Igor Sikorsky was an engineer who was a pioneer in aircraft design. He is best known for his successful development of the helicopter. He founded the Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation in 1923. It is based in Stratford, Connecticut. The Irish Coast Guard operate a number of Sikorsky Search and Rescue helicopters.
Igor Ivanovich Sikorsky was born in Kiev, Ukraine in 1889. He studied engineering in Russia and Paris and developed an interest in aviation. He built aircraft in Russia before immigrating to the United States in 1919. He established the Sikorsky Aero Engineering Corporation in New York where he produced sea planes. Sikorski later moved his company to Stratford, Connecticut.
He continued to build sea planes. As land based aircraft became more popular, Sikorski turned his attention to the development of the helicopter. On January 14th 1942 he piloted the first successful test flight of a helicopter. The success of the flight set the standard for the future development of the helicopter. Today the Sikorsky Aviation Corporation is the major producer of helicopters for an international market.
Igor Sikorski was born in the year 1889 On This Day.
1932 (circa) Igor Sikorski and President Bressler