American Helicopter Museum, West Chester, PA.

Issue 15 The American Helicopter Museum

In November 1979, revolutionaries stormed the American Embassy in Tehran, Iran. They took 52 hostages and held them in the Embassy for a total of 444 days. In April 1980, after much debate within his administration, President Jimmy Carter launched Operation Eagle Claw, a mission to rescue the hostages. The rescue attempt turned into a great debacle, resulting in the loss of a CH-53 helicopter, a C-130, and three Marine and five Air Force personnel. Five other CH-53s were abandoned in the desert. The rescuers didn’t come close to their objective.

There were numerous areas of fallout from this mission, not the least of which was Jimmy Carter losing his re-election bid to Ronald Reagan. Militarily, there was plenty of fault to go around especially in the area of mission planning. One discussion during the aftermath was that the fixed-wing C-130s and the CH-53 helicopters used in Eagle Claw were the best assets available, but they were not very well suited to the mission. The main failure point was the transfer of personnel (and fuel) between the helicopters and the fixed wing aircraft, requiring a remote desert landing location. It was obvious that what was needed was a single aircraft that could land vertically but also carry a full load of combat troops a long distance at high speed. Out of this review came a preliminary design contract for what would become the V-22 Osprey and the contract was awarded in April 1983 to a combined Bell and Boeing Vertol bid. The third prototype of the unique V-22 Osprey is on display at the American Helicopter Museum in West Chester, PA.

The Museum was proposed in 1993 by the Philadelphia chapter of the American Helicopter Society as part of its 50th anniversary celebration. The project gained steam after Peter Wright, president of Keystone Helicopters, donated several vintage helicopters. Scouting began for a location for the Museum, and a vacant hangar was located at Brandywine Airport, west of Philadelphia. The hangar had previously been the production facility of MBB helicopters, which seemed ideal. Volunteers from Boeing worked on developing the site and restoring a Vertol “HUP” helicopter, donated by Peter Wright. After the Smithsonian donated several more rotary-wing aircraft, the project was well under way, and doors opened to the public in October of 1996.

As you enter the museum, you notice right away that this is a well-lighted, well-laid out hangar, containing numerous helicopters as well as many informational displays. There are about a half dozen aircraft outside, but most of the collection is inside, making this a great place to visit any time, even in inclement weather. There were several volunteers available, but all the exhibits are well marked, so we just wandered on our own.

Helicopters played a minimal role during WW-II, but the need for vertical takeoff and landing was certainly recognized and research and development was well underway. First flown in 1943, the Sikorsky S-51 was originally designated the R-5 and configured with a tail wheel. As WW-II had ended by the time the “Dragonfly” went into production, Sikorsky looked for applications beyond military use. In 1946, the first civilian S-51s were sold to Helicopter Air Transport of Philadelphia. In 1947, the world’s first scheduled helicopter service was initiated by Los Angeles Airways with five S-51s. That same year, HAT began passenger, freight, and mail service out of the now closed Camden Central Airport with its S-51s. Helicopter development was proceeding quickly and the S-51s of Los Angeles Airways became the first helicopters certified for instrument landings. The approval was narrow, as it applied only to those five aircraft, and they were only permitted to fly on instruments for a maximum of 15 minutes. The approval allowed LAA to takeoff in the early morning fog that was common in the Los Angeles basin.

Photo by USMC - U.S. Defense Imagery photo, Public Domain.

The S-51 served a prominent search and rescue role during the Korean War, and a number are seen here on the ramp at Incheon, South Korea (Marine S-51s were designated HO3S-1). Powered by a Pratt & Whitney R-985 Wasp Junior motor, only 300 of the type were built, but they served in numerous roles, including service in Antarctica.

High above the helicopters on display in the Museum is a very fragile looking wing. It is covered with a thin material and looks somewhat like a rotor blade. It is, in fact, one of four blades from the AeroVelo Atlas, a human powered helicopter. In 2013, the AeroVelo won the American Helicopter Society’s Igor I. Sikorsky Human-Powered Helicopter Competition. The prize of $250,000 was the third highest amount ever awarded for an aviation accomplishment. The competition required the human-powered craft to climb from a standing start to at least three meters and to stay there for at least one minute. Pilot Todd Reichert was able to reach 9.8 feet and stay there for 64.11 seconds. The AeroVelo team, mostly students from the University of Toronto, built a craft that weighed just 122 pounds, while its four rotors stretched 154 feet tip to tip, making it the second largest helicopter ever built.

Two workhorse military helicopters of the past 30 years have been the Boeing Vertol CH-46 Sea Knight and the Boeing CH-47 Chinook. They look very similar and I have never really known the difference. The American Helicopter Museum has a Sea Knight and a mock-up of the Chinook, making it possible to see how they compare. The most obvious difference is size. The CH-46 has a gross weight of 24,300 pounds and a fuselage length of 44 feet, while the CH-47 has a gross weight of 50,000 pounds and a cabin length of 52 feet.

The CH-46, pictured above, was introduced in 1964 and was operated by the Navy and Marines. This partially explains why it was a smaller craft, as it was designed for shipboard use. The Sea Knight had a long career as a combat transport for troops and supplies, not retiring until 2015 (by 2010, it was being replaced by the V-22 Osprey). During their long service life, CH-46s served in many capacities, including a major role during the Vietnam War. The Museum’s CH-46 was the last one produced in Philadelphia at Boeing’s Vertol #2 plant. This particular Sea Knight participated in Desert Storm (1991) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (2002-2010), among many other operations.

There were numerous versions of the CH-46, including a commercial version, called the BV-107 Vertol. This version was operated by New York Airways and Pan American Airways in passenger service and was used in various other roles such as power line construction.

The CH-47 Chinook entered service in 1962 and is still operational today. Built for the Army, the CH-47 is used as a medium transport helicopter. Powered by two Lycoming T55-GA-714A turboshaft engines it is one of the fastest helicopters in use, with a cruise speed of 160 knots and a maximum speed of 170 knots. Like the CH-46, the CH-47 had a major role in the Vietnam war as well as in every conflict and humanitarian mission since.

The mock-up in the museum is an actual production aircraft. It was originally a CH-47, serving in that role for 14 years with several Army units. It was then converted to the first MH-47D for Special Forces operations. In 2005, it was converted to a mock-up as part of the competition for a new helicopter named the CSAR-X. Although Boeing won the competition, the program was cancelled before any were built. The mock-up was then donated to the museum to become a very interesting display.

Visitors are able to walk through the entire interior, including the updated cockpit. The main cabin gives a good look at what the standard troop transport set-up would be as well as how stretchers would be mounted for a medevac role. Being able to go inside an aircraft is always my favorite part of visiting a museum.

The American Helicopter Museum has over 35 helicopters on display but there are also many exhibits covering the history of vertical flight as well as exhibits describing the various challenges of vertical take-off and landing. The pioneers of helicopters, including Igor Sikorsky, are well covered.

Sikorsky designed his first helicopter in 1909. That effort was not successful and he concentrated on fixed wing design during WW-I. After the war, he emigrated to the US and eventually joined United Aircraft in Connecticut, working on the design of various aircraft, including Pan Am Clippers. He was always interested in helicopter design and, in 1942, his R-4 became the first mass produced helicopter. By this time he had settled on the use of a large main rotor with a smaller, stabilizing, tail rotor, which is the configuration of most of the helicopters built today.

The Delaware Valley is known as “The Cradle of Rotary Wing Aviation in the US” and there are a number of exhibits acknowledging that local history.

For Issue 10 we visited the Harold F. Pitcairn Museum of Flight in nearby Willow Grove (https://aviationhistorymuseums.com/blog/2020/3/16/harold-f-pitcairn-wings-of-freedom-aviation-museum-willow-grove-pa). In that issue we talked about Pitcairn’s work with the Autogyro, a vertical takeoff craft. The American Helicopter Museum not only does an excellent job illustrating the history of Pitcairn and the Autogyro, but they have on display a replica of the Collier trophy awarded to Pitcairn in 1931 for his work on vertical flight.

Photo Courtesy of The American Helicopter Museum

Just a short note here, The American Helicopter Museum has a feature that is rare for aviation museums. Many of the aircraft and exhibits have an audio tour available. It is a simple matter to download the app and, at each display there is a number to select to hear a short and interesting audio discussion.

Along with Sikorsky and Pitcairn, a third local innovator honored in the Museum’s Pioneers of Helicopter Innovation exhibit is Philadelphia born Frank Piasecki. Piasecki worked on Autogyro development while still in high school. He went on to form the Piasecki Aircraft Corporation, which is still in business in Pennsylvania today.

One innovation by Piasecki was the tandem rotor design. This design allowed for greater lifting capability, while allowing the rotors to have smaller individual circumferences, important for shipboard operations. This design would carry through on many Piasecki designed helicopters, as well as on designs of other manufacturers, such as the CH-46 and CH-47 we have already seen.

One of the first of Piasecki’s successful designs was the model PV-14 HUP “Retriever”. The HUP designation derives from the Navy designation for the aircraft. First delivered to the Navy in 1951, the HUP-1 was powered by a single Continental R-975 engine powering both rotors, which overlap. The Museum’s beautifully restored example is a HUP-2, which was later designated the UH-25B. It was a HUP-2 that picked up John Glenn from his Mercury capsule after his historic orbital flight.

The American Helicopter Museum has a nice variety of helicopters both large and small, civilian and military. Many of the exhibits are rotated so that visiting more than once lets you see a variety of items on display. You may even see one or more different helicopters if you visit a second time.

This large Piaseki H-21 “banana” was out front when I visited the Museum several years ago, but is now in storage.

Sporting a sign of the current times, this little Hughes 369 (OH-6/OH-6A) Cayuse is set up for kids to climb into and is one of the many areas of the museum designed to interest, educate and motivate children. Nicknamed “the Cheerful Chopper”, the Cayuse is featured in a children’s film shown in the theater, as well as in a book available in the Museum gift shop.

Don’t be deceived by the small size and simple construction of this Hughes 369. Built in the 1960s, over 20 records were set by this type, including a non-stop flight from California to Florida and an altitude record of 28,218 feet.

The Museum has a pair of these little RotorWay Scorpion kit-built helicopters. Each built in the 1970s, the blue one is a Model II with a two-stroke Evinrude engine, derived from a boat engine. The Green one is a model 133, with a RotorWay manufactured four-stroke engine. The Scorpion was the first real helicopter kit and around 5,000 were sold.

Five or six helicopters are in front of the Museum and behind the hangar, you can explore the V-22 Osprey as well as a HueyCobra, one of the best-known Army helicopters.

The Bell AH-1F Cobra first flew in 1965 and entered service in 1967, when it made an immediate impact in the Vietnam war. Known as the HueyCobra, it had a two-man crew and was heavily armed with a variety of cannons and rockets. The AH-1F was improved over the years and was active with the Army until 2001, eventually being replaced by the AH-64 Apache. The Army version was powered by a single Lycoming T53-L-13 turboshaft engine. The Marines still operate the AH-1W SuperCobra, a two engine version.

Also on the ramp behind the Museum is the Osprey and you can browse all around the V-22, while watching aircraft come and go at the Brandywine Airport.

The Osprey is an amazing aircraft. Like any technologically advanced plane, it has had teething problems. From the original contract in 1983, the Osprey did not first fly until 1989 and was not officially put into service until 2007. Besides the normal political fighting over budgeting, the manufacturers had to deal with differing requirements from four different branches of the military (although the Army eventually dropped out). Add to this the complexity of the design, and you can understand the difficulty in producing this revolutionary plane. The V-22 has a complete drive system on each wing: a Rolls-Royce turboprop/turboshaft engine, a drive shaft, and a propeller (called a proprotor). The drive shafts connect to a central gear box, so that one engine is able to drive both proprotors, in the event of engine failure. Adding to the complexity is the fact that the wings and proprotors must fold for shipboard operation. Aerial refueling is also complicated by the size of the proprotors.

The Osprey was eventually successfully integrated into the Air Force, Navy, and Marines and there are now approximately 400 in service. The Bell-Boeing V-22 can carry a load of up to 32 troops or 20,000 pounds of cargo at 300 kts over 1,000 miles (more with air refueling), and land on a small patch of land or a ship (Specifications are for the Marine MV-22B). An amazing craft, indeed.

The American Helicopter Museum is a gem of a museum. You will see many interesting and historic helicopters and learn a lot about the history and science of vertical flight. It’s a great place for visitors of all ages.

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To learn about what to do in the local area, museum hours and costs as well as books to read and other interesting odds and ends, keep reading! At the end you will find a photo gallery of the entire museum.

PLANNING YOUR VISIT

Monday and Tuesday Closed

Wednesday and Thursday By appointment

Friday-Sunday Noon-5

Adults $10.00

Seniors (60 & up) $8.00

Students with ID & Children ages 2-12 $8.00

Veterans with ID $7.00

Children under 2 Free

FLYING IN

Brandywine Airport (KOQN) has a 3300’ paved runway (9/27) with RNAV and VOR approaches. You can park on the ramp in front of the museum. On the opposite side of the airport, New Brandywine Aero is a full service FBO. Brandywine is a busy little airport- you might even see a war bird land during your visit.

T-28 on final, seen from the Museum ramp.

LOCAL ATTRACTIONS

The American Helicopter Museum is in Chester County PA, and fairly close to a variety of attractions. Valley Forge Park is 20 minutes north, and the city of Philadelphia is about an hour east. Travel 30 minutes west and you will be in Amish Country with many attractions, including the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania and Strasburg Railroad, just 45 minutes from Brandywine.

WHERE TO EAT

The town of West Chester, which is a college town with many excellent restaurants, is 10 minutes away. Two restaurants I would recommend are the Iron Hill Brewery and Teca. For a more family style restaurant, try the Classic Diner in Frazer or Anthony’s Italian in Malvern, each less than 15 minutes away.

SUGGESTED READING

I asked a couple of friends who have flown helicopters for a book recommendation. They both came up with Chickenhawk, by Robert Mason. Mason flew 1000 helicopter missions in Vietnam and both guys said that once you start, you can’t put it down. Many thanks to readers Ed Gustke and Justin Greiner!

MUSEUM WEBSITE

https://americanhelicopter.museum/

UP NEXT

The North Carolina Aviation Museum, Asheboro, NC

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MUSEUMS ARE WHERE YOU FIND THEM

This segment is dedicated to finding interesting aviation artifacts that are in public view- but not in an aviation museum. If you see one, send a photo!

In front of the main gate of the Coast Guard Station at Elizabeth City, NC is a trio of classic Coast Guard Search and Rescue aircraft, in beautifully restored condition. The Sikorsky HH-52 Seaguard served in the Coast Guard from 1963 through the late 1980s. HH-52s are credited with saving 15,000 lives, the most of any helicopter. The fixed-wing U-25 Guardian was used in search and rescue and interdiction missions. It was derived from the civilian Falcon 20 and served in the Coast Guard from 1982 to 2014. The Grumman HU-16E Albatross served the Coast Guard from 1951-1983. Its long range and amphibious capability made it an extremely capable and adaptable search and rescue aircraft.

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A note about research. A wide variety of sources are used in writing this blog, and, as this is basically an opinion piece, not an academic work, sources are not usually cited. Obviously, though, my primary research is on the museum web-site. I never announce my visits beforehand, but I often get helpful answers to questions from museum staff while I am writing. Wikipedia, which, when used with caution, can be an excellent resource, and is frequently consulted. I occasionally get corrections and additional information from readers, and that is greatly appreciated. I also refer to books in my personal library, and I usually purchase a book or two at the museum shop, especially if (as in the case of Omaka in New Zealand), they publish a book about the museum. In this research, I sometimes come across conflicting information (such as how many aircraft were built). I always try to resolve the discrepancy with further sources, and information in this blog aims to be as accurate as possible. Tony Bruno, Kitty Hawk, NC.

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PHOTO GALLERY

Photos are clickable