NAVAL AIR SYSTEMS COMMAND, PATUXENT RIVER, Md. (June 17, 2009) – The Presidential helicopter presented by former President Richard Nixon to Egypt’s President Anwar Sadat in 1974 has been redelivered to the Egyptian government in a ceremony held May 14 at Clayton International in Peachtree, Ga.
The VH-3A Sea King was completely rebuilt and outfitted with new engines, a heavier-duty transmission, a new, non-folding aft fuselage, a new, non-folding main rotor head and a new, executive-level interior.
”The Sea King arrived a little more than a year ago at Clayton International as a stripped shell, with most of the parts in boxes,” said Capt. James “Walleye” Wallace, Support and Commercial Derivative Aircraft Program Manager, PMA-207. “What you see before you is a testament to the craftsman here turning a stripped shell into a state-of-the-art executive helicopter and delivering it on time and on budget.”
“I also want to thank my Egyptian H-3 team, which was lead by John Gernand, for their dedicated work making this program a success story for everyone involved,” said Wallace.
This VH-3A Sea King was one of eight built for VIP transport and flew Presidents Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon before being presented to Egypt’s President Sadat in 1974.
PMA-207 is naval aviation’s expert at acquiring, fielding, and supporting special mission and commercial derivative aircraft using the best commercial concepts benefiting the Department of Defense.