West’s Largest Helicopter represented in
World’s Biggest Helicopter Museum
The
Helicopter Museum has
taken delivery of parts recovered from the Boeing XCH-62 Heavy Lift
Helicopter (HLH), cancelled as a project in 1975 and eventually scrapped
at Fort Rucker in Alabama in October 2005. Designed to carry external loads of up to 20,000 kg (20 tons) around
the battlefield, the HLH featured a 27 m (89 ft) long fuselage with
tandem rotors each spanning some 28 m (92 ft), and stood around 12 m (38 ft)
high.
Plans to move it in the autumn of 2005 had to be
abandoned due to the cost and the level of corrosion but, hearing of its
likely fate,
Helicopter Museum Chairman
Elfan ap Rees moved quickly to try and save the huge
helicopter and, with the help of the US Army Aviation Museum director
Steve Maxham, managed to salvage some key components including the 5.5 m
(18 ft) long main landing gear and nose wheels for display in the UK museum.
The landing gear will now go on display alongside a much smaller XCH-62
predecessor, the Piasecki HUP, to give visitors a scale to relate to the
dimensions of the HLH.
Shipment of the parts was organised and sponsored jointly by
manufacturer Boeing and Columbia Helicopters, civil operators of the
BV234 Chinook, with support from the UK Museum, Libraries & Archive
Council PRISM fund and Helicopter INTERNATIONAL and HeliData News
publisher Avia Press Associates.
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The Helicopter Museum unveiled its first new exhibits for 2009.
The
rare two seat autogyro, a McCulloch J-2 was originally delivered to the
Bahrain government for police duties in 1971. Designed by Drago Jovanich and
first flown as the Jovair J-2 in Culver City, California in June 1962 the
aircraft was intended to meet the demand for a private run-about that could
be flown from the average suburban driveway, but failed to live up to
expectations. Nevertheless 96 were eventually built by the McCulloch
Corporation before production ceased in 1972.
The example
acquired by the museum was operated by the Bahrain Public Security Force as
BSP-3, but was later sold in the UK and re-registered as G-ORBV. However it
was flown very little before being sold again to a buyer in Yorkshire for
restoration as G-HEKY. After a period in storage, the aircraft was offered
to The Helicopter Museum last November and purchased with the aid of a grant
from the Museum, Libraries and Archives PRISM fund.
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As
part of the Museum’s ongoing education programme the first two of its new
interactive workstations have been opened to the public. Donated by
AgustaWestland, the workstations allow visitors to the museum to explore a
virtual aircraft using 3C animated graphics, whilst at the same time being
able to study the history of helicopters and the aerodynamics of flight. For
younger visitors there is also a question and answer heli-quiz.
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New Archives and Lecture Theatre taking shape
Following on from the completion
of the new conservation and engineering hangar work has now started on a new
archives and lecture theatre. The new addition to the museum building will
allow for the extensive archives collection to be stored in environmentally
controlled conditions. It will also be possible for students of aeronautical
engineering to research the development of helicopter design in a
The museum is also advertising a
post of collections manager. This role will be to
lead and motivate the conservation and archive Volunteers.
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Belgian Army Alouette II joins the
collection
After 20 years on loan to The Helicopter Museum
a Bristol Sycamore Mk.14 (XG547) has been exchanged for an example of the
world’s first production jet-powered helicopter marking another another
first for the UK aviation museum scene.
Originally
built at Weston-super-Mare in 1956 the Sycamore was purchased in the mid
1970s from the Royal Air Force. The Royal Military Museum in Brussels has
been seeking a Sycamore Mk.14 as three aircraft were operated by the Royal
Belgian Air Force during the late 1950s – early 1960s. The museums example
was exchanged for a Royal Belgian Army SA318C, Alouette 2 helicopter (Serial
A-41).
The example is in first class condition and was
actually built just over 40 years ago in 1967. Powered by the Turbomeca
Astazou 11A engine, it served with the Belgian Army in a reconnaissance and
training role before being retired in 2005. The helicopter arrived at
Weston on 19th February and is already on display.
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Air & Space 18A
Lands at the museum
Arriving on 21st November 2007
the Air and Space 18A autogyro, G-BVWL/SE-HIE, was acquired from the
Museum of Flight, at East Fortune in Scotland from where it was transported
by two Members of the Friends. It was manufactured in 1966 and imported
from Sweden to the UK, by a Scottish autogyro enthusiast and stored, near
Forfar, until transferred to East Fortune in 2004.
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Bristol Sycamore Mk14 joins the collection
The newest addition to the museum was a Bristol
Sycamore Mk14 helicopter, previously displayed at the Bristol Industrial
Museum and the last to be retired from Royal Air Force service in December
1971. This aircraft, XL829, was originally built at Weston-super-Mare and is
therefore returning home. It is expected that XL829 will replace an
existing Sycamore Mk14 on loan to The Helicopter Museum, which is due to go
to an overseas museum in exchange for another future exhibit.
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Conservation and Engineering Hangar
Work is now completed on the extension to the existing display hangars at
The Helicopter Museum after the initial work started at the end of October 2006.
The first phase of extension follows the pattern of the existing
hangars, providing a 670sq.m increase in floor area. The newly-created space
will ibe used as a Conservation and Engineering hangar
where skills training and many of the conservation
activities will take place.
The cost of the basic new building has been met from The Museum's own funds, to
which the Friends of the Helicopter Museum make a significant contributions.
Additional finance needed to fit out the interior to transfer some of
the existing conservation facilities will come from Heritage Lottery Funds.
The new hangar was officially
opened by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and His Royal Highness The Duke of
Edinburgh on 20th July 2007.
To see more photos of the Royal Visit please click on the
photo on the right
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Messerschmitt joins The Helicopter Museum
The
Helicopter Museum at Weston-super-Mare in Somerset has taken delivery of its
newest exhibit on 2nd May, a helicopter built by the former
Messerchmitt Bolkow Blohm (MBB) company in Germany.
The aircraft, a Bo105M, is
an example of the world’s first light twin-engined helicopter and the
first German helicopter design to enter large scale production, when
aircraft manufacturing in Germany resumed after the Second World War. Donated by MBB’s successor company, Eurocopter Deutschland, the Bo105 was
handed over to THM Chairman, Capt. Elfan ap Rees, on 19th April
in a ceremony at Donauworth, where more than 1400 were built between 1970
and 1997 for both military and civil customers.
The helicopter going on
display at THM is serial 81+00, the last of 100 Bo105M ordered by the
German Army for the observation and communication role and originally
delivered exactly 23 years ago in May 1984. it was retired from service
in 2002 and is the first complete example to go on display anywhere in
Great Britain. Transport to the UK has been sponsored by McAlpine
Helicopters whilst refurbishing the two Allison-MTU Model 250-C20B
turboshaft engines has been sponsored by H & S Aviation of Portsmouth.
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For a list of press
releases for 2009 please click on
the link below to open
Press Releases 2009
