter, but, it would not be the last.
Today, U.S. presidents routinely travel by helicopter, and the presidential helicopter is often photographed taking off or landing on the White House’s South Lawn.
The American Helicopter Museum & Education Center’s new exhibit, The Helicopter and the Presidency, explores the iconic role played by helicopters in the modern American presidency. Exhibit artifacts, photos, scale models of the helicopters, and more tell the stories of the personnel who maintain and fly the world’s most famous helicopter.
The exhibit runs March 5 through May 29 during normal operating hours. The Members Only Preview is Friday, March 4, from 6 until 8 p.m.