Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Monday, June 5
    Trending
    • This Day in History on June 5th
    • History Short: What is the Most Famous Trial in American History?
    • This Day in History on June 4th
    • History Short: The Remarkable Falcon 9 Rocket
    • Who Are My Favorite History YouTubers Named Matt?
    • This Day in History on June 3rd
    • History Short: What is the Highest Mountain on Earth? (Not What You Think!)
    • This Day in History on June 2nd
    History and Headlines
    • Arts & Entertainment
      • Cinema & TV
      • Games
      • Literature
      • Music
      • Sports
      • Video Games
    • Bizarre Bulletin
      • Misconceptions
      • The Bizarre
      • The Paranormal
      • The Unexplained
    • Lifestyle
      • Animals/Pets
      • Fashion
      • Food
      • Health/Medicine
      • Home Improvement
      • Horoscopes
      • Travel
    • Science & Tech
      • Inventions
      • Nature
      • Vehicles
    • Society
      • Business and Economics
      • Crime
      • Military
      • Politics
      • Religion
      • Society
    • About
      • Welcome to Our Site!
      • This Day in History
      • Table of Contents: A History of the World
      • Online History Textbooks
      • A Guide to Some of Our Favorite Scholars and Educators
      • Advance Screenings and Movie Reviews Archive
      • Schedule of Video Adaptations of Our Articles
    • Friends
      • Armchair History TV
      • Fact Fiend
      • RealClearHistory
      • Simply Charly
      • TopTenz
      • ​Unique Interpretations
    History and Headlines
    You are at:Home»May»May 24»May 24, 1940: Igor Sikorsky, Aviation Pioneer: First Untethered Helicopter Flight
    May 24

    May 24, 1940: Igor Sikorsky, Aviation Pioneer: First Untethered Helicopter Flight

    Major DanBy Major DanMay 24, 2016Updated:March 28, 20202 Comments4 Mins Read
    Email Facebook LinkedIn Pinterest Reddit Telegram Tumblr Twitter VKontakte WhatsApp

    A Brief History

    On May 24, 1940, Ukrainian born Igor Sikorsky flew the first successful single rotor helicopter in history, the Vought-Sikorsky VS-300 (untethered flight).  Within 2 years, his Sikorsky R-4 became the first mass produced helicopter in the world.

    Digging Deeper

    Sikorsky was born in Kiev, Ukraine, in 1889 back in the days of the Russian Empire.  He was of Polish, Russian, and Ukrainian origin, and became a noted aviation pioneer while a Russian subject.  Some of his early Russian accomplishments included design and flying of the first multi-engine fixed wing aircraft, the Russky Vitas (1913) and the Ilya Muromets (1914), the first airliner in the world.

    Igor Sikorsky in 1914

    Immigrating to the United States in 1919 did not slow down his aviation influence, as he formed the Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation and promptly designed the first of Pan American Airways famous flying boats, the S-42 Clipper.

    Sikorsky’s main claim to fame was with his development of the helicopter, an aircraft type that was being developed around the world at the time.  Sikorsky began experiments with helicopter flights as early as 1909 in Russia.  His initial flights with a single engine and single main rotor with a vertical stabilizing tail rotor that we find so familiar today started in 1939 and was more or less perfected by 1940.

    Not only was the R-4 the first practical mass produced helicopter, it was easily fitted with pontoon type floats instead of skids to create the world’s first amphibious helicopter as well.  (Note:  The VS-300 can be seen at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan.)

    Siskorsky worked as a school teacher and at the University of Rhode Island, while also teaching at the University of Bridgeport.  Even after finding success in the aircraft business, he stayed with URI until 1948.  His company became a major manufacturer of commercial and military helicopters that are in use today.

    Studio portrait, c. 1950

    Sikorsky died in 1972, but is remembered by a street named after him in Kiev and the Sikorsky Memorial Bridge over the Housatonic River in Connecticut.  Of course, the small airport located near Sikorsky Headquarters in Connecticut is also named after him.  He is an inductee to the National Inventors Hall of Fame and the Junior Achievement U.S. Business Hall of Fame.  Sikorsky was honored in Russia by the naming of a supersonic heavy bomber (Tu-160) after him, despite some protests by Russian aviators that Sikorsky’s main accomplishments were as an American.  Flying Magazine named Igor Sikorsky #12 on its list of 51 Heroes of Aviation in 2013, and he also leaves 2 books written about religious philosophy. as well as an autobiography.

    Igor Sikorsky certainly rates as an extremely important part of aviation history, and proved himself a resourceful businessman and teacher as well.  My many flights in Sikorsky helicopters (CH-53) resulted in a happy landing each time.  Thanks Igor!

    CH-53D releasing flares near Naval Air Station Patuxent River, 1982.

    Question for students (and subscribers): Have you ever been in a helicopter?  Please let us know in the comments section below this article.

    If you liked this article and would like to receive notification of new articles, please feel welcome to subscribe to History and Headlines by liking us on Facebook and becoming one of our patrons!

    Your readership is much appreciated!

    Historical Evidence

    For more information, please see…

    Cochrane, Dorothy and Von Hardesty.  The Aviation Careers of Igor Sikorsky.  Univ of Washington Pr, 1989.

    Sikorsky, Sergei I.  The Sikorsky Legacy (Images of Aviation: Connecticut) (Images of America).  Arcadia Publishing, 2007.

    The original image of the “VS-300 Three View” used above is from this link (accessed 28 May 2016).

    Share. Email Facebook LinkedIn Pinterest Reddit Telegram Twitter Tumblr
    Previous Article10 Bodacious Bargains
    Next Article 10 Great Immigrants to the United States
    Major Dan

    Major Dan is a retired veteran of the United States Marine Corps. He served during the Cold War and has traveled to many countries around the world. Prior to his military service, he graduated from Cleveland State University, having majored in sociology. Following his military service, he worked as a police officer eventually earning the rank of captain prior to his retirement.

    Related Posts

    History Short: The Remarkable Falcon 9 Rocket

    June 4, 2023

    History Short: Historic Space Flight!

    May 30, 2023

    Animated Map of the 2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine (through May 28th, 2023)

    May 28, 2023
    Follow Us!
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Patreon
    Sign Up For Our Newsletter!
    Most Recent

    This Day in History on June 5th

    June 5, 2023

    History Short: What is the Most Famous Trial in American History?

    June 5, 2023

    This Day in History on June 4th

    June 4, 2023

    History Short: The Remarkable Falcon 9 Rocket

    June 4, 2023

    Who Are My Favorite History YouTubers Named Matt?

    June 3, 2023
    This Day in History Video

    Advertisements




    Amazon Affiliate Disclosure Statement

    As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases via links in the “Historical Evidence” sections of articles.

    About HistoryAndHeadlines.com

    Thanks for visiting History and Headlines!  This site exists primarily for educational purposes and is intended as a resource for Dr. Zar’s students.  Articles are mostly written by either Dr. Zar or his dad (Major Dan).  To any guest readers, please keep that in mind when commenting on articles.   Thank you!

    We try to present our students with historical topics that are both diverse and a bit out of the ordinary.  Our motto is “We try until we succeed!”

    Contact us at admin@historyandheadlines.com

    Guidelines and Policies for Images used on This Site, as well as for Guest and Sponsored Articles, and Other Terms of Use

    Privacy Statement

    © 2023 History and Headlines

    All-Time Most Commented

    July 28, 1866: 18 Year Old Girl Wins Commission to Sculpt Statue of Lincoln (A Truly Great American Woman)

    July 28, 2014

    December 24, 1865: Birth of the Ku Klux Klan

    December 24, 2015

    December 25, 1868: President Johnson Pardons all Confederate Veterans

    December 25, 2015

    February 5, 1909: First Plastic Invented was called Bakelite!

    February 5, 2014

    November 23, 1876: “Boss” Tweed Turned Over to Authorities

    November 23, 2013
    Recommended Book
    © 2023 ThemeSphere. Designed by ThemeSphere.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

    You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings.

    History and Headlines
    Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

    Strictly Necessary Cookies

    Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

    If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.

    x