Autogiro’s Legacy: Let’s Invent the Helicopter

Sikorsky's quote that the development of the autogyro speeded up helicopter development considerably leaves a bitter aftertaste since Sikorsky stole many ideas from Pitcairn and only after Pitcairn's death was his lawsuit against Sikorsky decided in Pitcairn's favour. One of the papers mentioned in the article is available through the "Technical Books, Papers and Publications" section:
http://www.rotaryforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=39348
 
Last edited:
Juergen, thanks for the information.
Now you've got me wound up. ;)


Mr. Glidden Doman was not a fan of Igor Sikorsky either.
This is part of a telephone conversation I had with Mr. Doman to discuss Anton Flettner and his Intermeshing helicopter:- "At an American Helicopter Society dinner meeting, where Flettner and Sikorsky were both present, Sikorsky was taken aback by the technological advancements shown in Mr. Flettner's film of the intermeshing Flettner FL-282."

___________________________

Cierva's W.11 Air Horse was a tri-copter built by G & J Weir, Ltd.
Apparently it was later reconsidered by someone, but with the leading single rotor changed to a coaxial trailing rotor. = Bilateral symmetry.

The first helicopters to see quantity production and use in WWII were the Focke-Achgelis Fa 223 and the Flettner ~ FL-282. Both had bilateral symmetry.

The Platt-LePage XR-1 also had bilateral symmetry. But, as Roosevelt caused America to side with the English, the Germans slowed and then stopped providing the technical support that the Platt-LePage Aircraft Company needed to refine it's craft.


Some facts:
ALL European countries lost the 2nd World War; financially. The US won the bounties of war.
Igor Sikorsky was the primary instigator of the American Helicopter Society.
The US army stopped using the Kaman Huskie for training pilots because it was too easy to learn on.​
Some speculation;
Perhaps rotorcraft would be a lot more advanced today if no one had told Igor that things call 'runway' were being built and large floatplanes were dead in the water.​


Historical facts can get distorted by the vortex of later self-serving propaganda. The greater the 'spin', the more the distortion.



Dave
 
Last edited:
Just added the Platt-LePage XR-1 to the above 'goat's horn of plenty'. :typing:


The varied representations of history is intriguing.

For example, last week's showing of the documentary 'Bible Secrets Revealed' on the History channel will likely cause hundreds of millions of people to reassess some of their lifelong beliefs.


Dave
 
Last edited:
Juergen, thanks for the information.
Now you've got me wound up. ;)


Mr. Glidden Doman was not a fan of Igor Sikorsky either.
This is part of a telephone conversation I had with Mr. Doman to discuss Anton Flettner and his Intermeshing helicopter:- "At an American Helicopter Society dinner meeting, where Flettner and Sikorsky were both present, Sikorsky was taken aback by the technological advancements shown in Mr. Flettner's film of the intermeshing Flettner FL-282."

___________________________

Cierva's W.11 Air Horse was a tri-copter built by G & J Weir, Ltd.
Apparently it was later reconsidered by someone, but with the leading single rotor changed to a coaxial trailing rotor. = Bilateral symmetry.

The first helicopters to see quantity production and use in WWII were the Focke-Achgelis Fa 223 and the Flettner ~ FL-282. Both had bilateral symmetry.

The Platt-LePage XR-1 also had bilateral symmetry. But, as Roosevelt caused America to side with the English, the Germans slowed and then stopped providing the technical support that the Platt-LePage Aircraft Company needed to refine it's craft.


Some facts:
ALL European countries lost the 2nd World War; financially. The US won the bounties of war.​
Igor Sikorsky was the primary instigator of the American Helicopter Society.​
The US army stopped using the Kaman Huskie for training pilots because it was too easy to learn on.​
Some speculation;
Perhaps rotorcraft would be a lot more advanced today if no one had told Igor that things call 'runway' were being built and large floatplanes were dead in the water.​


Historical facts can get distorted by the vortex of later self-serving propaganda. The greater the 'spin', the more the distortion.



Dave

Focke Achgelis never provided any technical support to Platt-LePage Aircraft.
Other than obtaining an option to purchase a Focke FA-224 helicopter that would never be completed, there was no exchange of any technical data between Focke and W. Laurence LePage.

When it became evident that importing a Focke helicopter was an exercise in frustration, it was Laurence LePage that broke off further negotiations with Focke.

It's interesting to note that Haviland Platt preferred the single rotor configuration in his early ideas, and would later work on two single rotor helicopter designs that had no tail rotor, while the XR-1 was being developed.
W. Laurence LePage would be the stronger advocate for the lateral tandem, and would remain so for the rest of his life.

Btw., the wikipedia entry on the XR-1 contains a number of factual errors.
 
Top