Low over the Potomac River, this UH-1N of the 1st Helicopter Squadron 'First and Foremost' on its way from the Pentagon back to homebase Joint Base Andrews (MD).

The wedge-shaped vertical stabilizer necessary for directional stability, upper speed brakes and a small tail-skid in retracted position is visible on the first X-15 on display at NASM. Just three of these hypersonic aircraft were built, and only 12 pilots flew them including Neil Armstrong for a total of 199 flights from 1959-68. The X-15 set the world's unofficial speed record of Mach 6.70 with Flight No. 2-53-97, and an altitude record of 354,200 ft. with Flight No. 3-22-36. The second X-15 is displayed at NMUSAF. The third X-15 was lost on 15 Nov 1967 on Flight 3-65-97 in a fatal accident.

11/30: Rolled out as an Alpha; sold to Colonel C.M. Young, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Aeronautics, for his personal use checking airways and facilities; registered as NS-1. 1931: Ford Motor Company with c/r NC11Y then to National Air Transport. 1932: TWA; converted to Alpha 4. 1935 to 1946: Many owners. 5/46: Foster Hannaford of Winnetka, IL. 1971: EAA. 1974: National Air & Space Museum. 1974 to 1976: Restored.

The US Coast Guards operates some 40 MH-65Es. This one is assigned to US Coast Guard Station Atlantic City (NJ), but was operating - together with a sister ship (serial 6604, also marked Atlantic City) - out of USCGS Washington which is located at Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington DC. Both armed helicopters were patrolling over the Potomac River and were equipped with a moving screen on the right hand side of the Dolphin.

This VH-60N of Marine Helicopter Squadron (HMX) 1 is an executive transport helicopter derived from both the US Army's UH-60 Black Hawk and the US Navy's SH-60 Seahawk. Nine VH-60Ns were delivered to HMX-1 from 1989 as a replacement for the VH-1N. One VH-60N was written off on 19 May 1993. The VH-60N incorporates day/night/all-weather operations, self-contained navigation, GPS, TCAS, and CSFIR sensors, and carries no weapons. The VH-60N is equipped with an extensive communication suite with a seperate communications station and also sees Electric Magnetic Pulse hardening against jamming.

Pictured over the Potomac, this anonymous looking Ecureuil gained extra attention to me as the pilot wears a military looking flight suit with a shoulder patch. The helicopter was built by Airbus Helicopters in 2018. It was then transferred to Homeland Security in Washington DC.

The US Coast Guards operates some 40 MH-65Es. This one is assigned to US Coast Guard Station Atlantic City (NJ), but was operating - together with a sister ship (serial 6502, also marked Atlantic City) - out of USCGS Washington which is located at Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington DC. Both armed helicopters were patrolling over the Potomac River and were equipped with a moving screen on the right hand side of the Dolphin. TED on this pictured was part of the word United.

One of four VH-60Ms, named "Gold Top", over DC. The exclusive quartet is assigned to 12th Aviation Battalion/Command Aviation Company Alpha based at Davison Army Airfield also known as Fort Belvoir (VA). The heavily upgraded UH-60Ms of the "Vipers" are used for executive transport: members of the Army's leadership, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, political leadership, dignitaries, selected officials of the US DoD and combatant commanders. The A Co is also specialized in the evacuation of those executives from the US capitol in the event of a national emergency.