Elfan ap Rees, rotary wing historian

[DavidIsby]

https://www.helihub.com/2026/07/27/o...ees-1941-2026/

[DavidIsby]

From Facebook: FlyPast Magazine

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Elfan Dyfed Ap Rees (1941–2026)
Publisher, historian and founder of The Helicopter Museum
The international helicopter community has lost one of its most dedicated champions with the death of Elfan Dyfed Ap Rees, who died on 24 July 2026 at the age of 84.
For more than sixty years, Elfan devoted his life to documenting, preserving and promoting the history of rotary-wing aviation. As the founder of Avia Press Associates and The Helicopter Museum at Weston-super-Mare, his influence extended across publishing, historical research, aircraft preservation and the international helicopter community.
After joining Westland Helicopters in Weston-super-Mare in 1960, he founded Avia Press Associates in 1964. Through publications including Helicopter International, HeliData News and HeliData Classified, he became one of the world’s best-known specialist aviation publishers. His magazines were read throughout the civil and military helicopter industries and earned a reputation for their technical accuracy, comprehensive reporting and meticulous historical research.
Alongside his publishing work, Elfan built one of the world’s most significant private archives relating to helicopter history, becoming a recognised authority frequently consulted by manufacturers, operators, museums, authors and fellow historians.
His greatest legacy was the creation of The Helicopter Museum, officially opened in 1989. What began as an ambitious preservation project grew into the world’s largest museum devoted exclusively to helicopters and autogyros, with a collection exceeding one hundred aircraft spanning the development of vertical flight.
The museum’s collection includes numerous historically important and unique aircraft, among them the Hafner RII Revoplane, the world’s oldest surviving helicopter, the record-breaking Westland G-LYNX, holder of the absolute helicopter world speed record, the remains of Fairey Rotodyne, Bristol Belvedere, Saunders-Roe Skeeter, Westland Dragonfly and many other rare British and international rotorcraft that might otherwise have been lost. One aircraft, however, perhaps best illustrates Elfan’s determination to preserve aviation history. In 1974 he acquired Bristol Belvedere XG452, then little more than a fire-training hulk at RAF Ternhill, after years of unsuccessful attempts to save a surviving example. What followed became one of British aviation preservation’s most remarkable restoration stories. Former Bristol helicopter engineers volunteered their expertise, the Royal Navy transported the aircraft to Weston-super-Mare, and after an international search for missing components, including a personal appeal by Elfan to Singapore’s Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew, more than three tonnes of irreplaceable Belvedere parts were eventually recovered and returned to Britain aboard an RAF Hercules. The restoration became a defining project of the museum and embodied Elfan’s belief that no historically significant aircraft should be abandoned while there remained any possibility of saving it.
His expertise and standing within the helicopter world were recognised through numerous appointments. He served as Chairman and later President of the Helicopter Club of Great Britain, President of the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) Rotorcraft Commission, later becoming President of Honour, and Vice-President of Aviation Heritage UK. He was also a qualified helicopter pilot, bringing practical flying experience to complement his historical knowledge.
He co-founded and directed Weston Super HeliDays, helping to develop it into one of Europe’s leading civilian helicopter events. The annual show, which ran for 20 years, attracted aircraft and visitors from around the world, promoting the helicopter industry to the public and raising significant sums for charity. His contribution to aviation was recognised internationally through numerous awards, including the Helicopter Association International Excellence in Communications Award, a Winston Churchill Fellowship to study the Russian helicopter industry, the Eric Brown Award from the British Helicopter Association, the Historical Achievement Award from the American Helicopter Society, the Les Morris Award from the International Organisation of Pioneer Helicopter Pilots (the Twirly Birds), and the Lifetime Achievement Award from Aviation Heritage UK.
Beyond aviation, Elfan served his local community for more than fifty years, beginning as a parish councillor in Locking before becoming Deputy Leader of North Somerset District Council, where he held responsibility for planning, highways, transport, housing and economic development.
Few individuals have done more to preserve Britain’s helicopter heritage. The aircraft he rescued, the history he published and the museum he created will continue to tell that story long after his lifetime.

[Chris Goss]

Again another stalwart in our circles for many years. Sad loss again