Who invented Helicopter?

Igor Sikorsky, 1946

The idea for the helicopter supported and driven by large, rotating horizontal blades, was probably inspired by the spinning sails of a windmill. Instead of moving air pushing the sails around, the powered sails would push on the air. Later models had onboard clockwork motors, even steam engines.

History of Invention:

By the 19^th century ‘screw’ propellers were pushing ships and were used in early attempts at powered flight. But a practical load carrying helicopter came only in the mid 20^th century, mostly through Russian born engineer Igor Sikorsky. Son of a psychiatry professor and a doctor, Sikorsky’s early interest in aviation was stimulated by news of the Wright Brothers and Zeppelin airships. He became a major innovator, building the first ever multi-engine aircraft, promoting revolutionary ideas like all metal construction, enclosed cabins with upholstered chairs for passengers, even an onboard toilet.

Sikorsky had migrated to the USA after the Russian Revolution. In 1931 he returned to his early attempts at a helicopter, undertaken in 1909 aged only 20. The weight of engines kept his creation on the ground. The first real success with horizontally rotating blades came with the ‘autogyro’, devised by the Spaniard Juan de la Cievra in 1923. An ordinary airscrew pulled the plane forward, supported by large unpowered rotors spinning freely.

When more efficient light weight engines arrived, along with light, strong construction materials, a number of inventors began to experiment again, including the German Heinrich Foche. Sikorsky had the most success. To stop the whole machine turning in the opposite directions to the rotor, he added a second small rotor on the tail (other designers had used counter rotating blades). His prototype VS300 first flew in May 1940, with the designer at the controls. A year later, a production VS300 stayed aloft for 90 minutes. The largest R4 made the first ever helicopter rescue in Burma in 1944. Sikorsky,s single rotor machine remains the dominant design today.