h < THE GREAT DATES OF HELICOPTER HISTORY >
|
PIONEERS |
Presently the first track about rotary wings seems to originates in China four century before our era. A book named "Pao Phu Tau" tells that the "Master" describes rotary wings machines (fei chhe) made with jujubier wood. The rotating blades are attached to a mast with thin leather straps (huan chien i yih chhi chi). It is the oldest precursor of what we name today "helicopter". The concept was born there in terms of idea but our ancestors didn't have the technology and aerodynamic knowledge to build an effective flying machine. |
EVOLUTION |
Numerous inventions, often insignificant and anonymous, have come to the success of the rotary wing in the fifties. Those precursors generally suffered from two major drawbacks: weakness of materials and insufficient power plant. |
1480 : Leonardo De Vinci
|
"...I
discovered that a screw like this one, if it is well made, will
climb in the air if it is rotated fast enough..."
Frequently
mentioned as the first serious attempt of a helicopter, this drawing of Leonardo
de Vinci never came up. It was impossible at this age to fly up with a machine
made of wood and cloth and above all powered by two men. |
1754 :Lomonosov ( Russia )
He suggested a machine with coaxial rotors to make weather mesurements1784 : Launoy / Bienvenu ( France )
1800 : George
Caley
1845 : Cossus ( France )
1861 :
Bright
Used a balloon above the rotors
1880 :
Thomas Edison
The first attempt to electric helicopter. The machine was not powerful enough, but Edison was convinced in the importance of helicopters in the future.1895 : De los Olivos
A tandem rotor with wings.
At the end of the XIXth century, the motor invention with internal combustion made possible the development of machines powerful enough for vertical take off.The pioneers discovered the flight control problems.
1906 : Crocco ( Italie )
1907 :
Breguet - Richet gyroplane ( France )
13 Nov. 1907 :Paul Cornu
In France, the machine of Paul Cornu was the first to take off with its pilot and then made a free flight. Stabilised by wooden links thanks to ground assistants, this machine suffered from instability, chronic instability.1911 : Boris Yuriev ( Russia )
1912 :Ellehammer( Danemark )![]()
abtomat perekosa ( collective pitch and automatic clutch ) the drawing with main rotor and tail rotor
1922 :
Geogrij de Bothezat ( URSS )
1924 : Emile
Berliner
1924 : Pescara ( Argentina )
He worked out several machines between 1919 and 1925 in Spain and France. A coaxial helicopter weighting 850kg and flying at 13km/h was the first machine controlled in collective pitch and cyclic.
1924 :
Etienne Oehmichen ( France )
The first kilometer in closed circuit : 7 minutes, 40 seconds1928 : D'Ascanio ( Italy )
Historical time when Etienne Oehmichen took off in presence of the aviation minister.
Photo Gunby Photo Archive
1929 :Pitcairn
1930 : ZAGI 1A et le TsAGI , ( URSS )
The Aerodynamic and Hydrodynamic Central Institute was created in 1928 by G. H. Sabinin. The ZAGI 1A that took off in August 1930 had a fuselage in soldered tubes, a four bladed rotor driven by two 120HP motors vertically installed1931 : L'autogire de Kuznetzov ( URSS )Le ZAGI 1A is the first dual motor helicopter
1932 :
Kay
1932 :
Flettner FL 265 ( Germany )
1933 : ZAGI 5EA ( URSS )
Its surprising machine with three blades of 10m widespan fixed rigidly to the rotor mast was assisted by three other blades of 7m widespan controlled in cyclic. Two additional auxiliary rotors located front and rear managed the stability. The results were unsuccessful and the complexity lead to give up the project.1933 : Breguet - Dorand ( France )
Louis Breguet carried on his effort to build a coaxial machine powered by the famous Wright motor of 420HP.
The 11th of September 1936 Louis Breguet reached the speed of 108km/h
1934 :
Le gyroplane A-7 de Nikolai Kamov ( URSS )
1935 :
Elton Whitney ( USA )
1936 :
Weir W.3 ( England )
1938 :Le Page - Platt.
![]()
XR-1 ( 1941 / 1944 )
1939 :
Weir W.6
Copyright 2000-2001 Jacques
Boyer
You may use the data given in this document for your personal use, If you use this document for a publication, you have to cite the source. A publication of a recompilation of the
given material is not allowed, if the resulting product is sold for more than the production costs.This document originates at the Web site
http://aerodes.free.fr