American Helicopter Museum & Education Center

On this day, in 1956, Lawrence D. "Larry" Bell of Bell Aircraft Corp. passed away. He started in the aircraft industry at the age of 20 when he teamed up with the late Glenn L. Martin in California. At this period of his life, Mr. Bell helped to design and build an aircraft which was later sold as a bomber to the Mexican General Pancho Villa for use in his campaigns. In 1929 Mr. Bell became affiliated with Consolidated Aircraft, remaining with that firm until 1935 when he res...igned his position as Vice-President and General Manager and founded his own firm, Bell Aircraft Corporation. He remained President of Bell until September 18, 1956, when he was forced to step down due to his illness. Mr. Bell's name became synonymous with important aviation developments during the years of World War II when his company built some of the world's finest fighter planes, such as the P-39 and P-63 series. Under Mr. Bell's leadership, his firm accomplished many aviation firsts, such as pioneering supersonic high altitude research aircraft with a series of high-speed test vehicles, the X-1, X-1A, X-1B, X-2, and X-5 aircraft. His firm also built the world's first commercial helicopter, which received its Civil Aeronautics Administration certification in March 1946. Mr. Bell always displayed implicit faith in the future of the helicopter and enjoyed greatly the thought that his machines rescued more than 18,000 wounded soldiers from the front line fighting in Korea. source: Vertipedia

Happy Anniversary to Us! 24 Years Ago it was the Grand Opening of the American Helicopter Museum. The Ribbon Cutting was done by a knife on the nose of a shiny red OH-6A.... We hope you can visit us Friday through Sundays 12-5 pm.

October 16,1943, Commander Frank A. Erickson of the US Coast Guard officially accepted delivery of the Navy's first Sikorsky HNS-1 (the Coast Guard had been assigned the task of developing the helicopter for naval operations).

Getting in the "spirit" of Halloween here at the Museum!

Will you help the American Helicopter Museum and Education Center recover from the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and continue to fulfill our mission? So much has changed in just a few months. I hope that you and the people that you care about are well. The Museum closed on March 13 and was then able to reopen on July 10, with restricted hours, strict guidelines on mask wearing, social distancing, and other precautions in place. We were excited to welcome visitors b...ack into our facility and so appreciate their enthusiasm to return and their willingness to comply with the necessary rules. As well as protecting our visitors, we have also prioritized careful management of our finances. Revenue is down over 40% from last year, and even a reduction in staff and careful cutting of expenses cannot make up for the loss of the events and programs that we rely on to provide funds for operations. Please consider helping us through this incredibly difficult period. With your help, we will go on to meet our mission to preserve rotary-wing aviation history, educate society on helicopters and their missions, and inspire future generations. With my thanks! https://donate-usa.keela.co/AHMECdonate

Meet the Bell 47B: This helicopter exhibited here (FAA Registration #NC5H) is the third of forty three production 47Bs. It was originally used as a Bell demonstrator until it was sold to Chicago Seaplane Base in April, 1951, where it was used in student training and charter work. It had an interesting history of work including a short period in Africa before being purchased in February, 1958, by Dr. Carrol Voss of AgRotor Inc. He modified the aircraft and used it in agricultural applications for many years before restoring it to its original configuration in 1982. Dr. Voss donated the helicopter to the American Helicopter Museum on November 17, 1996.

Girls In Science & Technology starts this Saturday! There is still time to register. The program is aimed for girls in grades 3-8. The program runs every other Saturday, October through March. Learn more at the registration link.

The American Helicopter Museum provides STEAM education through programs like Science Saturdays, STEAM Storybook Hours, Girls In Science & Technology, and STEAM workshops. We use hands-on experiences with science and art to inspire the next generation of innovators! Bell Flight generously supports our educational efforts. At AHM, we rely on supporters like Bell to help us achieve our mission to preserve rotary-wing aviation history, educate society on helicopters and their missions, & inspire future generations. Thank you Bell Flight for your continued support.

Join us online or in person to hear the amazing story of Kurt Muse, who was rescued from a Panamanian prison by American Special Operations Forces after being interrogated and confined by military dictator General Manuel Noriega. Muse will tell the story of his fight for freedom in Panama as the leader of a group of patriots broadcasting on The Voice of Liberty, an underground radio station; his harrowing interrogation and imprisonment; and his dramatic rescue by the elite De...lta forces in Operation Acid Gambit. He will offer his presentation in front of the Museum’s Hughes MH-6J helicopter, which was recreated from parts of the helicopter that rescued him. The event will be streamed live over Zoom. Attendees will be asked to make a donation to the Museum in order to participate. A limited number of VIP tickets will be available to allow a small group of people to attend the event in person at the Museum, meet Mr. Muse, and receive a signed vintage copy of his book Six Minutes to Freedom.* Registration information coming soon!

Memberships to the Museum are a great gift! We have safety protocols in place to provide a safe, socially distanced environment. Questions? Please check out our website or give us a call!

The XH-51A was a high speed demonstrator helicopter. The first flight was a hover with the aircraft piloted by Lockheed test pilot Ray J. Goudey. The aircraft made it's first transition to forward flight on Nov. 2, 1962 with Lockheed engineering test pilot Donald R. Segner at the controls. The initial configuration had a 3 blade main rotor, which was later changed to 4 blades. Source: Vertipedia.vtol.org... #HelicopterHistory See more