Manny Ornelas' list of undone "honey do" chores is growing steadily at home. Dick Van Rennes finds himself painting helicopter rivets in his dreams. And Rudy Lerma is so busy he has had to postpone further repairs on his antique car. It's all the result of a little-noticed aircraft restoration underway at Riverside's March Field Air Museum.
In a hangar overlooking the military airfield and dozens of airplane relics, a band of dedicated volunteers is poring over the hulk of a historic helicopter that ferried four U.S. presidents and scores of dignitaries during the 1960s and '70s.
"This may be the most photographed helicopter in history," said Gene Boyer, a retired Army colonel who flew the craft on hundreds of trips, including those to Egyptian pyramids, St. Peter's Square in Vatican City and the Statue of Liberty. It also carried Richard Nixon from the White House after his resignation as president.
The 77-year-old Boyer's sense of history and affection for this particular VH-3A Sea King has made him the driving force behind the work that will see the restored helicopter arrive this winter as a permanent exhibit at the Richard Nixon Library & Birthplace in Yorba Linda.
That's a long way from a parking lot in Rhode Island where the helicopter sat, wrapped in plastic, for nearly 20 years awaiting restoration interest and funds -- or scrapping. Fearing the worst, Boyer had spent many months tracking down the aircraft, which from 1960 to 1976 carried Presidents Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon and Ford before spending a decade as a static training tool for Secret Service agents.
"It was a good piece of equipment," said Boyer, adding that all aspects of the restoration have been covered by volunteers and donated services. "It deserves preservation."
Boyer estimates that he piloted the helicopter on 600 flights involving a president and many more hauling nearly 30 visiting heads of state. Boyer took Nixon and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat in the helicopter and landed next to pyramids. He dropped the president off at the Statue of Liberty and was the first helicopter pilot to land in St. Peter's Square for Nixon's visit with the pope.
"I didn't get a practice run for that one," Boyer said, "but I scouted the area on the ground."
Boyer recalled taking Nixon from San Clemente to an NBC Studios parking lot in Burbank for the televised revelation of the administration's diplomatic opening with China.
