John Templeton
American-born British stock investor, businessman and philanthropist
Igor Sikorsky was a pioneering Russian-American aviation engineer who designed and built some of the earliest successful helicopters and four-engine aircraft. He founded the Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation and played a crucial role in the development of modern aviation technology.
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About the Igor Sikorsky
Igor Ivanovich Sikorskywas a Russian-American aviation pioneer in both helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft. His first success came with the Sikorsky S-2, the second aircraft of his design and construction. His fifth airplane, the S-5, won him national recognition and F.A.I. pilot’s license number 64. His S-6-A received the highest award at the 1912 Moscow Aviation Exhibition, and in the fall of that year the aircraft won first prize for its young designer, builder and pilot in the military competition at Saint Petersburg. In 1913, the Sikorsky-designed Russky Vityazbecame the first successful four-engine aircraft to take flight. He also designed and built the Ilya Murometsfamily of four-engine aircraft, an airliner which he redesigned to be the world’s first four-engine bomber when World War I broke out.
After immigrating to the United States in 1919 because of the Russian Revolution, Sikorsky founded the Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation in 1923, and developed the first of Pan American Airways’ ocean-crossing flying boats in the 1930s, including the Sikorsky S-42 “Flying Clipper”.
In 1939, Sikorsky designed and flew the Vought-Sikorsky VS-300, the first viable American helicopter, which pioneered the single main rotor and a single antitorque tail rotor configuration used by most helicopters today. Sikorsky modified the design into the Sikorsky R-4, which became the world’s first mass-produced helicopter in 1942.
Frequently Asked Questions
Igor Sikorsky was a Russian-American aviation pioneer who designed and built helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft. He founded the Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation and is known for developing the first viable American helicopter, the Vought-Sikorsky VS-300.
Sikorsky’s early successes included the Sikorsky S-2, his second aircraft design, as well as the S-5 which earned him national recognition and an F.A.I. pilot’s license. His S-6-A won the top award at the 1912 Moscow Aviation Exhibition, and his Russky Vityaz (S-21) became the first successful four-engine aircraft to take flight in 1913.
After immigrating to the U.S. in 1919, Sikorsky founded the Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation in 1923 and developed the first of Pan American Airways’ ocean-crossing flying boats in the 1930s, including the Sikorsky S-42 ‘Flying Clipper’. In 1939, he designed and flew the Vought-Sikorsky VS-300, the first viable American helicopter.
During World War I, Sikorsky designed and built the Ilya Muromets (S-22 – S-27) family of four-engine aircraft, which he redesigned to be the world’s first four-engine bomber when the war broke out.
Sikorsky’s Vought-Sikorsky VS-300, the first viable American helicopter, pioneered the single main rotor and single antitorque tail rotor configuration used by most helicopters today. He further developed this design into the Sikorsky R-4, which became the world’s first mass-produced helicopter in 1942.