Classic Rotors Museum

About us:

After building and learning to fly his own helicopter, Mark DiCiero founded Classic Rotors in 1992.  With the support of many volunteers and donations, Classic Rotors now has over 45 rotorcraft and attends more than a dozen air shows per year.

Classic Rotors is a non-profit 501(c)3, all-volunteer organization dedicated to the preservation of rare and vintage rotorcraft.  Our mission is to preserve these rotorcraft as a tribute to the pioneers who risked so much to develop vertical flight technology.  A key objective is to provide education about, and demonstrate various designs in rotor technology including tandem, co-axial, conventional (single), sync (intermeshing) and tip powered.

Based in Ramona, California, Classic Rotors has four helicopters under restoration including a Sikorsky H19 / S55, Hiller UH12, Kaman HOK, and a Piasecki HUP-3. If practical, Classic Rotors will maintain rotorcraft in flying condition and currently has the following flight worthy helicopters: Vertol H21B (tandem rotor), Kamov Ka26 (co-axial rotor), Hiller UH12, Piasecki HUP-1 and a Sikorsky H19.  The H21B and HUP-1 are the only examples still flying. The KA26 is the only one certified to fly in the United States.

We have additional rotorcraft, including some unique one-of-a-kind and very rare rotorcraft such as the MonteCopter model 15 tri-phibian, the four-place Jovair YH30 (McCulloch MC4 tandem rotor), the Brantly 305, the Sikorsky H03S (used In Korea for rescue), the Ram-Jet powered Hiller Hornet, and the Rotorway 133 Scorpion.

As one of only three dedicated rotorcraft museums in the world, and in keeping with our mission to honor the pioneers of rotorcraft design, Classic Rotors plans to acquire and display additional helicopters manufactured by Bell, Hughes, Robinson and others.