Major General Ronald Nelson, 94, a Lower Moreland Township resident and chairman emeritus of the Harold F. Pitcairn Wings of Freedom Aviation Museum, will help unveil a restored version of Marine One, the first helicopter used to fly a president on Tuesday, October 21 at 1:00pm in Horsham Township.

The aircraft was used to fly President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1957. Nelson served as a co-pilot and logged 1,500 hours of flying with the Marine Corps.

The museum obtained the helicopter in pieces in 1988 and volunteers assembled it and repainted it in the mid-1990s. It took 2.5 years and upwards of 5,000 hours to bring the replica back to life, officials said.

“I didn’t realize that at the time we were developing the HUS-1 (Sea Horse) that there was any thought for us taking over the helicopter duties for the president,” Nelson said. “We were given the message that we had to be at the White House lawn within 15 minutes of when we got an emergency message. It wasn’t always an emergency. Sometimes it was just to fly the president over to the Air Force base to get on Air Force One.”

Nelson, who served 36 years in the Marine Corps prior to retiring, and the late Col. Virgil Olson, who flew combat missions in WWII, Korea and Vietnam, were unable to interact with the president during their many Marine One flights.

“If you notice in this helicopter the pilots are up high. The doors where the president got in are down below,” Nelson said. “Today there’s a much closer relationship. Now the pilots are at his level so when he walks in the door, he almost always greets them.”

As part of the museum’s unveiling ceremony, the newly restored Marine One will be dedicated to Nelson, whose name will be displayed on the side of the aircraft, along with Olson.

Nelson said co-piloting the presidential flights was just “part of the job.”

“What they have done is quite something,” he said of the museum’s restoration team. “I’m really proud of them. I think it will be good for the museum.”

He was honored by Lower Moreland Township police in 2021 for his support of the community and for his service to our country:

Fun Fact: Nelson was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2013 and has an annual trophy given in his name. He also has a soccer field in Huntingdon Valley named in his honor.

For all the latest news, follow us on Facebook or sign up for Glenside Local’s “Daily Buzz” newsletter here.