On October 26, the whole world honors the bright memory of an outstanding aircraft designer and creator of the first helicopter. This day in 1972, Igor Sikorsky passed away in Easton, Connecticut, United States.
His life was full of dreams and knowing how to make them come true. Despite the fact that destiny had his life tested, the inventor managed to change the history of world aviation.
As a student of the Kyiv Polytechnic Institute (1907–1911), Igor Sikorsky was actively engaged in the helicopter section of the aeronautical club, organized at the department of Mechanical Engineering. At the same time, the young engineer designed and built the first helicopter. However, the attempt to rise into the air was unsuccessful. Then the young designer together with his associates - students Fedor Bylinkin and Vasyl Yordan - began to build airplanes. They created the BiS-1 and BiS-2 aircrafts. Shortly afterwards, Igor Sikorsky built the S-3, S-4, S-5, and S-6 aircrafts on his own.
On December 12, 1912, the S-6 broke the world speed record of 111 km/h. That year, Igor Sikorsky became Chief Engineer of the aircraft division for the Russian Baltic Railroad Car Works in St. Petersburg. Such multi-engine airplanes like "Le Grand", "Russki Vityaz" and the four-engine airliner "Ilya Muromets", which was recognized as the best aircraft of the World War I, took off there.
Eventually, the war became a turning point in Sikorsky's life as well. After the Bolshevik revolution Igor Sikorsky fled his homeland, because the new government threatened to shoot him. He went abroad: first to former Yugoslavia, then to France, and from there to the United States. There he embodied his aviation plans. Large American corporations were interested in Sikorsky's design talent, and in 1923 he founded his own company - the Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation. His ocean-crossing flying boats, which were able to connect cities without landing, became famous overnight. The four-engine amphibious aircraft S-40, which carried 40 passengers for a distance of up to 800 km, and 24 passengers - for 1,500 km, turned a true legend.
Having succeeded in building aircraft, the designer returned to his old dream - a helicopter. In September 1939, the scientist flew an experimental helicopter VS-300 (S-46), and in 1942 his helicopter XR-4 (VS-316) was adopted by the US Army.
World War II was an exam that aircraft designer Igor Sikorsky passed very well. Since then, the Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation has become a recognized leader not only in the United States but also in the world. Another achievement of the company was the S-55 helicopter, which in 1952 made the first transatlantic flight in the world. The last of the helicopters Sikorsky personally developed was the S-58 in 1954–1955.
Igor Sikorsky passed away at the age of 83 - on October 26, 1972 - the world-famous aircraft designer, who was called during his lifetime the father of a helicopter.
We are proud that it was the Kyiv Polytechnic Institute that gave a young talented person opportunities to gain knowledge and acquire design skills. That is why in 2016 the Kyiv Polytechnic Institute was named after Igor Sikorsky - the outstanding aircraft designer of the 20th century.