Fort Wolters

Photo Courtesy of Fort Wolters Chapter VHPA

The Fort Wolters theme will set a somewhat different tone than that of the rest of the museum. It will have its own gallery, rather than being woven through the exhibits.

Fort Wolters is significant for two reasons. First, the military post was located less than a mile from the museum site, and has a fifty year history with the surrounding communities. Second, and most relevant, it was the initial training base for virtually every helicopter pilot who served in Vietnam.

40,000 helicopter pilots were trained from 1956 through 1974 with flying hours exceeding 5.6 million total hours. From 500 to 550 helicopters were in the air at any given time and there were, on average, two thousand take-offs and landings daily, Monday through Friday, making Fort Wolters one of the world's busiest airports.

Prominent in this gallery will be a training helicopter and other training aids used at Fort Wolters during the Vietnam era.

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