National Helicopter Museum facts for kids
The National Helicopter Museum is a special place in Stratford, Connecticut, United States. It's a non-profit museum that teaches you all about the amazing history of the helicopter and the aviation industry in the area.
About the Museum
The National Helicopter Museum was started in 1983 by Dr. Raymond Jankowich and Robert McCloud. You can find the museum inside the eastbound train station building of the Stratford station, which is part of the Metro-North Railroad.
What You'll Discover
The museum collects and shows off pictures and items related to the long history of aviation and helicopters in Stratford. This town is famous because it's home to the Sikorsky Aircraft company. Sikorsky Aircraft built the first successful experimental helicopters designed by the famous inventor Igor Sikorsky.
The museum takes you on a journey through the history of rotary-wing aircraft. You'll see how ideas for flying machines evolved from very early concepts, like the boomerang and ancient Chinese spinning tops. It also covers designs by brilliant thinkers like Leonardo da Vinci and George Cayley. Then, it moves on to early motorized experiments and the modern helicopters we see today.
Famous Helicopters and Inventors
You'll learn about Igor Sikorsky's first successful helicopter flight in Stratford. This important event happened on September 14, 1939. The museum also shows how his later helicopter models were produced.
The museum also displays small, powerful gas turbine engines. These were developed locally by Dr. Anselm Franz at Avco Lycoming. These engines power famous helicopters like the Bell Helicopter UH-1 Iroquois, often called the Huey. They also power the large Boeing CH-47 Chinook helicopter.
Other cool exhibits include displays about "tilt rotor" aircraft. These aircraft can fly like both a plane and a helicopter! You can also see current photos and models of aircraft made by companies like Bell, Boeing, Kaman Aircraft, Robinson Helicopter, and Sikorsky. One of the most exciting parts is a working cockpit from a Sikorsky S-76 helicopter, where you can imagine what it's like to fly!
See also
- American Helicopter Museum, Pennsylvania, USA
- Classic Rotors Museum, California, USA
- The Helicopter Museum, Somerset, England
- Hubschraubermuseum Bückeburg, Germany
