Biography of Igor Sikorsky

Igor Sikorsky

Igor Sikorsky was born on May 25, 1889, in Kiev (Ukraine), he is one of the pioneers and inventors of the helicopter. Igor is the youngest of five brothers. His father, Ivan Alexeevich Sikorsky is a professor of psychology, a descendant of Poland - Russia. Ivan is the son and grandson of the Russian Orthodox priest. Igor Sikorsky mother, Mariya Stefanovna Sikorskaya is a doctor, igor very fond of art, especially in the life and work of Leonardo da Vinci and Jules Verne story.


In 1900, at age 11, he accompanied his father to Germany and through conversations with his father, he became interested in natural science. After returning home, Sikorsky began to experiment with model flying machines, and at the age of 12, he has made a small rubber band-powered helicopter. Sikorsky began studying at the Naval Academy, Saint Petersburg Russia, in 1903, at age 14. In 1906, he determined that his future lay in engineering, so he resigned from the Academy, although satisfactory performance in the academy, and he left Russia to study in Paris. He returned to Russia in 1907, enrolled at the College of Engineering (Polytechnic Institute of Kiev). After the academic year, Sikorsky returned with his father to Germany in the summer of 1908, where he learned about the work of the Wright brothers, Sikorsky later said that:

"In twenty-four hours, I decided to change my life's work, I will study the flight .."
With financial support from her sister Olga, Sikorsky returned to Paris in 1909 to study aeronautics at the Flight School "Ecole des Techniques et de Construction Automobile Aéronautiques (ETACA)" and purchase aircraft parts. At that time, Paris was the center of aviation. Sikorsky met the aviation pioneer, and ask them to answer questions about aircraft and flying. In May 1909, he returned to Russia and began designing his first helicopter, he began testing in July 1909. Although progress in resolving the technical issues of control, Sikorsky realized that the plane will never fly. He eventually dismantle the aircraft design in October 1909.
"I've learned enough to realize that with the existing state of the art, machine, material, and of all of them ranging from lack of money and lack of experience ... I will not be able to produce a helicopter of my dreams"
In early 1912, Igor Sikorsky became Chief Engineer of the division plane to Russko Baltiisky Vagonny ZAVOD or R-BVZ in Saint Petersburg. His work in the R-BVZ including construction mesinm first four aircraft, S-21 Russky Vityaz, which is called Le Grand. He also served as experimenters first flight on May 13, 1913. In recognition of his achievements, he was awarded an honorary degree in engineering from the Polytechnic Institute of Saint Petersburg in 1914. Sikorsky took the experience of building Russky Vityaz to develop the S-22 aircraft Ilya Muromets. Due to the outbreak of World War I, he redesigned the bombers the world's first four-engine, which is decorated with the Order of St. Vladimir.

After World War I, Igor Sikorsky briefly became an engineer for the French army in Russia during the Russian Civil War. He saw little chance for him to be an aircraft designer in the war in Europe, and especially Russia, later, he emigrated to the United States, and arrived in New York on March 30, 1919.

In the United States, Sikorsky first worked as a school teacher and lecturer, while looking for opportunities to work in the aviation industry. In 1932, he joined the faculty of the University of Rhode Island to form the Aeronautical Engineering program and remain with the University until 1948. He also lectures at the University of Bridgeport.

In 1923, Sikorsky Sikorsky Manufacturing Company established in Roosevelt, New York. He was assisted by several former Russian military officer. Among the supporters was Sergei Rachmaninoff Sikorsky, who introduced himself by writing a check for U.S. $ 5,000, or about $ 61,000 in 2007. Although the prototype is damaged in the first flight test, Sikorsky persuaded supporters to invest $ 2,500. With additional funding, he produced the S-29, one of the first twin-engine aircraft in America, with capacity for 14 passengers and the speed of 115 mph. Performance of S-29, slower than the military aircraft in 1918.

In 1928, Sikorsky became a naturalized citizen of the United States. Sikorsky Manufacturing Company moved to Stratford, Connecticut in 1929. and became part of United Aircraft and Transport (now United Technologies Corporation) in July of that year. The company is producing airplanes, such as the "Clipper" 42-S, used by Pan Am for trans-Atlantic flight.



Meanwhile, Sikorsky also continue to work on a previous vertical flight. On February 14, 1929, he filed a patent for the application of "direct lift" for seaplanes. On June 27, 1931, Sikorsky filed a patent for the other "direct lift aircraft", and was awarded patent number 1,994,488 on March 19, 1935 on rencanganya design. and ultimately, success with Sikorsky VS-300 leads to R-4, which became the first helicopter in the world of mass produced in 1942. VS-300 finally by Sikorsky in the configuration using the rotor, which consists of a single main rotor and tail rotor antitorque single, and became one of the most popular helicopter models, the most widely used in current production and Sikorsky helicopter called the inventor calls modern helicopter.

Sikorsky is married to Olga Fyodorovna Simkovitch in Russia. They divorced and Olga remained in Russia with their daughter and Sikorsky went to America before the October Revolution. Sikorsky married Elisabeth Semion in 1924, in New York, Sikorsky and Elisabeth then have four sons Sergei, Nikolai, Igor Jr. and George.


Sikorsky died at his home in Easton, Connecticut, on October 26, 1972, and was buried in Saint John's Cemetery in Stratford. Sikorsky has been designated a Connecticut Aviation Pioneer by the Connecticut State Legislature. Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation in Stratford Connecticut, to this day one of the world's leading manufacturer of helicopters, and a small airport nearby Sikorsky Memorial Airport has been named.