The American Helicopter Museum and Education Center

摘要

In the early 1990s, a group of helicopter professionals decided it was time to establish a helicopter museum to preserve and showcase the rich history and unparalleled diversity of helicopters. The group held a meeting in 1993 and invited Peter Wright Sr. to join them. Wright, a former "Flying Tiger" and winner of the Distinguished Flying Cross, was the founder of one of the nation's largest helicopter service providers, Keystone Helicopters. He was one of the recognized pioneers of the early helicopter industry AND he also happened to collect helicopters. As Wright recollected the 1993 meeting in a 2006 interview with HAI's Marty Pociask, Editor-In-Chief of ROTOR magazine, he said, "About 30 helicopter professionals, including Frank Piasecki, sat around a table." The group explained that they had noticed he had been collecting old helicopters. They asked him, " Have you ever thought about starting a helicopter museum? Would you be willing to donate your antique helicopters, and become president of the museum?"