American Helicopter Museum

American Helicopter Museum & Education Center

Established	October 1996
Location	1220 American Boulevard West Chester, Pennsylvania United States
Type	History
Public transit access	SEPTA route 92
Website	http://www.helicoptermuseum.org

The American Helicopter Museum & Education Center (AHMEC) is located at 1220 American Boulevard, West Chester, Pennsylvania, United States. The transport museum focuses on the history, science and technology of rotary wing aviation. The collection contains over 40 civilian and military autogyros, convertiplanes and helicopters, including some early generation models. The museum also has an extensive research library, the Renzo Pierpaoli Memorial Library, which contains documents, artifacts, films, and memoirs that museum members can use.

The museum strives to restore and display historic aircraft and chronicle the origin and development of rotary wing aircraft. The museum's exhibits chronicle the efforts of pioneers like Harold Frederick Pitcairn, Mr. W. Wallace Kellett of Kellett Autogiro, Arthur M. Young and Frank Piasecki, and today it continues to record the new and ever expanding role of the U.S. helicopter industry. The exhibits span the history of rotary wing aircraft from the earliest rotorcraft to the latest developments in tiltrotors, and AHMEC is the only museum in the world currently displaying a V-22 Osprey.

History

The American Helicopter Museum & Education Center opened to the public in October 1996 to serve as a "lasting tribute to those men and women who pioneered the development of rotary wing aircraft" and to encourage future generations of aviation pioneers .

According to the website, no one person has played more of an important role in the founding and building of the American Helicopter Museum & Education Center than distinguished aviator Peter Wright. A celebrated veteran of the famed Flying Tigers (1941-42), and founder of Keystone Helicopter Corporation (which was acquired in 2005 by Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation), Mr. Wright is considered a pioneer of the commercial helicopter industry. He has been the recipient of numerous awards and honors including the Distinguished Flying Cross. Largely because of his vision, his devotion to the cause and his unceasing efforts the American Helicopter Museum & Education Center became a reality in 1996.

The continuation of the museum as a showcase for the helicopter industry and as an important and viable institution was solidified in 2003 when the Robinson Helicopter Company generously endowed it with a gift of $1,000,000 .

Programs

Each year the Museum hosts thousands of visitors, school groups, families and senior citizens. Tourists of all ages from the U.S and abroad come here to witness the history and the future of the helicopter.

File:Stubby.jpg

A current flyer for the Stubby program.

• Stubby the educational travelling helicopter.

Stubby is an interactive helicopter that travels to schools, camps and community events. Docents accompanying Stubby give kids a chance to sit in the cockpit, operate the controls and learn how each works. Students also learn about the hand-eye co-ordination necessary to fly a helicopter .

Rotorfest

Rotorfest is an annual all-helicopter airshow held by the American Helicopter Museum & Education Center. Rotorfest is billed by the museum as the World's Largest All-Helicopter Airshow. The Airshow takes place at the Brandywine Airport in West Chester, Pennsylvania. Aircraft static displays were located on the north side of the airport around the American Helicopter Museum & Education Center's building.

The first Rotorfest took place in 1996 and has been held annually since. In recent years the museum has teamed with David Schultz Airshows ; the website features the acts, static displays, and schedule of events. The airshow is usually two days, over a weekend in September or October, and features not only the regular static collection of the museum but visiting military helicopters and civilian performance rotorcraft. Homebuilt aircraft and experimental aircraft are also usually on display.

Aircraft on Display

• The museum has on display a V-22 Osprey, an example of a military-use tiltrotor.

  

  V-22 Osprey

External links

• American Helicopter Museum & Education Center official website
• Photos of helicopters and rotorcraft at the American Helicopter Museum