Rotorfest
2005 - All Helicopter Airshow, West Chester, PA
15-16 October 2005
Under beautiful weather
conditions, yet windy, the 9th Annual Rotorfest – All Helicopter
Airshow took place at the American Helicopter Museum and Education Center at the
Brandywine Airport in West Chester, Pennsylvania on 15-16 October 2005.
This year’s event showcased many new and exciting rotorcraft and gave
the over 10,000 airshow and museum patrons a chance to see some of the newest
helicopters in the United States Military inventory.
Saturday’s
airshow started with a short demonstration by Terry Inch of Dutch Country
Helicopters in the Bell 47. As
with past Rotorfests, the Bell 47 Association held their fly-in in conjunction
with the event. Following the
Bell 47 demonstration was a demonstration by the Pennsylvania State Police in
their newly acquired Agusta A119 Koala.
The demonstration by the PA State Police gave the local airshow crowd a
first hand look at the newest helicopter in the State Police force.
The first segment airshow concluded with a Flag Jump and National Anthem
by the US Army Special Operations Command Parachute Team, the Black Daggers, a
mass exit by 4 members of the team, and a short demonstration by the
USASOC UH-60L Blackhawk from Ft. Bragg, North Carolina.
Saturday
afternoon hosted two additional short airshows that included a great SWAT demo
from the New Jersey State Police in their Bell 206,
a demonstration by the US Coast Guard in their new MH-68A Stingray, and flybys
from the New Jersey State Police in their Sikorsky S-76B and SkyCare Flight in
their MD902 NOTAR. The show
concluded on Saturday with a combat equipment paradrop from the USASOC Black
Daggers Parachute Team.
Sunday
brought additional aircraft into the event with the inclusion of the US Coast
Guard HH-65C Dauphin from CGAS Atlantic City, the Delaware State Police in their
Bell 407, and a mass military departure that included numerous Army National
Guard and Navy helicopters. High
winds prevented the USASOC black Daggers from jumping on Sunday, but they were
available for autographs and to talk with crowd throughout the day.
The first show of the day featured a Bell 47 demonstration followed by
the USCG MH-68A Stingray demonstration, a departure flyby from the NC-ArNG in
their UH-60A Blackhawk and a demonstration by the USASOC UH-60L Blackhawk. The middle show of the day featured all of the area police
helicopters including the PA State Police in their Augusta 119 Koala, the DE
State Police in their Bell 407, and the NJ State Police in their Bell 206.
A flyby from the SkyCare 1 MD902 NOTAR was also included.
The US Coast Guard concluded the middle show with a Search and Rescue
Demonstration from the new HH-65C Dauphin.
The last show on Sunday featured a departure and flyby from the
Pennsylvania Army National Guard’s CH-47D Chinook and UH-60 Blackhawk, and the
US Navy VX-1 in their new MH-60R Knighthawk.
The USASOC UH-60L Blackhawk also performed several flybys and hoverwork
for the crowd prior to departing for North Carolina.
Static
displays were abundant this year with numerous manufacturers and types on
display. There were two
Hughes 500, an Enstrom, several Bell 47s, Bell 206s, a Robinson R44, Bell 407s,
and military helicopters such as the HH-65C Dauphin, MH-68A Stingray, MH-60R
Knighthawk, a pair of UH-60A Blackhawks, a pair of BK117 Medical Helicopters
from Pennstar and Christiana LifeNet, a CH-47D Chinook, and a Robinson R22.
2006
sees the American Helicopter Museum celebrate their 10th Anniversary.
Look for a great airshow to commemorate this event in mid-October 2006.