Tillamook Air Museum: Helicopters and a gyroplane (photo diary)

by Ojibwa for Kossack Air Force

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Friday, Apr. 18, 2025 Friday, Apr. 18, 2025 at 7:15:03am PDT

Tillamook Air Museum, housed in a World War II Navy Blimp Hanger in Tillamook, Oregon has two helicopters and a gyroplane.

Kaman HTK-1

The Kaman HTK-1 is a three-seat, U.S. Navy training helicopter. According to the Museum:

“While the HTK-1 was meant to be a training platform for helicopter pilots, the craft was found to easy to fly and didn’t last long in Navy service.”

Between 1951 and 1953, Kaman produced 29 of these helicopters.

This aircraft has a top speed of 120 mph, a cruising speed of 105 mph, and a service ceiling of 12,500 feet. This aircraft is on loan from the National Museum of Naval Aviation.

Bell TH-57C Sea Ranger

This is a multi-purpose helicopter.

This aircraft has a top speed of 140 mph, a cruising speed of 136 mph, a range of 430 miles, and a service ceiling of 13,200 feet.

The Museum’s Sea Ranger was purchased in 1967 by the U.S. Navy and used at their Atlantic Undersea Test and Evaluation Center (AUTEC) on Andros Island in the Bahamas. This aircraft is on loan from the National Museum of Naval Aviation.

1986 Windryder Gyroplane

A gyroplane is not a helicopter: the gyroplane rotor moves thanks to air from below the craft that is moving through the rotors. It cannot take off vertically but has to move forward to push air through the rotor blades in order to lift off the ground.

According to the Museum:

“The modern-day gyroplane was developed by Dr. Igor Bensen, a Russian immigrant and engineer. Dr. Bensen designed a line of gyroplanes beginning in the early 1950’s, beginning with his model B-5, and introducing his model B-8 sometime later. Interestingly, the B-8 was tested by the United States Air Force beginning in 1968 under the Discretionary Decent Vehicle Program. The idea was to incorporate a small gyroplane into a military aircraft instead of an ejection seat, allowing for more control for the pilot after ejecting from the aircraft. While the idea never panned out, modern day gyroplanes continue on in similar roles, used by military and law enforcement personnel worldwide due to its lower cost to operate than similar vehicles such as helicopters.”