Igor Sikorsky, Russian-American Inventor
Igor Ivanovich Sikorsky (May 25, 1889 - October 26, 1972) was a Russian-American aviation pioneer in both helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft. He was born in Kiev, Russia, and educated at St Petersburg and Kiev. He designed and flew the world's first multi-engine fixed-wing aircraft, the Russky Vityaz in 1913, and the first airliner, Ilya Muromets, in 1914. He emigrated to the US in 1919 and worked as a school teacher and lecturer, while looking for an opportunity to work in the aviation industry. In 1923, he formed the Sikorsky Manufacturing Company. One of his chief supporters was composer Sergei Rachmaninoff. In 1928, he became a naturalized citizen of the United States. His company manufactured flying boats used by Pan Am for transatlantic flights. In 1939 he designed and flew the Vought-Sikorsky VS-300, the first viable American helicopter, which pioneered the rotor configuration. He modified the design into the Sikorsky R-4, which became the world's first mass-produced helicopter in 1942. His final VS-300 rotor configuration, comprising a single main rotor and a single anti-torque tail rotor, has proven to be one of the most popular helicopter configurations, being used in most helicopters produced today. He died in 1972 at the age of 83. He was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 1987.
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