HAMPDEN – Albert P. Averill, 86, died June 7, at home.

He was born Jan. 7, 1920, in Wilton, the son of Dana and Madge (Newell) Averill Masterman.

He had a long and illustrious career in aviation, both in Maine and Texas, beginning with participation in the Civilian Pilot Training Program in 1941 after his graduation from Wilton Academy in 1937. He entered the Army Aviation Cadet Program in 1944.

His involvement in helicopter aviation began in 1947, dusting potatoes in Aroostook County. He began test pilot work in 1951 at Kaman Aircraft in Windsor Locks, Conn. and continued from 1954 to 1967 as an experimental test pilot for Bell Helicopter in Fort Worth, Texas. He piloted the helicopter for an early land survey project in Colombia, South America, in 1952.

His 1961 helicopter world distance record still stands.

In 1967, he and his family returned to Maine to open Northeast Helicopter Service.

Until his retirement in 1987, Northeast Helicopter provided agricultural and transportation services throughout northern and eastern Maine.

He is survived by two children from his first marriage to Virginia (Farrington) Sawtelle; a daughter, Caroline Bontkes and her husband, Bill, of Porto Velho, Brazil; and a son, Brent and his wife, Diane, of North Hampton, N.H.

In 1947, he married Eleanor Mosher of Wilton, who predeceased him in 1990. Together they worked to start Northeast Helicopter as well as a Christmas tree farm at their home on River Road in Bucksport. Their children are Mark Averill and his wife, Debe, of Orono and Nancy Averill of Hampden; 10 grandchildren, Mark, Rachel, Ian, Sarah, Jonathan, Jeremy, Amanda, April, Marva and Yari; four great-grandchildren; two sisters, Beatrice Lowell of Portland and Edith Masterman of Wilton; and a sister-in-law, Beverly Eames and her husband, Dana of Wilton.

In 1993 he married a Wilton Academy schoolmate, Elaine (Blodgett) Hall and added many new family members who survive him, including Betty (Hall) Hartley and her husband, Walter, of Topsham and Richard Hall and his wife, Gloria, of East Dixfield. She predeceased him in 2003.

He is also survived by caretaker and friend, Ellen McPhee of Orono.

He very much enjoyed travel and spent much time in retirement traveling to China, Alaska and elsewhere. His lifelong love of the Maine woods and fly-fishing took him to many streams and lakes and, especially in later years, to the Bradford Camps in Munsungun.