The White House has confirmed that contractors are redoing a new helipad built on the South Lawn to accommodate a new supersized Marine One chopper recently added to the presidential transport fleet.
A White House official said the changes to the circular concrete landing pad were ordered as “we continue to make improvements as part of the ongoing project to best match the needs of the White House.”
The Washington Post reported that President Donald Trump was unhappy with the pad’s appearance and the lawn’s slope. Construction crews had been working “around the clock” to finish the project, which the president hoped would be completed before the Chinese president’s visit to the US in late September.
The New Helicopter
The new Marine One is a militarized variant of the Sikorsky S-92, or VH-92A Patriot. It is considerably larger and more powerful than the previous Sikorsky SH-3 Sea King. Security upgrades added more weight, requiring the twin jet engines to work harder to take off and land. The exhaust vents direct heat downward, making singeing the lawn more likely.
The new VH-92A helicopter has been developed as the new Marine One for more than a decade. In 2024, President Joe Biden rode it from Chicago’s O’Hare airport to Soldier Field. The Marine Corps took delivery of the last of the 21-helicopter fleet at a cost of $4.95 billion, or about $215 million each.
The Helipad Project
The helipad is expected to feature a carved granite presidential seal and cost $5 million to $6 million, funded entirely by helicopter manufacturer Sikorsky Aircraft.
The downward gradient of the White House lawn slopes as much as 20 degrees in some spots, which may also have to be changed so the helipad can sit level with the horizon. Last week, a 100ft-wide granite presidential seal that was beginning to take shape was observed to have been dug up again.
Currently, Trump is using the Ellipse — a park south of the White House — as a landing pad for Marine One.
A Pattern of Projects
The helipad is the latest in Trump’s controversial improvement projects, including the construction of a White House ballroom on the side of the East Wing and a new lining in the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool. Others on the drawing board include a garden of heroes and a triumphal arch complete with a 60ft gilded bronze winged Lady Liberty statue.
“For years, the White House has desperately needed a proper Helipad on White House grounds that will allow the president to land safely and also protect the beautiful South Lawn grass from the fierce exhaust fumes of the incredible Marine One,” White House spokesman Davis Ingle said in a statement.
He added that “thanks to President Trump, the White House has never looked better, and it will only continue to get better under his leadership.”
The Bottom Line
The White House is redoing its South Lawn helipad to accommodate a larger Marine One helicopter. The project, funded by Sikorsky Aircraft, is expected to cost $5 million to $6 million. President Trump was reportedly unhappy with the pad’s appearance and the lawn’s slope. The new helicopter is larger and more powerful than its predecessor, with exhaust vents that can singe the lawn. The helipad is the latest in a series of Trump administration improvement projects.
