At the end of the nineteenth century, the invention of the internal combustion engine made it possible for the pioneers to develop full-sized models with an adequate power source,
was in this time when the real flying control problems were found ...
On 13 August 1895, he was granted a patent numbered 3392 by emperor Franz Joseph. On the following
years he made several attempts reaching a height of 0.5 meters in 1901 , 1.5 in 1903 and on
5th May of 1905 at Pressburg he flew up using his petrol-engine helicopter to a height of 4 meters for
over 1500 meters that was also recorded by the International Airship Organisation.
1906 :
Crocco ( Italy )
He suggests a cyclic control
1907, Aug 24 :
Breguet - Richet gyroplane ( France )
Brothers Louis and Jacques Breguet rose some two inches off the ground
1907, Nov 13 :
In France,
Paul Cornu 's aircraft is the
first to take off vertically with its pilot and make a free flight
The machine was stabilized with sticks by men on the
ground because of its
poor controllability
1911 :
Boris Yuriev ( Czarist Russia )
Publish his
abtomat perekosa
( collective - automatic over-skewing device )
which describes the modern layout helicopter
with main and tail rotors.
Military Interest in the helicopter during World War I
contributed to its advancement also. Von Karman and Petrosczy, both from Germany,
and the Hungarian Asboth intend to produced, without success, a lifting device
to replace kite balloons for observation consisted of two superimposed lifting propellers.
His model used a 36 hp air-cooled radial pistol-engine and
two superimposed airscrews rotating in opposite directions.
It flew, but never rose higher than 4 feets.
He made interesting technical advances but
due his solitary way of life several of them had to await reinvention by later pioneers.
It was not until the late period of World War I that major
helicopter advances were made. The quality and quantity of production
materials increased, and great improvements were made in the field of
engine technology. With better technology and more need, the next step in helicopter advancement would soon come.
Had a different approach to solving the problem of torque reaction
by powering the single rotor with propellers mounted on the blades themselves.
Control was achieved by the use of servo-flaps or "ailerons" inboard of the
propellers. While Brennan's work was initially carried out with considerable
secrecy, in 1921 the machine flew successfully inside a balloon shed. Further
flights outdoors were undertaken through 1925, where the machine made
flights at low altitude. The machine crashed on its seventh flight,
and official interest in the Brennan machine quickly faded because of
increasing interest in the autogiro.
He produced several models between 1919 and 1925 in Spain and France.
He built a coaxial helo with a gross weight of 850 kg and a speed
of 13 km/h that was
the first flyable with collective and cyclic controls
1924 :
Etienne Oehmichen ( France )
First kilometer in close circuit flight for
a helicopter : 7 minutes, 40 seconds
The historical moment when Etienne Oehmichen is
carrying out in the presence of a French Air Ministry official.
Photo donated by the
Gunby Photo Archive
1928 :
D'Ascanio ( Italy )
He constructs a helicopter with two coaxial rotors. Flap hinges and free-feathering hinges. Control by servo tabs on the blade. Held records for altitude, endurance, and distance.
Major altitude
for a helicopter
18 m
1928 :
Hafner AR III / V ( Austria )
1920/36 :
Juan de la Cierva 's Gyrocrafts ( Spain )
His invention of the hinged, flapping rotor blade,
made possible the development of practical helicopters.
1928 :
Juan de la Cierva made the first English Channel crossing with his C-8 Autogiro.
