Nervous In Orlando?

ORLANDO, Florida: Two of the helicopters servicing President Clinton's re-election campaign had serious maintenance trouble Friday: one chopper made an emergency landing in a field and another crashed in flames at Orlando's airport. Four people were slightly injured when the CH-46 rolled over in the air, plunged to the ground and caught fire. No civilians were on board, but press secretary Mike McCurry said that sometimes the CH-46 is used to transport reporters traveling with the President. These two incidents follow an August 17th plane crash near Jackson, Wyoming, which killed a Secret Service agent and eight Air Force crew members. As far as the two choppers are concerned, old parts are probably a better explanation for the coincidence than foul play. "The CH-46 is a high-maintenance helicopter," reports TIME's Mark Thompson. "It is old and tired. Some parts need checking after only 10 hours of flight. The Secret Service would not permit the President to ride on one. In fact, the helicopters the President does ride in receive so much attention that they no longer represent their original class." On the bright side, the Marines may receive some newer helicopters now that the problems with these old aircraft has been highlighted so spectacularly. -->