HMX - 1 Marine Helicopter Squadron One ( HMX - 1 ) , is a United States Marine Corps helicopter squadron responsible for the transportation of the President of the United States , , Cabinet members and other VIPs . A Marine helicopter which has the President aboard uses the call sign " Marine One " . In addition to its VIP transport role , it is also tasked with operational test and evaluation of new flight systems for Marine Corps helicopters . Nicknamed " Nighthawks " , they are headquartered at Marine Corps Air Facility Quantico , Virginia , and maintain detachments at Naval Support Facility Anacostia in Washington , D . C . and Joint Base Andrews Naval Air Facility in Maryland . History . In 1946 General Roy S . Geiger observed the atomic bomb tests at Bikini Atoll and instantly recognized that atomic bombs could render amphibious landings difficult because of the dense concentrations of troops , ships and material at the beachhead . The Commandant of the Marine Corps convened a special board , the Hogaboom Board , that recommended that the Marine Corps develop transport helicopters in order to allow a more diffuse attack on enemy shores . It also recommended that they stand up an experimental helicopter squadron . HMX - 1 was commissioned on December 1 , 1947 and based in MCAS Quantico , Virginia because of its relative proximity to the Sikorsky and Piasecki plants in Connecticut , and to the Marine Corps schools where most of the original personnel would come . They operated the Sikorsky HO3S - 1 and the Piasecki HRP - 1 and saw their first test of capabilities in May of that year when five squadron aircraft transported 66 Marines from the deck of the to Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune , North Carolina . While the test aircraft could only carry three Marines each and required multiple trips , it did indicate the possibilities of the concept . In 1948 the Marine Corps Schools came out with " Amphibious Operations - Employment of Helicopters ( Tentative ) " or " Phib - 31 " which was the first manual for airmobile operations . The Marines used the term " vertical envelopment " instead of " air mobility " or " air assault " . HMX - 1 performed the first ship - to - shore movement of troops from the deck of an aircraft carrier in an exercise in May 1948 . After the start of the Korean War , four HMX - 1 helicopters were attached to VMO - 6 and sent to help the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade at the Battle of Pusan Perimeter in 1950 . They were used for battlefield observation and control as well as medical evacuation and the rescue of fliers . During the Chosin campaign they were used for liaison between the different Marine units strung along the western edge of the Chosin Reservoir . The requirements of the Korean War exceeded the Navy ' s training requirement thus HMX - 1 was pressed into service as a training command for the first few years of the war . They trained the nucleus of pilots that would form HMR - 161 , the first Marine helicopter transport squadron . On September 7 , 1957 , President Dwight D . Eisenhower was vacationing at his summer home in Newport , Rhode Island , when his immediate presence was needed at the White House . Typically , the return trip to Washington , D . C . required an hour - long ferry ride across Narragansett Bay to Air Force One , followed by a 45 - minute flight to Andrews Air Force Base , Maryland , and a 20 - minute motorcade ride to the White House . Realizing the urgent need for his presence in Washington , President Eisenhower directed his staff to find a faster way to Air Force One . An HMX - 1 , UH - 34 helicopter was on Aquidneck Island in case of an emergency and could be used to fly the President to his awaiting aircraft . President Eisenhower approved the idea , and after the 7 - minute flight a precedent was set . Shortly thereafter , a naval aide to the President asked HMX - 1 to evaluate landing helicopters on the south lawn of the White House . Preliminary assessment and trial flights concluded that ample room was present for a safe landing and departure . Formal procedures were finalized and HMX - 1 began a long career of flying the President of the United States to and from the South Lawn and Andrews AFB , the home of Air Force One . Initially , this function was shared with the Army , but in 1976 , the Marine Corps was assigned the sole responsibility and mission of providing helicopter support to the President worldwide . Today HMX - 1 also supports the Vice President , Secretary of Defense , Secretary of the Navy , Commandant of the Marine Corps , and all visiting Heads of States in the Washington , D . C . area . On July 16 , 2009 , Marine One flew with an all - female crew for the first time , as the final flight of the first woman to fly the president : Major Jennifer Grieves . Aircraft . The first official presidential helicopter was the VH - 34 Choctaw , beginning operations in September 1957 , and replaced by the VH - 3A Sea King beginning in 1962 . In the late 1970s , the VH - 3As were retired and replaced by the upgraded VH - 3D . The current fleet is made up of the VH - 3D and the VH - 60N " WhiteHawk " , which entered service with the squadron in 1988 . The V designates the aircraft as configured for use by VIPs . The Executive Flight Detachment is the only Marine Corps unit to operate these Sikorsky aircraft . The VH - 3D is capable of transporting 14 passengers while the VH - 60N seats 11 . Both helicopters require a pilot , copilot , and crew chief , and the VH - 60N ' s crew also includes a communications systems operator . Because the VH - 60N folds easily for loading into an Air Force C - 5 Galaxy or a C - 17 Globemaster it is ideal for overseas assignments . The Marines can prepare a VH - 60N for a C - 5 load in less than two hours . Due to the uniqueness of the VH platforms , all pilots and maintenance personnel assigned are trained by Sikorsky factory - trained instructors . Depending on the Military Occupational Specialty , these schools range from 1 to 5 months and are taught at the squadron . Sikorsky technical representatives then provide a watchful eye as the Marines operate and maintain the helicopters . HMX - 1 was scheduled to receive 23 new Lockheed Martin VH - 71 Kestrel helicopters to replace the current fleet . However , in April 2009 , it was announced that the Kestrel program was no longer included in the Defense budget . The VXX program was restarted , and is slated to deliver new aircraft between 2017 and 2023 . HMX - 1 also operates a small number of CH - 46 Sea Knights for utility purposes , and recently retired its fleet of CH - 53E Super Stallions . These will be replaced with MV - 22B Ospreys and CH - 53K s by 2017 . These support aircraft also share the HMX - 1 dark green livery , but lack the white paint at the top of the aircraft ( thus the nickname " white tops " ) that the VIP transport helicopters have . On August 11 , 2013 two MV - 22 Ospreys made their presidential debut ferrying Secret Service agents , White House staff , and members of the media from CGAS Cape Cod to Martha ' s Vineyard during the President ' s vacation . Executive Flight Detachment . The presidential and VIP flights are conducted by " Whiteside " , the Executive Flight Detachment . Most activities of Whiteside are directed by the White House Military Office . Whiteside , although based at Quantico , Virginia , operates extensively out of an alert facility at Naval Support Facility Anacostia in Washington , D . C . Operations by " Greenside " , which is the rest of HMX - 1 , include operational test and evaluation , such as with the V - 22 , a vertical take - off and landing tiltrotor aircraft , and support of exercises and training evolutions for the Marine Corps Combat Development Command at Marine Corps Base Quantico , Virginia . The " X " in its squadron designator originally stood for Experimental , emblematic of its original mission of testing new helicopters and flight systems . However , as its operational role in VIP transportation overshadowed its operational test and evaluation role , the " Experimental " moniker was dropped , although the squadron designator was left unchanged . Marines who fly in the Executive Flight Detachment may be eligible for the Presidential Service Badge after a certain term of service .