Super Chopper

In the brief but brilliant “Age of the Helicopter,” there have been many contenders for the title of “Super Copter:” the CH-47 Chinook, the UH-1 “Huey,” which transformed the very nature of warfare in Vietnam; and Eurocopter’s Ecureuil AS350, which has carried out some of the highest altitude rescues in history. But one of the newest copters that brings it all home is the EH101. Recently chosen to be the next “Marine One”—the Presidential Helicopter, the EH101, will be specially outfitted as the new Oval Office in the sky. It was a tight race with Sikorsky’s S-92, and the competition between the two copters isn’t over yet. Though the EH101 is the president’s vehicle of choice, both of these state-of-the-art flying machines are now vying for a multi-billion dollar contract to supply the U.S. Air Force with their new generation of search and rescue helicopters.

Helicopters are a monumental human achievement, a technological feat that’s become so common place we don’t blink an eye at them anymore. But National Geographic’s Explorer takes you for a ride on the EH101 to see why you might want to take a second look.

Product Information

• Widescreen version
• Run time: Approx. 52 mins
• Release Date: 2006