Igor Sikorsky was an important part of aviation history, from the flight of Wright brothers to the exploration of space. Who was Sikorsky, and what were some of the advances he made in the field of aviation? What physics principles are required to make a vertical take-off and landing craft—a helicopter—work?
The youngest of five children three daughters and two sons of a psychology professor, he received his early education and a liking for the work of Da Vinci and Jules Verne from his mother, who was also a trained physician. During a vacation with his father to Germany, the young Sikorsky developed an interest in the sciences, inspired by the news of aviation firsts to build a rubber-band powered helicopter model that lifted off the ground. Back in Russia, at the age of 14, he moved into the Petrograd Naval Academy but left in to study engineering in Paris while revolutionary unrest was stirring in Russia.
Another trip to Germany in secured his interest in aeronautics, as the achievements of the Wright brothers and the flights of von Zeppelin's dirigibles were becoming known. Sikorsky interrupted his studies for another trip to Paris where he learned from leading aviators and purchased equipment for his experiments. He was determined to attempt aircraft design and follow his own determination to build helicopters. Returning to Russia with plans and a horsepower engine, Sikorsky built a helicopter which met all dynamic and control principles, yet failed the crucial test: it could not lift off the ground.
The weight of the required engine driving power overcame its lifting power. The helicopter project was cancelled, all useful data was recorded, and attention moved to fixed wing aircraft.
In June of , Sikorsky successfully flew his first airplane, the S During the next few years, increasingly powerful designs were built and Sikorsky was issued a pilot's license by the Russian Imperial Aero Club. His S-5 model was a landmark in , flying a circular course for four minutes. By , the S-8 model had been created and a variety of airplanes were being sold to the Russian army. At that point, Sikorsky was already thinking of his next innovation: passenger air travel.
Indeed "grand," this well-appointed aircraft weighed about pounds, had a 92 feet wingspan, and four horsepower engines. An outside balcony permitted any of the four passengers to take an airy stroll; the passenger cabin boasted seats, a couch, and a washroom, and the pilots' cabin had two seats and dual controls. On June 18, , a successor to Le Grand, the "Ilia Mourometz", set a world record by carrying eight passengers aloft for an hour and 54 minutes.
Soon enough, precipitated by the June 28 assassination in Sarajevo, World War I began and Sikorsky's company went into production to manufacture military versions of the Ilia Mourometz for use in reconnaissance and bombing missions. Three years later, the Bolshevik revolution shook Russia and, with reason to believe that his fame and standing made him a target, Sikorsky fled to France.
His daughter from a short-lived marriage, Tania, remained in Russia. In , the war ended and the market for a military airplanes dried up. Sikorsky, speaking of his admiration for Edison and Ford and the opportunities for success, left for America in March Success was not immediate; new airplanes were not being built while leftover military machines were available and government development funding had ceased. Sikorsky survived as a teacher to other Russian immigrants in New York and in his sisters arrived from Russia, bringing his six-year-old daughter Tania.
A group of his immigrant friends gathered enough funds to establish the Sikorsky Aero Engineering Corporation on a chicken farm in Long Island. Its first product was the model SA passenger aircraft which was met with some success. Sikorsky became a United States citizen in In that era between and , aviation advances were encouraged by hundreds of prizes offered for various accomplishments, the most famous being the Orteig prize for the first person to fly between Paris and New York non-stop.
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View all mammal worksheets. View all marine life worksheets. View all insect worksheets. View all Bird worksheets. View all natural world worksheets. His continuous hard work paid off and his model S-5 won him national attention. He also won an award in the Moscow Aviation Exhibition. These successes promoted his appointment as the head of aviation of Russian Baltic Railroad Car Works.
There, he designed the Ilia Mourometz which laid foundation for 70 versions of bombers used in World War 1. The Russian Revolution in , slowed down his career.
Therefore he moved to France to build bombers for the War. Two years later he went to United Sates and began teaching mathematics there. He worked day and night and saved enough money to establish his own aviation company , the Sirosky Aero Engineering Corporation, in the Long Island in The company did pretty well but Sirosky was dreaming big. All this time his dream of building a helicopter had just grown bigger and he never stopped jotting down his designs and ideas.
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