Igor Sikorsky
Igor Sikorsky was born on the 25th of May 1889 in Kiev, Russian Empire. He grew up as the youngest of five children in a household filled with intellectual curiosity. His father Ivan Alexeevich Sikorsky served as a professor of psychology at Saint Vladimir University. The elder Sikorsky held an international reputation as a psychiatrist and ardent Russian nationalist. Igor's mother Mariya Stefanovna Sikorskaya taught him to love art during their homeschooling years. She introduced him to the life and work of Leonardo da Vinci. Stories by Jules Verne also captivated his young imagination. At age eleven he traveled to Germany with his father. Conversations there sparked his interest in natural sciences. By age twelve he had constructed a small rubber band-powered helicopter. This early experiment marked the beginning of a lifelong pursuit.
Sikorsky joined the aircraft division for the Russian Baltic Railroad Car Works in early 1912. He became Chief Engineer in Saint Petersburg. His first major project involved constructing the S-21 Russky Vityaz airliner. He initially called this machine Le Grand when it used just two engines. Later modifications added four engines in push-pull pairs. The final configuration featured all tractor-engined powerplants. Sikorsky piloted its maiden flight on the 13th of May 1913. The aircraft won the highest award at the Moscow Aviation Exhibition that fall. It also secured first prize in a military competition at Saint Petersburg. When World War I broke out he redesigned the airframe as the Ilya Muromets bomber. This new version became the world's first four-engine bomber. He received the Order of St. Vladimir for these achievements. The factory produced bombers throughout the conflict years.
The Bolshevik Revolution threatened Sikorsky with execution in early 1918. He fled his homeland because officials labeled him the Tsar's friend. He moved to France where French forces offered him a contract. The design focused on creating a more powerful Muromets-type plane. November 1918 brought an end to the war and stopped government subsidies. Sikorsky decided to move to the United States instead. He departed France aboard the ocean liner Lorraine on the 24th of March 1919. He arrived in New York City six days later on the 30th of March 1919. His initial years involved working as a school teacher and lecturer. He searched for opportunities within the aviation industry while teaching. In 1932 he joined the faculty of the University of Rhode Island. He remained there until 1948 to form an aeronautical engineering program.
Sikorsky filed patent applications for direct lift aircraft starting in February 1929. His designs eventually culminated in the Vought-Sikorsky VS-300 prototype. The first tethered flight occurred on the 14th of September 1939. Free flight followed eight months later on the 24th of May 1940. This machine pioneered the single main rotor configuration used today. It also featured a single antitorque tail rotor system. Sikorsky modified this design into the R-4 helicopter model. Production began in 1942 making it the world's first mass-produced helicopter. The final rotor configuration proved popular across subsequent decades. Most helicopters produced today utilize this specific arrangement. Sikorsky continued his work at Nichols, Connecticut during these years.
The Sikorsky Manufacturing Company formed in Roosevelt, New York in 1923. Former Russian military officers helped him establish the firm. Composer Sergei Rachmaninoff became a chief supporter with a check for five thousand dollars. Sikorsky persuaded reluctant backers to invest another two thousand five hundred dollars after initial damage. He produced the S-29 twin-engine aircraft with fourteen passenger capacity. Its speed reached one hundred fifteen miles per hour. The company moved to Stratford, Connecticut in 1929. It joined the United Aircraft and Transport Corporation that July. They manufactured flying boats like the S-42 Clipper for Pan Am. These vessels enabled transatlantic flights throughout the 1930s. Sikorsky became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1928.
Sikorsky married Olga Fyodorovna Simkovitch in the Russian Empire before fleeing. They divorced when he departed following the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917. His daughter Tania remained behind in Russia with her mother. Sikorsky's sisters immigrated to the U.S. in 1923 bringing six-year-old Tania with them. She later earned a doctorate at Yale University. In 1924 Sikorsky married Elisabeth Semion in New York. They had four sons named Sergei Nikolai Igor Jr. and George. Sikorsky died at his home in Easton, Connecticut on the 26th of October 1972. He is buried in Saint John the Baptist Russian Orthodox Cemetery. His eldest son Sergei retired as Vice-President of Special Projects in 1992.
The International Air & Space Hall of Fame inducted him in 1966. Sikorsky was designated a Connecticut Aviation Pioneer by the state legislature. The Sikorsky Memorial Bridge carries the Merritt Parkway across the Housatonic River. A nearby small airport bears his name as Sikorsky Memorial Airport. He entered the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 1987 alongside the Junior Achievement U.S. Business Hall of Fame. An asteroid discovered in 1990 received the number 10090 Sikorsky. One street in Kyiv renamed itself for him in October 2011. The city council made this decision following a request from the U.S. Embassy. Kyiv International Airport officially changed its name to honor him in March 2018. Flying magazine ranked him number twelve among fifty-one Heroes of Aviation.
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Common questions
When and where was Igor Sikorsky born?
Igor Sikorsky was born on the 25th of May 1889 in Kiev, Russian Empire. He grew up as the youngest of five children in a household filled with intellectual curiosity.
What aircraft did Igor Sikorsky design during World War I?
Igor Sikorsky redesigned his airframe into the Ilya Muromets bomber which became the world's first four-engine bomber. The factory produced these bombers throughout the conflict years after he received the Order of St. Vladimir for these achievements.
How did Igor Sikorsky escape Russia and arrive in the United States?
Igor Sikorsky fled his homeland because officials labeled him the Tsar's friend following the Bolshevik Revolution in early 1918. He departed France aboard the ocean liner Lorraine on the 24th of March 1919 and arrived in New York City six days later on the 30th of March 1919.
Which helicopter model did Igor Sikorsky create that is used today?
Igor Sikorsky modified his prototype into the R-4 helicopter model which began production in 1942 making it the world's first mass-produced helicopter. This machine pioneered the single main rotor configuration used today along with a single antitorque tail rotor system.
When did Igor Sikorsky die and where is he buried?
Igor Sikorsky died at his home in Easton, Connecticut on the 26th of October 1972. He is buried in Saint John the Baptist Russian Orthodox Cemetery.