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All the United States Pennsylvania West Chester American Helicopter Museum and Education Center
AO Edited

American Helicopter Museum and Education Center

A converted hangar displays dozens of helicopters, from a famous 1943 rescue chopper to several autogyros.

West Chester, Pennsylvania

Added By
slgwv
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McCulloch J-2 Gyroplane.   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey.   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
Bell AH-1F Cobra, a workhorse military helicopter.   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
Bell UH-1 Huey in front, AH-1F Cobra behind.   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
Bell UH-1 Huey, a legendary military helicopter.   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
UH-34D Seahorse.   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
UH-34D Seahorse with engine compartment opened.   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
UH-34D Seahorse assault/utility helicopter, used extensively in Vietnam.   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
Sikorsky S76-D.   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
Sikorsky S76-D, another view.   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
The “Gander Express”, trailblazing rescue helicopter.   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
OH-6/OH-6A Cayuse   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
Sikorsky S-52 (HO5S)   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
Bell H-13   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
Bell 206A   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
Bell 47B   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey, another view.   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
Dragonfly DP-4, a UAV for aerial reconnaissance.   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
Dragonfly DP-4, another view.   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
An early Autogyro flying over Philadelphia.   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
Air Command International Commander Sport, another autogyro-type craft.   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
McCulloch J-2 Gyroplane, another view.   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
CH-46E Sea Knight, another view.   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
CH-46E Sea Knight.   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
Map of helicopter R&D in the Delaware Valley.   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
Helicopter R&D in the Delaware Valley.   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
Torque!   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
Boeing HH-47 Combat Search & Rescue (CSAR) Helicopter.   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
CH-46E Sea Knight, another view.   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey.   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
Kitty Hawk Flyer, a recreational single-person electric VTOL aircraft.   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
RotorWay Scorpion, a single-person helicopter kit.   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
Interactive display on tandem rotor helicopter.   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
Galaxie XRG-65 Glaticopter, a one-person research helicopter.   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
Princeton X-2 Air Scooter, a prototype single-person ground-effect vehicle for the military.   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
Robinson R-22 general aviation helicopter.   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
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The Delaware Valley of southeastern Pennsylvania was an unexpected hotbed of research into rotary-wing aircraft in the early 20th century, as inventors and tinkerers experimented with various designs. The American Helicopter Museum and Education Center in West Chester commemorates this legacy but also covers rotary-wing aircraft in general.

Many helicopters are on exhibit at the museum with examples of their uses in military, rescue, and commercial operations. One helicopter, the Sikorsky HOS-1 (R-6), nicknamed the Gander Express, was involved in a celebrated rescue near Gander, Newfoundland in 1946. Military helicopters, including the storied Huey and Cobra, are also on display. A variety of helicopters intended for commercial use rounds out the exhibit. These range from "airborne shuttlebuses," such as the Sikorski S-76D, to "corporate choppers" for high-powered executives to small prototypes that were intended for individual use.

A wide variety of unconventional vehicles are also on show. The museum's collection includes one of the only Bell-Boeing Osprey tilt-rotor in a museum, a massive winged craft that can tilt its propellers vertically to take off like a helicopter, then rotate them horizontally to fly like a turboprop airplane. This aircraft is currently deployed with the US Marine Corps.

The museum also includes several versions of autogyros, once touted as "Everyman's Flying Machine." These are vehicles about the size of a small car with a rotor on the roof that is pushed by a propeller in the back. The rotor is completely passive, but starts to spin in the draft and provides lift. They were cheap and safe enough that it was thought they would be accessible to the average consumer, but (at least for now) the air traffic control problems were insoluble.

A prototype of a personal ground-effect vehicle for the US military is also on exhibit, and several helicopter drones are also displayed. Despite their ubiquity today, drone technology goes back decades.

The museum also includes a children's play area and interactive exhibits for the older kids.

Most of the collection is housed in a huge enclosed hall, a converted hangar, so they (and you!) are in a climate-controlled environment. A few very large crafts, such as the Osprey, are parked outside on the tarmac.

Related Tags

Transportation Military History Helicopters Aircraft Museums And Collections Museums

Know Before You Go

The museum is at 1220 American Blvd, West Chester, Pennsylvania, off Airport Road. There is lots of parking. Check the website for current admission prices.

Community Contributors

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slgwv

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jmarx1995

  • jmarx1995

Published

May 9, 2023

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American Helicopter Museum and Education Center
1220 American Blvd
West Chester, Pennsylvania, 19380
United States
39.991863, -75.578867
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West Chester

Pennsylvania

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