THE INVENTION OF THE HELICOPTER

BY: WILLIAM LUER

INTRODUCTION:

Aeronautical engineering has become more and more advanced throughout the years and is still continuing to make advancements to this day. What once began as “science fiction” has now become a reality. The study of aeronautics includes anything that relates to traveling throughout the air, whether it be from an airplane, glider, jet, space shuttle, or the helicopter. The airplane and helicopter are the most commonly used and widespread aeronautic inventions. The idea for the helicopter can be credited to Leonardo Da Vinci (1452-1519) and his sketches of the “helical air screw.” Although it was a rough idea and never put into a reality, his sketches and writings are recognized as a precursor to the helicopter and led to the development of the current day helicopter created by a man known as Igor Sikorsky.

DISCOVERY:

At the turn of the 20th century, helicopters were becoming more and more researched with every coming day. The idea for helicopters was very difficult to comprehend at the time and many gave up on it due to a lack of enthusiasm. This is because of two major obstacles that needed to be overcome: the difficulty of control, and the lack of engines sufficiently powerful and reliable to power it. In the 1920’s, a Spanish aeronautical engineer named Juan de la Cierva thought of the idea to add a single rotor to the top of the machine and a conventional propeller for forward thrust. He called it the gyroplane (as seen to left). This model was still difficult to control and saw very limited time in service but his concept of a single rotor to be located on the top of the cabin was revolutionary.
Sikorsky answered the second problem—control. He did so by adding a thin small rotor to the tail in order to prevent the fuselage from rotating. It was not until 1942 however that Igor Sikorsky launched the first full scale production of a helicopter. This model of the helicopter was the first to see time in the military and only around 150 were made.

BIOGRAPHY:

Many scientists experimented with the design and establishment of the helicopter, all finding and offering key information to the current design and success of the modern day helicopter. However, Igor Sikorsky is often called the “father” of helicopters; largely due to the fact that his research led to the first mass production in the history of helicopters.
Igor Sikorsky was born in Kiev, Ukraine, on May 25, 1889. Even at a young age of 14, Sikorsky had known that he wanted to be an engineer. After living in many cities across Europe for different educational purposes, he accompanied his father to Germany where he learned of the accomplishments and breakthroughs the Wright Brothers had with flight. Sikorsky later stated, "Within twenty-four hours, I decided to change my life's work. I would study aviation.”
Igor Sikorsky studied aviation in Paris at Ecole des Techniques Aéronautiques et de Construction Automobile (ETACA) in the early 1900’s. In 1909 he began operating on the design of his first helicopter but soon gave up on it because he came to the conclusion it was impossible. He was later quoted to say, “I had learned enough to recognize that with the existing state of the art, engines, materials, and— most of all— the shortage of money and lack of experience... I would not be able to produce a successful helicopter at that time.”
There are other important inventors who should be given credit other than Sikorsky. An American inventor named Stanley Hiller Jr., made the first helicopter with all metal rotor blades in 1944. This allowed for helicopters to travel at much greater speeds. He was also piloted the first helicopter flight across the United States. Other important figures can include Juan de la Cierva whom I mentioned previously and Arthur Young. In 1946, Arthur Young designed the first helicopter to have a full bubble canopy.

IMPACT ON THE WORLD:

Helicopters and airplanes are very different as well, both in their uses and how they operate. Planes can fly farther, faster, higher, and can carry a much larger amount of weight. The fastest speed ever reached by a manned plane was mach 6.72, (mach 1 is equal to the speed of sound) at an altitude of 354,200 feet. The fastest speed a helicopter has ever reached is mach 0.3 by the Westland Lynx at an altitude of 10,600 feet.
Most importantly, helicopters can land and take off vertically, while airplanes need a long piece of land in order to gain speed for takeoff or to slowly decelerate upon landing. This is also why the uses of these machines are entirely different. The uses of helicopters range from oil platform re-supply, to evacuating wounded soldiers from battle. Other common uses helicopters are: air and sea rescues, patrolling, reconnaissance missions, short-distance transportation, bringing soldiers or equipment into battle, and also many commercial purposes such as volcano exploring and tours.

JOURNAL ARTICLE REVIEW:

The journal article I chose was about helmet-mounted displays (HMDs) and their relation to in flight symptoms. The main goal of the article was to study whether in-flight visual symptoms are related to oculomotor performance. It gives many stats such as surveys on the various discomforts that pilots may experience in flight and how closely pilots were able to focus on differing targets. Most of the tests were conducted in an Apache helicopter since it is thought to be the most advanced and widely used helicopter at this time. Pilots often said they. “Perceived objects viewed through the HMD to be smaller and farther away then they really were.” Low spatial resolution, the effects of attending to symbology, and the effects of aircraft motion all played a role in why the HMDs caused blurred vision, headaches, and visual discomfort.

List of References:

Bellis, Mary. "History of the Helicopter and Igor Sikorsky." Inventors. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2010.

Browning, Robert, and Petey Milnes. "THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE HELICOPTER ." Sikorsky Archives News. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2010.

Bull, S. (2004). Encyclopedia of Military Technology and Innovation. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. Retrieved October 14, 2010, from Questia database: http://www.questiaschool.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=106977476

Day, Dwayne. "Commercial Helicopters." Civil and Commercial. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2010.

"Global Aircraft -- Top 50 Fastest Aircraft." Global Aircraft -- Aviation Homepage. Globat Aircraft Organization, 27 Apr. 2007. Web. 14 Oct. 2010.

Layson. "Helicopter - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2010.

"Leonardo da Vinci - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., 13 Oct. 2010. Web. 14 Oct. 2010.

Oculomotor Responses with Aviator Helmet-Mounted Displays and Their Relation to In- Flight Symptoms. Contributors: John C. Kotulak - author, Stephen E. Morse - author. Journal Title: Human Factors. Volume: 37. Issue: 4. Publication Year: 1995. Page Number: 699+. COPYRIGHT 1995 Human Factors and Ergonomics Society; COPYRIGHT 2002 Gale Group

Sikorsky, Igor Ivanovich. (2009). In The Columbia Encyclopedia (6th ed.). New York: Columbia University Press. Retrieved October 14, 2010, from Questia database: http://www.questiaschool.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=117045790

Wessel, A. E. (2007). Chopper: Firsthand Accounts of Helicopter Warfare, World War II to Iraq. Air Power History, 54(1), 45. Retrieved October 14, 2010, from Questia database: http://www.questiaschool.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5021197131