A glimpse of Helicopter history

The bamboo-copter toy.
(Picture from: https://en.wikipedia.org/)

There is no mode of transportation that can compete with the helicopter in the ease to reach place with the diverse ability. More specifically in military and civilian such as rescue and medical operations, practically helicopters could not unmatched other modes of transportation.

And without realizing it, the existence of such a helicopter with a reliable contribution to the already lasted more than a century.

Paul Cornu in his first helicopter in 
1907. Note that he is sitting between 
two rotors, which rotated in opposite 
directions to cancel torque. It was
the first to have risen from the ground 
using rotor blades instead of wings. 
(Picture from: http://jn.passieux.free.fr/)

The modern helicopter history begins, when Paul Cornu a French citizen who is the owner of the bicycle factory makes a helicopter that has an engine and crew on November 13, 1907.

The helicopter was designed and made by Cornu himself, which could fly no more than one meter. Plus the design of Cornu's helicopter was not visible. Such as difficult to handle and has the engine power is still too weak. This is reasonable, because at that time there is no machine that has a relatively light weight, small, but also has great power.

Helicopter word derived from French, 'helicoptere.' This word is connected with the Greek word, helix (spiral / spinning) and pteron (wing). The horizontal propeller rotation that driven by the engine made a helicopter hovering and landing vertically, practically can be done everywhere. Is Gustave de Ponton d'Amercourt, a French citizens, who was the first uses the word "helicopter" while testing helicopter model that driven using the steam engine in 1861. Between 1861 to 1880, many helicopter models are designed and manufactured.

Leonardo da Vinci's helicopter design. 
(Picture from: http://michaelgelb.com/)

Actually hovering such as helicopter has been around since 400 BC in China. It was the bamboo-copter toy that could float with propellers made of bamboo. The leading medieval painter, Leonardo Da Vinci (1493), also drawing a machine called "Aerial Screw" that hovers like a helicopter. Da Vinci said, he makes this fly model, but had difficulty in controlling the machine because its body also rotates.

In 1919 Juan de la Cierva, a Spanish who developed the gyroplane. Gyro to generate power autorotation free carrier uses the rotor. The drive offers a classic propeller. The gyroplane's advantage is very short takeoff and landing, and power load much lower than in the helicopter. In contrast to the helicopter gyro must maintain forward speed.

In 1919, Juan de la Cierva developed the gyroplane. (Picture from: http://www.gyroplanepassion.com/)

The manned helicopters are feasible to use for the first time was completed in 1936 and called Focke Wulf (FW) 61. In 1938, it made an altitude flight of 11,243 feet (3,427 m) and cross-country flight of 143 miles (230 km).

German's FW 61, the first practical helicopter. 
(Picture from: http://www.helis.com/)

The FW 61 was the first helicopter design that had really solved the control problems, and could be flown precisely, even indoors! As Hanna Reitsch demonstrated February 1938 at the Berlin 's Deutchlandhalle Stadium. This model could reach the speed of 75.81 mph (122 kph).

The well-known German aerodynamics expert, Professor Anton Flettner, constructed FL-282 Kolibri helicopter. It was designed from the outset as a two-seater, so that, at the expense of range, an observer could be carried, with obvious benefits in the roles of army and navy spotting and anti-submarine work.

FL-282 Kolibri helicopter. (Picture from: https://sites.google.com/)

The observer was to be accommodated in a seat facing rearwards and positioned behind the rotor shafts, and the design provided for a permissible c of G travel which allowed the helicopter to fly with or without the observer without trim changes. The design was finalized by about July 1940 and work began on 30 prototypes and 15 pre-production machines at Flettner's Johannisthal and Bad Tolz factories. For early flight trials, which began in 1941, the first three FL-282 prototypes were built as single-seaters and had enclosed Plexiglas-panelled cabins, but subsequent machines were built as open two-seaters.

However, it was recorded the name of Sikorsky and Bell as the most dominant helicopter industry for a century the history of this kind of flying machine.

Sikorsky X2 Demonstrator, one of the world's fastest helicopter. (Picture from: http://www.hightech-edge.com/)

Igor Sikorsky, who made his company as the largest helicopter maker. Recorded more than 400 types helicopters have been manufactured by Sikorsky since 1942.

Bell Helicopter AH-1Z. (Picture from: http://www.aviationnews.eu/)

Then, Larry Bell who is founded the Bell Helicopter listed as the most commercially successful helicopter manufacturer. The Bell helicopter has dominated the world for both military and civilian versions since 1946. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES]

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