american helicopter museum and educational center

Run mostly by Boeing retirees, this small museum is a nice jaunt for families. Children will love being up close to helicopters.

I visited here with a friend who has a big interest in helicopters. We both found it very informative and interesting looking at all they had on display. While the location isn't overly large, there's a decent amount on display considering the size. One volunteer in particular was extremely nice and shared with us his stories of being a pilot in the military. I'm sure my friend could've talked with him for hours. It was definitely something interesting to visit over spending a boring afternoon at home. I'd recommend the museum to anyone interested in helicopters, museum enthusiasts, and families. My children were not with; however, I'm sure they would have equally enjoyed walking around, as well as watching the aircrafts taking off next to the museum.

I have lived within a 10 mile radius of the American Helicopter Museum for all of my live and finally took the opportunity to fisit. We went over the Christmas/New Years Holiday with family from out of town. We were 4 adults and 2 children and everyone had a great time. They have a short overview film and then about a dozen or so helicopters inside and outside. Most of the helicopters are open and you can sit inside to see what it feels like to be in the pilots seat. It's not very big, but we still managed to spend a little over two hours there. I think we all learned something new about helicopters and their history. I highly recommend that you visit if you are in the area.

Looking for something to do with the kids? This is a good museum to take them to. They can sit in helicopters and play with the stick and see the blades move.Adults can appreciate the history there as well.Its right off of route 30 in West Chester.

this is a huge room filled with helicopters, interesting facts about helicopters and interesting people who know everything about helicopters. Key word here is helicopter and if you have any sort of interest you'll have a good time.

We visited in conjunction with the Rotofest. The museum is small but has a lot to offer if you are a helicopter buf.

We went to the helicopter Museum for an air show. The weather was not great, so they didn't have too many shows, but by 3pm they had a very good air show with helicopters and army people reenacting part of the Vietnam war. It was truly enjoyable. The rain had stopped and we were able to walk around and see the show. There were many old helicopters from WW1 and WW2, along with the National Guard, Army and Navy. It was quite impressive. A fun time was had by all.

The American Helicopter Museum features a wide assortment of rotary wing aircraft both inside and out. You'll find prime examples of many types that served military and civilian roles. Kids will be fascinated by being able to get up close to these machines. Adults will also enjoy the education. The locating is adjacent to the Brandywine Airport which means you might see other helicopters (and airplanes) actually flying during your visit.

We went with 2 adults and a 5 year old. There are a lot of amazing pieces of American history there. I recommend that you bring your own military historian, we only saw one staff member during our entire visit and she was collecting admission.In less then 2 hours we had seen every exhibit, read every plaque, played with every toy in the children's area, sat in every helicopter available, and watched the small planes take off from the nearby run way. We got several cool photo with our child. But don't plan on spending much time there.

We were unfortunately visiting the day before Easter and a docent was not scheduled - that would have truly added to the visit. But as a couple, we spent 2 hours inspecting each copter and read each and every document on the walls. Through our visit families would come in and the kids were excited about climbing aboard many of the copters and the little ones enjoyed a play area set up just for them. Families most likely will have a shorter visit - reading the wall documents would not be high on their list. It was for us though. Very friendly front desk person and neat gift shop. Just wish we were there when a docent was available. Maybe next time.Only one recommendation: Needs a bit of cleanup and dusting on some of the obscure attractions.

Small and likely independent, this is a collection of vintage to just shy of modern rotor-lift aircraft. A brief and detailed history of construction and use of these helicopters along with descriptions of what makes this type of craft unique adorns the displays and walls. Boeing is a big manufacturer in the region along with military type aircraft, but there's a minimal presence in this venue. There was a non-operational flight simulator inside, and real flights offered outside at $40 bucks for 5 minutes (what??). Many of the copters are interactional and kids can play/climb on board for their pics. The lady in our group was escorted to a back corner of one room to see a non-prominent display about the "whirly-Girls", a group of women helicopter pilots from history. A bit of attention was given to the Huey in Vietnam although I would have expected more. The role of the Apache and Cobra were also minimized in terms of their military role. They have the only Osprey (non-operating) on display anywhere apparently, and while it is capable of vertical lift it functions more as a plane, so not sure it belongs with the rest of the static stuff. There was NOTHING mentioned nor displayed about Marine One, the presidential copters we've all watch presidents board from the White House lawn - most infamously when Nixon resigned and gave his big wave of goodbye while avoiding impeachment. Cost was about $10 pp with a discount for kids/students

Helicopter-buff Heaven On a snowy, bleak December afternoon we headed to the Brandywine Industrial Park in search of historical helicopters. We knew that we were in the right place when five fairly large helicopters sitting to one side of the main building of the museum came into view: A Kaman K-20/HH-2D Seasprite, a Piasecki H-21/CH-21C Workhorse, a Sikorsky S-61/HH-3 Sea King, a Sikorsky S-62/HH-52 Sea Guardian, and the sole Boeing 360. The latter is one of a kind and one of the fastest, non-compound helicopters ever flown in the US. Clearly this museum does not just focus on one manufacturer's aircraft. The museum, compact and well-maintained, was filled with helicopters and gyroplanes. The collection is focused on US helicopters though there was one French Sud-Ouest Djinn, an important example of a tip-jet powered helicopter. The Bell AH-F gunship was a good example of an armed helicopter. The signs providing information, especially for the small, personal helicopters and gyroplanes were a bit scanty and hard to find. The real surprise was the Bell - Boeing V-22 Osprey parked outside on the ramp. It was unusual to see such a significant aircraft at such a small museum. Before going, call to make sure a volunteer guide is available. Gift shop volunteer was helpful. No food, except a vending machine.

Variety of helicopters to see...interesting, even if you don't know much about copters. My husband really enjoyed it. He is an aviation buff. So, so for the grandsons...they were disappointed that the simulator was broken.

A fantastic trip in time of helicopters. Great guides help you learn about all tyrpes of helicopters. You can even rent time to ride in real chopter

Since we were at QVC, we hopped over a hill and were at the helicopter museum. The folks there were nice, especially James who was a retired engineer and a guide at the museum. He and my husband, an old VietNam helicopter squadron commander, talked knowingly about all different kinds of helicopters, and he was quite nice and personable. But the museum itself is rather a let down. Not as many helicopters there as advertised.