RAF Weston started operations in 1936. The RAF left in 1987 but by then it had found a new purpose.Many of the original RAF buildings survive.

The origins of the Helicopter Museum go back to 1958, when the founder, aviation writer and historian Elfan ap Rees, began to build up a private collection of rotorcraft, documentation and artifacts. Over the next 10 years his collection grew and in 1969 he acquired his first complete helicopter, a Bristol Sycamore Mk.3.

In 1974 his purchase of a Bristol Belvedere, built at Weston-super-Mare, motivated the formation of a volunteer group to restore the aircraft.

In the following years more acquisitions were made and the volunteer group expanded to start preserving the collection. In December 1976 an ex Royal Navy Westland Whirlwind HAS Mk.7 was acquired.

In July 1977 an ex Royal Air Force Bristol Sycamore HC Mk.14 was added to the growing collection, increasing the number of aircraft in the collection to eight.

1977 also saw the formation of the British Rotorcraft Museum, a registered charity and Limited company, with the primary aims of further developing the collection and opening it up to the public.

1978 saw continued growth of the historic collection of rotorcraft with three rare prototypes joining the collection. These were the Fairey Ultra-Light tip-jet driven helicopter, the Thruxton Gadfly HDW.1 two-seat autogyro and the Campbell Cougar autogyro, which became the first aircraft acquired directly by the museum itself.

In the 1978 the museum managed to obtain a small area and some buildings on Weston-super-Mare airfield which included a second world war armoury building and air-raid shelter. The buildings required extensive repair work but by the summer of 1978 the collection was opened to the public, with nine aircraft on display and a range artifacts.

Due to the success of the this initial opening the museum collection was again opened up to the public for the summer season in 1979, but the lack of a permanent site for the ever growing collection was now foremost in the minds of the members of the Museum.

1988 was to be one of the most significant year in the history of the Museum, with an agreement being signed with Westland Helicopters Ltd. for the long term lease of a 4.5 acre site on the South-Eastern edge of the airfield at Weston-super-Mare. The local Council also provided grant aid to fund an access from the main road. Volunteers then quickly set about refurbishing a 1940s vintage wooden building on the site, which had been the former Achilles flying club. Other work included erecting and refurbishing 3500 sq. ft of buildings that had been donated, these were necessary to house the now large collection of artifacts and some of the more delicate aircraft exhibits with the aim of opening that summer to the public.

At Easter 1989, the Museum opened its doors on a regular basis to the public, with its first paid manager and a system of volunteer shop staff. Regular helicopter operations also started from the Museum site, allowing visitors to fly-in.

On the 3rd November the Museum was officially opened by HRH Prince Andrew, Duke of York, who arrived in a Wessex HC.4 of the Queen's flight.

The museum is now the largest helicopter museum in the world with a collection of over 90 craft.