Latest / Be Amazed / Insane Security Features of the White House

Transcript

Insane Security Features of the White House · Be Amazed

• 0:00
  [SPEAKER_00]: Since 1800, every single president of the United States has lived and worked in the White House.
• 0:06
  [SPEAKER_00]: It's a big job that puts a big target on their backs, so over the years, security features of the White House have been constantly upgraded.
• 0:14
  [SPEAKER_00]: The exact details are kept pretty confidential, but from past biographies, public construction records and well-timed photos, we do actually have an idea of what's going on behind the front door.
• 0:25
  [SPEAKER_00]: From rooftop missiles to hidden snipers and even underground bunkers, join me as we take a look at what makes the White House a formidable fortress.
• 0:47
  [SPEAKER_00]: Now you already know the White House's huge.
• 0:50
  [SPEAKER_00]: How huge?
• 0:51
  [SPEAKER_00]: Well, the largest building of the complex, the executive residence sits on 18 acres of land as six stories tall and has a floor space of 55,000 square feet.
• 1:02
  [SPEAKER_00]: That's around 25 times the size of a standard American house.
• 1:06
  [SPEAKER_00]: And that means it also has a whole lot of windows, around 147 in fact.
• 1:11
  [SPEAKER_00]: great for natural light, but they also present 147 opportunities for anyone with a gun and a vendetta.
• 1:20
  [SPEAKER_00]: But it ain't that easy.
• 1:21
  [SPEAKER_00]: Just ask Oscar Ramiro or Tega Hernandez.
• 1:26
  [SPEAKER_00]: He believed the federal government was trying to control him through things like GPS chips, fluoride and Aspertame, the conspiracy theory trifecta.
• 1:36
  [SPEAKER_00]: So in November 2011, he drove across the country from Idaho parked his car here and then, without warning, opened fire on the White House with a semi-automatic assault rifle, despite firing at least 8 rounds only one hit a window on the second floor.
• 1:52
  [SPEAKER_00]: But it didn't penetrate the glass.
• 1:55
  [SPEAKER_00]: Why?
• 1:56
  [SPEAKER_00]: Because every last one of the White House's windows are made of bulletproof glass.
• 2:01
  [SPEAKER_00]: It's not known exactly how sturdy the White House windows are, although level 4 bulletproof glass is strong enough to repel bullets from firearms more powerful than a handgun.
• 2:11
  [SPEAKER_00]: This being the White House though, it's likely they've got the best in class, otherwise known as level 8 bulletproof glass.
• 2:17
  [SPEAKER_00]: This stuff is a whopping 2.5 inches thick and designed to withstand multiple shots from military grade automatic firearms.
• 2:25
  [SPEAKER_00]: Well, with any luck, that'll dissuade any other conspiracy theorists from just rocking up with a tin hat and a gun.
• 2:32
  [SPEAKER_00]: If you've ever visited the White House and looked up, you may have noticed something strange on the roof of the executive residence.
• 2:39
  [SPEAKER_00]: One Reddit user photographing the building spotted what looked like a tripod on the roof.
• 2:44
  [SPEAKER_00]: and just below it, something far scarier, a sniper rifle.
• 2:49
  [SPEAKER_00]: Yep, there are snipers on the White House roof.
• 2:53
  [SPEAKER_00]: The counter sniper team is a branch of the secret service, responsible for providing long range observation and real-time information on any threats to the building.
• 3:03
  [SPEAKER_00]: It's unknown how many snipers are on the roof at any one time.
• 3:06
  [SPEAKER_00]: One thing for sure though, anyone up there has a pretty clear shot over all 18 acres of the compound.
• 3:13
  [SPEAKER_00]: It's reported that each member of the Counter-Sniper team must qualify for the job every month by hitting targets as far as 3,000 feet away.
• 3:21
  [SPEAKER_00]: That's more than half a mile, although these guys are blessed with aim that Call of Duty Snipers can only dream of, they don't get much chance to show off their sniping skills.
• 3:30
  [SPEAKER_00]: In fact, never have the Counter-Sniper team shot a threat on sight, instead they're predominant least stationed to monitor and survey activity around the building.
• 3:40
  [SPEAKER_00]: So next time you pay a visit to the president's house, don't forget to smile, you're on scope.
• 3:45
  [SPEAKER_00]: Now very few security measures go over the White House Snipers' heads, literally.
• 3:52
  [SPEAKER_00]: Because the airspace above the White House is classed as a special restricted zone, the Washington D.C. Special Flight Rules Area, or SFRA, is a circular area with a 33-mile radius around Washington.
• 4:07
  [SPEAKER_00]: For any aircraft flying within the SFRA, pilots must obtain an advanced clearance from the Federal Aviation Administration to fly in the area.
• 4:16
  [SPEAKER_00]: If they don't, the North American Aerospace Defense Command or NORAD will issues a warning signal.
• 4:22
  [SPEAKER_00]: If the pilot refuses to divert their course, they'll either be intercepted by military aircraft and escorted to the nearest airport or destroyed.
• 4:31
  [SPEAKER_00]: Man, I guess all pilots are super cautious around here, right?
• 4:35
  [SPEAKER_00]: Right?
• 4:36
  [SPEAKER_00]: Well, back in 2023, a SESNA 560 citation five carrying four people was on track to enter the SFRA without authorization or any communication from the pilot.
• 4:48
  [SPEAKER_00]: 6F-16 fighter jets were scrambled from joint base Andrews intercepting the SESNA in just 12 minutes.
• 4:54
  [SPEAKER_00]: It was escorted by the F-16s who tried to establish visual communication with the pilot, but not luck.
• 5:01
  [SPEAKER_00]: 10 minutes later, the Cessna crashed in Virginia.
• 5:04
  [SPEAKER_00]: It was theorized the pilot had suffered from hypoxia, where there wasn't enough oxygen in the cabin, causing everyone on board to pass out.
• 5:13
  [SPEAKER_00]: While it was tragic, it did show just how formidable the White House's air precautions are.
• 5:18
  [SPEAKER_00]: Six jets for one plane in just 12 minutes, I couldn't even take a shower in that time.
• 5:23
  [SPEAKER_00]: Okay, that's Sessna Crash of its own accord, so how would an aircraft that somehow entered the no-fly zone be destroyed?
• 5:32
  [SPEAKER_00]: Well, we got a glimpse of the White House's anti-aircraft force when Shepard Johnson posted a series of screenshots from Google Earth on the website, Cryptome.
• 5:42
  [SPEAKER_00]: The images show what appears to be a missile battery.
• 5:46
  [SPEAKER_00]: Bad ass is it'd be for the White House roof to be equipped with missiles?
• 5:49
  [SPEAKER_00]: These were actually found on the roof of the new executive office building, a stone's throw from the Potis's house.
• 5:57
  [SPEAKER_00]: At first, a lot of people didn't think this was actually a missile battery.
• 6:02
  [SPEAKER_00]: However, in November 2019, the White House was placed on full alert due to an airspace violation, as an ominous, slow-moving blob was picked up on the radar.
• 6:14
  [SPEAKER_00]: As a result of this alert, a CBS News reporter noticed something strange on the roof of the new executive office building.
• 6:28
  [SPEAKER_00]: It's believed this particular missile system is an avenger air defense.
• 6:32
  [SPEAKER_00]: This bad boy consists of eight infrared guided stinger missiles each with a frightening two-mile range.
• 6:39
  [SPEAKER_00]: Thankfully, we never got to see the full force of the missile system.
• 6:43
  [SPEAKER_00]: The question is, what was it that entered the restricted airspace above the White House?
• 6:48
  [SPEAKER_00]: Another unconscious pilot, a genuine threat to the White House's security?
• 6:53
  [SPEAKER_00]: Well, it turned out to be neither.
• 6:56
  [SPEAKER_00]: The slow-moving blob was actually just a flock of birds.
• 7:00
  [SPEAKER_00]: But boy, those birds don't know how lucky they were.
• 7:03
  [SPEAKER_00]: Dogs are a man's best friend, and also a man's best bodyguard if you live in the White House.
• 7:10
  [SPEAKER_00]: Since 1976, the Secret Service had been using guard dogs to protect the White House's grounds.
• 7:16
  [SPEAKER_00]: The dog of choice tends to be the Belgian mal-in-wap, as they've been selectively bred over the centuries to be good workers, effective at detecting explosives and agile, capable of clearing six feet fences with ease and can run its speeds of up to 30 miles per hour.
• 7:34
  [SPEAKER_00]: On top of that, Belgian mal-in-waves have been specifically bred for their ability to bite.
• 7:39
  [SPEAKER_00]: Meaning, there's nothing more rewarding to them than clamping down on something
• 7:44
  [SPEAKER_00]: Sounds great, as long as you're not the one being bitten.
• 7:48
  [SPEAKER_00]: Each dog stationed at the White House must complete a 20-week training course, meaning these guys are trained to know a threat when they see one.
• 7:56
  [SPEAKER_00]: Don't believe me?
• 7:58
  [SPEAKER_00]: Well, just ask Dominic Addisonia.
• 8:02
  [SPEAKER_00]: In 2014, he jumped the White House fence before being swiftly wrestled down by
• 8:11
  [SPEAKER_00]: Terrifying as being attacked by those doggoes sounds recently, the Department of Homeland Security posted an article confirming the deployment of robotic dogs at the U.S. Mexico border.
• 8:22
  [SPEAKER_00]: The 110-pound heavy robot can move its speeds close to 7 miles per hour and even come armed with an unmanned rifle to offer precision fire.
• 8:33
  [SPEAKER_00]: Ah, yes, the answer to what if dogs had guns for heads?
• 8:36
  [SPEAKER_00]: Man, who knows when we might see these android hounds roaming the White House's gardens?
• 8:41
  [SPEAKER_00]: Well, real dog or robot dog, I pity anyone dumb enough to think hopping that fence is a good idea.
• 8:48
  [SPEAKER_00]: Ever wandered outside for a peaceful walk when all of a sudden, that all two familiar buzzing fills the air?
• 8:55
  [SPEAKER_00]: Ugh, drones?
• 8:56
  [SPEAKER_00]: They're everywhere these days, but these devices can also be used for destruction if fitted with an explosive.
• 9:04
  [SPEAKER_00]: With that in mind, you might be surprised to hear that in 2015, a drone was spotted flying around the gardens of the White House.
• 9:13
  [SPEAKER_00]: Despite a secret service officer hearing and seeing the drone, they were unable to bring it down.
• 9:19
  [SPEAKER_00]: Luckily on this occasion, the drone belonged to a government employee who was just a drone hobbyist using the toy after his shift.
• 9:27
  [SPEAKER_00]: The incident, though harmless, did raise concerns about how easily drones could get close to the White House.
• 9:33
  [SPEAKER_00]: Since then, DJI, the world's largest drone manufacturer, introduced Geofencing.
• 9:39
  [SPEAKER_00]: Drones that are programmed with Geofencing aren't able to fly in active no-go zones, like the White House.
• 9:46
  [SPEAKER_00]: If a drone were to fly towards the building, its built-in GPS will sense the boundary and stop mid-flight.
• 9:53
  [SPEAKER_00]: The Secret Service have even began deploying their own drones for protection of the
• 9:59
  [SPEAKER_00]: In 2017, while on a golf trip, former President Trump was followed by a drone.
• 10:05
  [SPEAKER_00]: Unsurprisingly, the Secret Service remained tight-lipped on the capabilities of the device, although it did feature electro-optical and infrared cameras to scan for any threats.
• 10:16
  [SPEAKER_00]: Still, I wouldn't be all that surprised if the White House was working on some super-sized weaponized lawn drones.
• 10:23
  [SPEAKER_00]: Sorry, dogos.
• 10:24
  [SPEAKER_00]: Looks like your days might be numbered.
• 10:26
  [SPEAKER_00]: Not all the White House defense features are high-tech, though.
• 10:30
  [SPEAKER_00]: In fact, this next security feature goes all the way back to the start of the 19th century, just a year after the building was first opened.
• 10:39
  [SPEAKER_00]: Thomas Jefferson was the first president to erect a simple wooden post and rail fence around the building in 1801.
• 10:46
  [SPEAKER_00]: Over time, the fences became taller and more robust, but they haven't been impenetrable.
• 10:51
  [SPEAKER_00]: In 2014, Omar Gonzalez scaled the fence carrying a knife before sprinting across the north lawn and actually made it inside the White House.
• 11:01
  [SPEAKER_00]: He was hauled down and arrested by security officers before doing any damage, but after finding a hatchet machete in more than 800 rounds of ammunition in his car nearby, the White House took it as a warning.
• 11:13
  [SPEAKER_00]: To ramp up security, construction on a new and improved 13-foot tall fence began in 2019.
• 11:19
  [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, good luck scaling that.
• 11:22
  [SPEAKER_00]: The new fence estimated to cost $64 million, features anti-clim, and intrusion detection technology.
• 11:30
  [SPEAKER_00]: There are also rumored to be multiple pressure sensors on the fence, which alert security whenever pressure is applied to the bars.
• 11:38
  [SPEAKER_00]: So this guy wouldn't stand much chance today.
• 11:41
  [SPEAKER_00]: Have any of you listening actually been to the White House?
• 11:45
  [SPEAKER_00]: Those of you saying yes or more likely just silently saying yes in your head, probably remember the uniformed officers posted outside.
• 11:54
  [SPEAKER_00]: Now, when I went earlier this year, I thought these guys were the White House's answer
• 12:00
  [SPEAKER_00]: They kind of look like mall cops, but thank God I never decided to test that theory, because these guys are, in fact, part of the United States Secret Service Uniform Division.
• 12:11
  [SPEAKER_00]: In other words, these are the security guards of the White House, ensuring no external threats getting near the building.
• 12:17
  [SPEAKER_00]: It's not known how many are patrolling the White House at any given time, however, the Secret Service employs around 1,300 of these guys.
• 12:25
  [SPEAKER_00]: So chances are, on any given day, there will be hundreds of uniform division agents on duty.
• 12:31
  [SPEAKER_00]: That may sound like overkill, but that's not the half of it.
• 12:35
  [SPEAKER_00]: Each recruit who must already have extensive experience must undergo an intensive 29-week training course where they're then assessed and directed to specialized teams.
• 12:45
  [SPEAKER_00]: This ranges from White House security to counter-sniper operations, K9 units, emergency response, and more.
• 12:53
  [SPEAKER_00]: So, the guys I thought of as upmarket mall cops are actually trying to do all that?
• 12:58
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
• 12:59
  [SPEAKER_00]: real glad I kept my opinions to myself that day.
• 13:02
  [SPEAKER_00]: While some of you may think the cover of night might provide the best opportunity to try and break into the White House, you might not have considered one thing.
• 13:11
  [SPEAKER_00]: Secret sensors Although it's never officially been disclosed, multiple news outlets have claimed that in for red sensors surround the perimeter of the building.
• 13:20
  [SPEAKER_00]: These sensors are apparently able to detect heat signatures so can detect human-shaped movement
• 13:29
  [SPEAKER_00]: While any spy movie fan might conjure up images of an intruder being detected by a swarm of lasers, it's more likely that the infrared sensors are instead surveilled by a member of the White House security team.
• 13:41
  [SPEAKER_00]: So why wouldn't the secret service officially confirm this?
• 13:45
  [SPEAKER_00]: Well, if they revealed the location of the sensors, anyone dumb enough to try making a move could potentially plot out, or route over the grounds to avoid them, or try taking them out.
• 13:56
  [SPEAKER_00]: Regardless, not knowing where they are, or even if they are, is more scary if you ask me.
• 14:01
  [SPEAKER_00]: Being the president of the United States, you can eat whatever you want whenever you want it.
• 14:07
  [SPEAKER_00]: Yep, that can even mean ice cream for breakfast.
• 14:11
  [SPEAKER_00]: Cool as it sounds, what the president eats is actually a security concern.
• 14:16
  [SPEAKER_00]: As someone at risk of assassination, the president is always in danger of being poisoned.
• 14:22
  [SPEAKER_00]: As such, off-white house food tasters are believed to be employed to test meals and foods for poison.
• 14:28
  [SPEAKER_00]: While the secret service has never officially confirmed this, the service itself is known to go to great lengths
• 14:37
  [SPEAKER_00]: isn't tampered with when they're out in restaurants or on the go.
• 14:41
  [SPEAKER_00]: Should the president go out for a meal?
• 14:43
  [SPEAKER_00]: Even just a grab a burger?
• 14:45
  [SPEAKER_00]: A secret service agent who is also a train chef watches over all the staff in the kitchen.
• 14:50
  [SPEAKER_00]: In that regard, it'd make sense an official taster is among their ranks.
• 14:55
  [SPEAKER_00]: What's more, there was a job advert put out for the rollback in 2020 on the White House's official LinkedIn.
• 15:03
  [SPEAKER_00]: At George Bush's presidential opening lunch in 2001, the New York Times wrote, The President's Tasters were on the job by 6am, to make certain no one was trying to poison him.
• 15:16
  [SPEAKER_00]: And again, in 2013, Barack Obama refused to eat a lobster salad at his lunch in the capital, apparently because his taster wasn't available.
• 15:25
  [SPEAKER_00]: Hmm, lobster salad.
• 15:28
  [SPEAKER_00]: never has a security job sounded so delicious.
• 15:31
  [SPEAKER_00]: From a variety of photos and documentaries, we know the secret service aren't always in direct contact with the president, sometimes they just need to conduct business alone in the oval office.
• 15:42
  [SPEAKER_00]: While this gives the president some privacy, how can the agents guarantee the president's protection when they're not in the same room?
• 15:49
  [SPEAKER_00]: Well, political researcher and author Brad Meltzer claims there are white sensitive pressure pads under the carpet of the Oval Office, allowing agents to track his movements.
• 15:58
  [SPEAKER_00]: The only problem with that is the Oval Office isn't completely covered by carpet, so do agents burst in if the president stands and stares out the window?
• 16:07
  [SPEAKER_00]: Hmm, seems unlikely, though that's not the only unconfirmed claim.
• 16:12
  [SPEAKER_00]: For decades, there have been rumors of a secret door, allowing the president to escape
• 16:20
  [SPEAKER_00]: If many think it's found under the desk in the oval office, and at six feet wide and four feet deep, it's certainly big enough to hide a big hole.
• 16:28
  [SPEAKER_00]: Although the desk does have a panel at the front, which opens up like a hidden door, chances are it doesn't house some hidden stairway to safety, however another potential oval office escape point is found on the wall.
• 16:40
  [SPEAKER_00]: That's because one section of that wall looks suspiciously like a hidden door.
• 16:45
  [SPEAKER_00]: Now, why would an office need a door to be hidden?
• 16:48
  [SPEAKER_00]: Perhaps it's an escape point to some secret underground layer?
• 16:51
  [SPEAKER_00]: Well, as much as I'd love to believe that this side door actually just leads out to the corridor, whereas the main door we see here leads to the President's study.
• 17:01
  [SPEAKER_00]: That's disappointing.
• 17:02
  [SPEAKER_00]: But luckily, the rest of the White House does have some secrets hidden in plain sight.
• 17:07
  [SPEAKER_00]: Biggest the White House is did you know this building is actually much larger than it looks?
• 17:13
  [SPEAKER_00]: Believe it or not, underneath this building are a whole host of secret tunnels.
• 17:16
  [SPEAKER_00]: Work first began on an underground tunnel system here in the early 19th century, but it's not the James Bond escape route you're thinking of.
• 17:25
  [SPEAKER_00]: Nope, the White House's first tunnel was constructed to flush out water and waste from the house.
• 17:30
  [SPEAKER_00]: Lovely.
• 17:31
  [SPEAKER_00]: In 1941, during World War II, plans were made to dig another big burrow, due to fears an enemy bombardment, would bury President Franklin D. Roosevelt underneath the pile of rubble.
• 17:42
  [SPEAKER_00]: Reportedly, a massive 761 feet long tunnel was created, allowing the President to evacuate it from the White House to the nearby Treasury Building.
• 17:52
  [SPEAKER_00]: Now, here's where things get even more interesting.
• 17:55
  [SPEAKER_00]: Supposedly, the basement of the Treasury Building is also connected to the nearby Treasury Annex.
• 18:00
  [SPEAKER_00]: The tunnel is said to lead out to a locked door at the back of the Treasury Annex, found at the end of a long narrow alleyway on H Street.
• 18:08
  [SPEAKER_00]: If you visit H Street today, you'll find an alley with a ramproof vehicle barrier and bullet proof secret service kiosk.
• 18:15
  [SPEAKER_00]: Seems like an awful lot of protection for an alleyway, right?
• 18:18
  [SPEAKER_00]: The White House has remained pretty tight-lipped about its underground burrowing, so we can't know for sure how extensive the tunnel system is.
• 18:26
  [SPEAKER_00]: But if there are other security measures or anything to go by, it could be like a maze down there.
• 18:31
  [SPEAKER_00]: Back in the 1950s, the Truman Reconstruction of the White House showed the world that there would be a new subterranean level to this fortress.
• 18:39
  [SPEAKER_00]: Today, that basement house is areas like the President's own bowling alley
• 18:45
  [SPEAKER_00]: The cool is that is, if you go deeper, you'll find something more impressive and underground bunker.
• 18:51
  [SPEAKER_00]: It was built around the time one of those previously mentioned tunnels was dug during World War II.
• 18:57
  [SPEAKER_00]: Formally known as the Presidential Emergency Operations Center or PEOC, it's located underneath the East Wing.
• 19:04
  [SPEAKER_00]: The space is used in case of emergencies like the fateful day of September 11, 2001, when President Bush met with his national security council in this bunker in case of another attack.
• 19:16
  [SPEAKER_00]: Former First Lady Laura Bush said in her memoir, I was hustled inside and downstairs through a pair of big steel doors that closed behind me, forming an airtight seal.
• 19:27
  [SPEAKER_00]: But I was now in one of the unfinished subterranean hallways underneath the White House, heading for the PEOC.
• 19:35
  [SPEAKER_00]: Photos from 2001 showed the PEOC contained all the modern communication equipment of the time, including phones and TVs to coordinate with external government units.
• 19:45
  [SPEAKER_00]: Unsurprisingly, today's specifics about the PEOC are highly classified, but we do know the space to be deep underground.
• 19:54
  [SPEAKER_00]: Reportedly, the most destructive US nuclear weapon could blast up to 1,000 feet below the surface.
• 20:01
  [SPEAKER_00]: So, it's safe to assume this bunker could be at least that far below ground.
• 20:06
  [SPEAKER_00]: For reference, that it'd make the PEOC around as far underground the Eiffel Tower is tall.
• 20:12
  [SPEAKER_00]: This place is so deep that it requires elevator access.
• 20:15
  [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, can you imagine the strain of climbing up 1,000 feet worth of steps?
• 20:20
  [SPEAKER_00]: I can feel my thighs burning just thinking about it.
• 20:23
  [SPEAKER_00]: When you think of a secure location, it's not normally a place that is visited by over 1.2 million people per year.
• 20:31
  [SPEAKER_00]: Yet that's exactly what happens at the White House.
• 20:35
  [SPEAKER_00]: Visitors enter through the east wing before walking through the residents and exploring places like the state dining room and family theater.
• 20:43
  [SPEAKER_00]: But normally when you visit a museum or art gallery, you can just rock up on the day.
• 20:48
  [SPEAKER_00]: That ain't gonna happen at the White House, though.
• 20:50
  [SPEAKER_00]: You see anyone that wants to visit the Presidential Palace for a tour has to book it at least 21 days in advance.
• 20:58
  [SPEAKER_00]: background checks.
• 21:00
  [SPEAKER_00]: You need to submit a bunch of personal information and bring identification with you on the day before stepping foot inside the place.
• 21:08
  [SPEAKER_00]: But if you thought that sounded strict, wait till you hear what items are prohibited from being brought inside the building.
• 21:15
  [SPEAKER_00]: No pointed objects at all, including pens and pencils, no flags, no bags of any kind, no food.
• 21:21
  [SPEAKER_00]: There are a whole host of seemingly innocent everyday items.
• 21:26
  [SPEAKER_00]: While bringing a prohibited pen into the White House is forgivable, I'd be far less sympathetic of someone trying to fly a helicopter around the building's perimeter.
• 21:35
  [SPEAKER_00]: Yet crazy as it sounds, that's exactly what happened back in 1974.
• 21:40
  [SPEAKER_00]: Robert Preston was a US Army private, so you'd presume he'd be a fairly responsible fella.
• 21:46
  [SPEAKER_00]: Well, think again!
• 21:48
  [SPEAKER_00]: For some reason, Preston decided it'd be a bright idea to steal a helicopter from an unguarded airfield, but foreflying 20 miles southwest towards the White House, where he briefly landed on the south lawn.
• 22:00
  [SPEAKER_00]: Before long, he was off again, except this time he was being chased by a police helicopter.
• 22:06
  [SPEAKER_00]: After deliberating in the air, Preston thought his best bet was to give himself up to President Richard Nixon in person.
• 22:12
  [SPEAKER_00]: So unbelievably, he flew all the way back to the White House, where he parked on the south lawn again.
• 22:19
  [SPEAKER_00]: As he was landing, the Secret Service opened fire, lightly wounding Preston.
• 22:25
  [SPEAKER_00]: After that, you'd think the White House would ban helicopters from their airspace outright, but today, choppers are also used to protect the President, specifically Marine One, which is the call sign of any U.S. Marine Corps aircraft carrying the President.
• 22:39
  [SPEAKER_00]: Usually, the Sikorsky 5H3DC King, or the VH60 and White Hawk.
• 22:45
  [SPEAKER_00]: You may be wondering where these helicopters come from.
• 22:48
  [SPEAKER_00]: After all, they don't magically appear out of thin air to whisk the president away.
• 22:53
  [SPEAKER_00]: Well Marine Corps helicopter base is at Quantico Virginia, just over 30 miles from the White House.
• 22:59
  [SPEAKER_00]: Considering that current models are said to fly at speeds greater than 150 miles per hour, it'd take them just 12 minutes to make the journey from Quantico to the White House lawn.
• 23:09
  [SPEAKER_00]: Such speed also means these helicopters can quickly fly the president out of the White House's grounds if anything disastrous were to happen.
• 23:17
  [SPEAKER_00]: Yet speed alone isn't what makes the Marine one helicopter such supreme security features.
• 23:23
  [SPEAKER_00]: These choppers are also fitted with ballistic armor and anti-missile features, making them virtually impossible to shoot down.
• 23:31
  [SPEAKER_00]: Man, I wish my overhead anti-missile features would at least make the costume worth it.
• 23:37
  [SPEAKER_00]: Well, as always,
• 23:41
  [SPEAKER_01]: Thank you for watching.