You likely never heard of the northwest Wisconsin organization devoted to preserving helicopters and spotlighting the stories of the people who flew them.
The Helicopter Conservancy, located in a small airport hangar in New Richmond, has been flying under the radar ever since it was formed in 2014. Part of the reason it has such a low profile is because of the grass-roots nature of how it started and how it's being developed. A small corps of passionate volunteers is slowly, but diligently, transforming The Helicopter Conservancy into a hands-on museum.
The entire project is fueled by the passion of its president and founder, Ken Eward, 58, who lives in Chetek. He was always interested in aviation and the science of flight. But it wasn't until Eward, who was adopted at birth, connected with his birth father as an adult that his enthusiasm for helicopters took hold.
His birth father, Conrad Coppedge, the owner of a pipe-threading business in Texas, simply loved helicopters, so much so that he bought two of them to display on his business property. After buying one of the choppers, he hired Eward to restore it, and Eward reveled in the work, immersing himself in the research of the machine.
"I ended up getting kind of attached to the helicopter," Eward said.
When Coppedge sold the business, he offered both the helicopters he had on display to Eward. Eward accepted them, and the seeds of The Helicopter Conservancy were planted.
What is The Helicopter Conservancy?
The Helicopter Conservancy today owns the shells of four helicopters in various stages of restoration. Those are a Bell UH-1V Iroquois "Huey" once used by the 832nd Air Ambulance Company of the Wisconsin National Guard; a Bell OH-58A+ Kiowa, which was flown by the Massachusetts National Guard in counternarcotics operations; a Bell AH-1F Cobra, designed as an attack helicopter and was used by the Washington State National Guard; and a Bell UH-1B Iroquois "Huey" used as a gunship in the Vietnam War by both Army and Navy units.
The helicopters are stored in a hangar at the small airport in New Richmond, and it's the start of the full-blown, formal museum that Eward envisions for the future.
Eward, in someways, is an unlikely restorer of old helicopters. He's had a varied background, first studying to be and working as a neuroscientist, then earning a living as a commercial illustrator. Today he teaches online science courses for American Public University.
He's a self-taught helicopter mechanic, he said.
"I learned largely from manuals. The Army has created manuals that are basically written for a high-school level, so a novice can approach it and do things," Eward said. He's also learned much about the choppers from other research and by talking to veterans and other crew members who flew in the machines.
Physically restoring the machines is only part of what the Conservancy does. It has also researched the individual histories of each helicopter and collects stories from the people who flew them or a similar aircraft. For example, one of the Hueys that Eward received from his father was used by a gunship platoon of the 120th Assault Helicopter Company during the Vietnam War, and fliers who flew the machine in combat reunited with it in 2013.
"The machines provide a jumping off point talking about peoples' histories," Eward said.
What does The Helicopter Conservancy offer now?
The Conservancy isn't open to the public regular basis, but people can make appointments to visit.
"We do not get a lot of visitors," Eward said. "They are mostly veterans who are reconnecting with a part of their past."
Still, Eward values those people, and their stories. Their input helps restore the machines to what they were like in their historical context.
Part of the Conservancy's mission is to collect oral histories from people who once flew in helicopters. Volunteer historians can connect with people with stories to share using video conferencing. The Conservancy works with the Wisconsin Veterans Museum to preserve those narratives.
People who do visit the hangar in New Richmond see a work in progress. Eward said there's a core group of about eight people who regularly volunteer at the Conservancy, and they've developed expertise to physically restore the choppers.
One of those volunteers is Brandon Montanye, 50, of Taylors Falls, Minnesota. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1997 to 2017, and spent much of his career as a helicopter pilot, flying various missions in the Sikorsky MH-60S Knighthawk.
"I loved every minute of it," Montanye said. "It was always exciting."
He too, values the way the Conservancy is working to preserve the human stories behind the machines. Montanye said. "I love meeting with other pilots and hearing those stories, and having those conversations."
Montanye has a bachelor's and master's degree in history, and he said "it's important to tell that history of helicopters, especially with the Vietnam-era veterans getting older. I think that's important for future generations to know."
What is the next step for The Helicopter Conservancy?
Eward said the group is fundraising to upgrade the technical equipment that will make the experience more realistic. People will be able to sit in the Huey once flown by the Wisconsin National Guard and virtually fly missions similar to the real ones it was used for, "rescuing hikers and fighting fires and things like that," Eward said.
Montanye, who has worked with youth on the basic simulator they have now, said "the intent is by next summer we'll have a fully operational simulator. ... We'll be able to specifically set up different missions in different eras."
The plan is also to create a traveling exhibit in which the Conservancy can take the simulator to other sites, such as schools, to widen the opportunities to teach about helicopters.
How can people visit The Helicopter Conservancy?
The Helicopter Conservancy's hangar is located at 111 Airport Road, Hangar 1-2, New Richmond. It is open to the public, but people are asked to call and schedule an appointment for in-person visits: 715-418-9179. Interested helicopter buffs may also subscribe to the Conservancy's newsletter, "Hoverfly," which not only covers the outreach of the Conservancy, but publishes stories from pilots and other crew members who flew in the aircraft. For more information, links to "Hoverfly" and to donate to the organization, people can visit helicopterconservancy.org.
Keith Uhlig has been writing about Wisconsin, its people and all it has to offer since 2000. Raised in Colby, he loves wandering around the state. He can be reached at [email protected], and is on Facebook, X and Threads.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: The Helicopter Conservancy preserves history of aircraft and crews
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