American Helicopter Museum facts for kids
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| Established | October 1996 |
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| Location | 1220 American Boulevard West Chester, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Type | Aviation and History |
| Visitors | 30,000 |
| Founder | Bob Beggs and Peter Wright Sr. |
| Public transit access | SEPTA Route 92 |
The American Helicopter Museum & Education Center (often called AHMEC) is a cool place in West Chester, Pennsylvania, United States. It's a special museum that teaches you all about the history, science, and technology of helicopters and other flying machines with spinning wings.
The museum has over 40 different aircraft. These include civilian and military helicopters, plus autogyros and convertiplanes. Some of these are very early models! AHMEC also has a large research library called the Renzo Pierpaoli Memorial Library. It's full of documents, films, and stories for people who want to learn even more.
The museum works hard to fix up old aircraft and show them off. They also tell the story of how helicopters were invented and how they grew over time. You can learn about important people like Harold Frederick Pitcairn and Frank Piasecki. The exhibits cover everything from the very first flying machines with rotors to the newest tiltrotor aircraft. AHMEC is one of only two museums in the world that has a V-22 Osprey on display!
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The Museum's Story
The American Helicopter Museum & Education Center first opened its doors in October 1996. It was started by Peter Wright, who was a pilot in the Flying Tigers. He also helped create Keystone Helicopter Corporation. In 2003, the Robinson Helicopter Company gave the museum a very generous donation of $1 million.
Awesome Programs and Activities
Every year, thousands of people visit the museum. This includes school groups, families, and even senior citizens. Visitors from all over the world come to see the past and future of helicopters.
Meet Stubby: The Traveling Helicopter
Stubby is a special, interactive helicopter that visits schools, camps, and community events. Guides who go with Stubby let kids sit inside the cockpit. They can even try out the controls! This helps them learn how everything works. Students also discover how important hand-eye coordination is for flying a helicopter. Stubby is a Hughes TH-55 Osage helicopter. Its rotor blades and tail were made shorter so it's easier to move around. The museum got Stubby in 1998.
Girls in Science & Technology
The "Girls in Science & Technology" program is designed to get young girls excited about science and technology. It helps them think about future jobs and opportunities in these fields. Experts from different industries create and teach the lessons. The program is made for girls in grades 4 through 12.
It helps girls explore their interests in engineering, computer programming, aerospace, math, and flight. The program often focuses on four main areas related to aerospace. These include the physics of Flight, Rotorcraft Design, how controls are getting smaller and more computerized, and Robotic Flight.
Cool Aircraft You Can See
The museum has many amazing aircraft on display. Here are some of the notable ones you can see:
Inside the Museum
- Bell 47D-1 / H-13D Sioux
- Bell TH-IL Huey
- Boeing HH-47 CSAR-X (This is a model, not a real flying one)
- Hughes MD 530F / MH-6J Little Bird
- Hughes 369 (OH-6 / OH-6A) Cayuse
- Piasecki PV-14 / HUP-2 Retriever
Outside the Museum
- Kaman K-20 / HH-2D Seasprite
- Piasecki H-21 / CH-21B Workhorse
- Sikorsky S-61 / HH-3 Sea King
- Sikorsky S-62 / HH-52 Sea Guardian
- V-22 Osprey prototype: This is an example of a military tiltrotor aircraft.
More Places to Explore
- Classic Rotors Museum, California, USA
- The Helicopter Museum, Somerset, England
- Hubschraubermuseum Bückeburg, Germany
- National Helicopter Museum, Connecticut, USA
- List of aerospace museums
