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About the Museum: Why Are Helicopters Important?
Mankind's Desire to Fly
"If a man is in need of rescue, the airplane can come in and throw flowers on him, and that's just about all. But a direct lift aircraft could come in and save his life."
- Igor Sikorsky
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For as long as mankind has looked skyward, humans have pondered the mysteries of flight. The first successful ascent, in a hot air balloon, occurred a little more than two centuries ago. And a little over 100 years ago the Wright brothers inaugurated the age
of modern aviation.
Initially the thrill of flying was enough, but soon inquiring minds began to consider the more pragmatic possibilities of flight. Five hundred years ago Leonardo da Vinci considered possible designs for flying machines, including a crude helicopter. In 1928, barely two decades after the Wright Brothers made history, Harold Pitcairn of Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania, realized Leonardo da Vinci's dream of taking off and landing in a small space when he piloted the first American rotary wing aircraft to fly in this country, the Cierva C-8 autogiro. Just ten years later in 1938, Philadelphia hosted the first international Rotary Wing Conference at the Franklin Institute.
By the 1950s, and due in part to its role in the Korean War, the helicopter has become an integral part of American aviation. Today they are such a prolific part of everyday life that their importance goes almost unnoticed.
No other mode of transportation can rival the versatility and ease-of-access offered by the helicopter especially in its use by the military and in its life-saving rescue and medical evaluation applications.
Helicopters are everywhere!
Law enforcement. Fire-fighting. Medivac. Traffic reporting. Sightseeing. National security. Wilderness observation. Movie making. Construction. High power line inspections. Transporting VIPs, including U.S. Presidents.
If only Da Vinci could see us now!
The dream of rotary flight has been realized, but the accelerating pace of technology already is focusing on a near boundless future for creative new applications of the helicopter.
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04/23/08
Come visit us on Saturday May, 17th for our May Day! May Day! health expo. Experience an array of interesting and informative health & safety exhibits, activities and services for the whole family, and take a helicopter ride!
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04/22/08
The Eastern Pennsylvania Chapter of the International Organization of Women Pilots, also known as the "Ninety-Nines", will touch down at the Museum Saturday 5/3 and Sunday 5/4 for their annual scholarship fundraiser, offering plane rides for a mere 15 cents per pound of body weight!
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