The Stonehenge Air Museum is located in a residential area near the golf course in Fortine, Montana. This small museum contains about two dozen vintage aircraft, including some one-of-a-kind planes. The museum is open by appointment only.
Outside the Museum
An Overview of the Inside Displays
2012 Cyclocopter
The Cyclocopter is a strange looking craft which was built as a human-powered helicopter which was entered in a competition known as The Sikorsky Prize. According to the display:
“The Sikorsky competition requirements were, in summary for a human powered craft that must remain aloft for 60 seconds, reach a minimum altitude of 3 meters with the center point of the craft remaining within a 10 meter square.”
This design, however, was insufficient to produce enough lift for flight.
1961 Goodyear GA-468 Inflatoplane
According to the display:
“As conceived, the Inflatoplane could be used by the military for reconnaissance, or more dramatically, as a rescue vehicle to evacuate agents or downed pilots from hostile territory. Taking only 6 to 10 minutes to inflate by canister, the deflated Inflatoplane could be packed into a 44 cubic foot container and dropped by parachute or transported by truck, jeep or trailer.”
The aircraft on display was flown by Goodyear test pilots for nearly two hours. There are only three surviving Inflatoplanes.
1918 Le Rhone Rotary Engine
These rotary engines were built in France and under license around the world. These engines were used in numerous aircraft.
The engine shown above is an 80 hp Le Rhone built under license by Union Switch and Signal of Pennsylvania.
Rolls Royce Griffon 58 Engine
During World War II, the Rolls Royce Griffon engine was fitted to airplanes such as the Spitfire and Seafire. Development of the engine began in 1938 when the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy requested a more powerful engine. However, the V-12 engine created some handling difficulties in a small, light, single-engine plane such as the Spitfire and the Seafire. In order to land on carriers, the Navy’s Seafire was fitted with contra-rotating propellers so that maximum power could be applied at low altitude and low air speed.
Stonehenge
Yes, there is a replica of Stonehenge on the golf course.
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