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61-673: The Sikorsky Russky Vityaz (Russian: Русский витязь ), or Russian Knight ( S-21 ), previously known as the Bolshoi Baltisky (Russian: Большой Балтийский ) (The Great Baltic) in its first four-engined version, was the first four-engine aircraft in the world, designed by Igor Sikorsky and built at the Russian Baltic Railroad Car Works ( Russo-Baltiiskyi Vagonnyi Zavod or R-BVZ ) in Saint Petersburg in early 1913. Sikorsky conceived

122-428: A 25 horsepower Anzani engine, the helicopter used an upper and lower two-bladed lifting propeller that rotated in opposite directions at 160 rpm . The machine could only generate about 357 pounds (162 kg) of lift, not enough to lift the approximate 457 pounds (207 kg) weight. Despite his progress in solving technical problems of control, Sikorsky realized that the aircraft would never fly. He finally disassembled

183-428: A great love for art, especially in the life and work of Leonardo da Vinci , and the stories of Jules Verne . In 1900, at age 11, he accompanied his father to Germany and through conversations with his father, became interested in natural sciences . After returning home, Sikorsky began to experiment with model flying machines, and by age 12, he had made a small rubber band-powered helicopter. Sikorsky began studying at

244-484: A height of a few feet. On June 30 after some modifications, Sikorsky reached an altitude of "sixty or eighty feet" before the S-2 stalled and was completely destroyed when it crashed in a ravine. Later, Sikorsky built the two-seat S-5 , his first design not based on other European aircraft. Flying this original aircraft, Sikorsky earned his pilot license ; Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) license No. 64 issued by

305-649: A patent for another "direct lift aircraft", and was awarded patent No. 1,994,488 on March 19, 1935. His design plans eventually culminated in the first (tethered) flight of the Vought-Sikorsky VS-300 on September 14, 1939, with the first free flight occurring eight months later on May 24, 1940. Sikorsky's success with the VS-300 led to the R-4 , which became the world's first mass-produced helicopter, in 1942. Sikorsky's final VS-300 rotor configuration, comprising

366-620: A single main rotor and a single antitorque tail rotor , has proven to be one of the most popular helicopter configurations, being used in most helicopters produced today. Sikorsky was married to Olga Fyodorovna Simkovitch in the Russian Empire. They were divorced and Olga remained in Russia with their daughter, Tania, as Sikorsky departed following the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917. In 1923, Sikorsky's sisters immigrated to

427-500: A total of fifty-three flights with the "Grand" before it was damaged by falling debris from a different aircraft. While parked on the runway on 23 June 1913, the aircraft was crushed by an engine that fell off a single-seat Morane-Saulnier aircraft during a landing. Sikorsky decided not to repair the seriously damaged Russky Vityaz and began working on his next brainchild — the Ilya Muromets . Data from Milestones of

488-473: A world record by making a trip from Saint Petersburg to Kiev , a distance of some 1200 km, and back. The first leg took 14 hours and 38 minutes, with one landing for fuel at Orsha , and the return one, with a fuel stop at Novosokolniki , took even less time, about 13 hours. According to Sikorsky, "The 1,600 miles (2,600 km) flight proved conclusively the value of large multi-motored airplanes. The Army placed an order for ten four-engined airplanes of

549-537: Is in a neglected condition pending restoration. In November 2012, one of the Russian supersonic heavy strategic bomber Tu-160 , based at the Engels-2 Air Force Base, was named for Igor Sikorsky, which caused controversy among air base crew members. One of the officers said that Igor Sikorsky does not deserve it because he laid the foundations of the U.S., rather than Russian aviation. However,

610-675: The Housatonic River next to the Sikorsky corporate headquarters, is named for him. Sikorsky has been designated a Connecticut Aviation Pioneer by the Connecticut State Legislature. The Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation in Stratford, Connecticut, continues to the present day as one of the world's leading helicopter manufacturers, and a nearby small airport has been named Sikorsky Memorial Airport . Sikorsky

671-514: The Ilia Mourometz type and the factory personnel was overjoyed by this final approval of the results of two years of hard work." The acclaim received by Sikorsky included Tsar Nicholas II presenting him with the Order of St. Vladimir , Fourth Degree, arranging for an exemption from the wartime draft to allow him to continue his design work, and a promise of a grant worth 100,000 rubles from

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732-523: The Long Range Aviation command officer said that Igor Sikorsky is not responsible for the activities of his military aircraft, noted that Sikorsky had also designed the first heavy bomber for Russia. In 2013, Flying magazine ranked Sikorsky number 12 on its list of the 51 Heroes of Aviation. In August 2016, the National technical university of Ukraine "Kyiv politechnical institute"

793-524: The Russky Vityaz on 10 May 1913 was successful. At the time, many people in other parts of the world considered it to be a newspaper hoax , and did not believe it. Observers believed that an aircraft of such dimensions would never leave the ground. The Russky Vityaz was a four-engine multi- bay biplane with unequal-span wings . The dual- spar wings had a rectangular planform and a chord of 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in). The distance between

854-512: The S-42 "Clipper", used by Pan Am for transatlantic flights. Meanwhile, Sikorsky also continued his earlier work on vertical flight while living in Nichols, Connecticut . On February 14, 1929, he filed an application to patent a "direct lift" amphibian aircraft which used compressed air to power a direct lift "propeller" and two smaller propellers for thrust. On June 27, 1931, Sikorsky filed for

915-732: The Saint Petersburg Maritime Cadet Corps, in 1903, at the age of 14. In 1906, he determined that his future lay in engineering, so he resigned from the academy, despite his satisfactory standing, and left the Russian Empire to study in Paris. He returned to the Russian Empire in 1907, enrolling at the Mechanical College of the Kyiv Polytechnic Institute . After the academic year, Sikorsky again accompanied his father to Germany in

976-578: The Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation in 1923, and developed the first of Pan American Airways ' ocean-crossing flying boats in the 1930s, including the Sikorsky S-42 "Flying Clipper". In 1939, Sikorsky designed and flew the Vought-Sikorsky VS-300 , the first viable American helicopter, which pioneered the single main rotor and a single antitorque tail rotor configuration used by most helicopters today. Sikorsky modified

1037-516: The Sikorsky S-2 , the second aircraft of his design and construction. His fifth airplane, the S-5 , won him national recognition and F.A.I. pilot's license number 64. His S-6-A received the highest award at the 1912 Moscow Aviation Exhibition, and in the fall of that year the aircraft won first prize for its young designer, builder and pilot in the military competition at Saint Petersburg. In 1913,

1098-508: The Air General characteristics Performance Igor Sikorsky Igor Ivanovich Sikorsky ([Игорь Иванович Сикорский] Error: {{Langx}}: invalid parameter: |a= ( help ) , Ukrainian : Ігор Іванович Сікорський , romanized :  Ihor Ivanovych Sikorskyi ; 25 May 1889 – 26 October 1972) was a Russian–American aviation pioneer in both helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft . His first success came with

1159-735: The French forces in Russia, during the Russian Civil War . Seeing little opportunity for himself as an aircraft designer in war-torn Europe, and particularly Russia, ravaged by the Bolshevik Revolution and Russian Civil War , he emigrated to the United States, arriving in New York on March 30, 1919. In the U.S., Sikorsky first worked as a school teacher and a lecturer, while looking for an opportunity to work in

1220-629: The Ilya Muromets was introduced to the Imperial Russian Air Service and on 10 December 1914, the Russians formed their first ten-bomber squadron , slowly increasing the number to 20 by mid-1916. Operations with the heavy bombers began on 12 February 1915 with a raid on German frontline positions. German Fighter Pilots often were reluctant to attack Ilya Muromets in the air due to their defensive firepower including

1281-526: The Imperial Aero Club of Russia in 1911. During a demonstration of the S-5, the engine quit and Sikorsky was forced to make a crash landing to avoid a wall. It was discovered that a mosquito in the gasoline had been drawn into the carburetor , starving the engine of fuel. The close call convinced Sikorsky of the need for an aircraft that could continue flying if it lost an engine. His next aircraft,

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1342-505: The Lord's Prayer and The Invisible Encounter ). Summarizing his beliefs, in the latter he wrote: Our concerns sink into insignificance when compared with the eternal value of human personality — a potential child of God which is destined to triumph over life, pain, and death. No one can take this sublime meaning of life away from us, and this is the one thing that matters. Sikorsky Ilya Muromets The Ilya Muromets (Sikorsky S-22)

1403-609: The Russian pioneer to a certain degree. The Russian government and Sikorsky himself sold the design and production license to the British and French governments. The Germans tried to copy its design, using the fragments of the Ilya Muromets they had shot down over their territory in September 1916. By the end of 1916, the design was generally believed to be at the end of its development cycle, with ensuing modifications to individual aircraft, such as additional armor and weapons, making

1464-573: The Russky Vityaz — which had played an important role in the development of Russian aviation and the multi-engine aircraft industries of the world. The Ilya Muromets was first conceived and built as a luxurious aircraft. It was the first aircraft to have an insulated passenger saloon , containing wicker chairs, a bedroom, a lounge, as well as the first airborne toilet. The aircraft also had heating and electrical lighting . The S-22 cockpit had sufficient space allowing several persons to observe

1525-472: The S-21 Russky Vityaz , which he initially called Le Grand when fitted with just two engines, then the Bolshoi Baltisky (The Great Baltic) when fitted with four engines in two "push-pull" pairs, and finally Russki Vityaz in its four engine all tractor-engined configuration. He also served as the test pilot for its first flight on May 13, 1913. In recognition for his accomplishment, he

1586-478: The S-21 design in 1911, when no known aircraft could lift more than 600 kilograms (1,323 lb). The carrying capacity record belonged to the French pilot Ducis, who had flown 800 m (2,600 ft) with a load of 600 kg (1,323 lb). On hearing about the construction of the Russky Vityaz in early 1913, the experts and the media around the world were predicting a complete failure. The first aerial test of

1647-613: The S-29, slow compared to military aircraft of 1918, proved to be a "make or break" moment for Sikorsky's funding. In 1928, Sikorsky became a naturalized citizen of the United States. The Sikorsky Manufacturing Company moved to Stratford, Connecticut in 1929. It became a part of the United Aircraft and Transport Corporation (now United Technologies Corporation ) in July of that year. The company manufactured flying boats , such as

1708-634: The S-6 held three passengers and was selected as the winner of the Moscow aircraft exhibition held by the Russian Army in February 1912. In early 1912, Igor Sikorsky became Chief Engineer of the aircraft division for the Russian Baltic Railroad Car Works ( Russko-Baltiisky Vagonny Zavod or R-BVZ ) in Saint Petersburg . His work at R-BVZ included the construction of the first four- cylinder aircraft,

1769-571: The Sikorsky-designed Russky Vityaz (S-21) became the first successful four-engine aircraft to take flight. He also designed and built the Ilya Muromets (S-22 – S-27) family of four-engine aircraft, an airliner which he redesigned to be the world's first four-engine bomber when World War I broke out. After immigrating to the United States in 1919 because of the Russian Revolution , Sikorsky founded

1830-564: The State Duma. During an Imperial military review at Krasnoye Selo in July, Nicholas II decorated and christened the Ilya Muromets Type B Military Prototype, No. 128, the "Kievsky." During testing, the Ilya Muromets were fitted with both skis and pontoons in anticipation of new variants being produced. If it had not been for World War I, the Ilya Muromets would probably have started passenger flights that same year. With

1891-657: The U.S., bringing six-year-old Tania with them. Sikorsky married Elisabeth Semion (1903–1995) in 1924, in New York. Sikorsky and Elisabeth had four sons; Sergei, Nikolai, Igor Jr. and George. Sikorsky died at his home in Easton, Connecticut , on October 26, 1972, and is buried in Saint John the Baptist Russian Orthodox Cemetery located on Nichols Avenue in Stratford . In 1966, Sikorsky

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1952-534: The United States. On March 24, 1919 he left France on the ocean liner Lorraine arriving in New York City on March 30, 1919. With financial backing from his sister Olga, Sikorsky returned to Paris, the center of the aviation world at the time, in 1909. Sikorsky met with aviation pioneers, to ask them questions about aircraft and flying. In May 1909, he returned to Russia and began designing his first helicopter, which he began testing in July 1909. Powered by

2013-487: The aircraft in October 1909, after he determined that he could learn nothing more from the design. In February 1910, he undertook to build a second helicopter, and his first airplane. By the spring, helicopter No. 2 could lift its weight of 400 pounds (180 kg), but not the additional weight of an operator. I had learned enough to recognize that with the existing state of the art, engines, materials, and – most of all –

2074-515: The aircraft too heavy and not suitable for operational use. Continual changes in the field as well as the factory led to many aircraft being redesignated as a new variant. After the armistice between Russia and the Central Powers about 30 Ilya Muromets were captured and destroyed. One Ilya Muromets S-26 D-1 was taken by Polish forces in the city of Babruysk . In October of 1917, Ukrainian forces acquired 16 Ilya Muromets aircraft near

2135-460: The airplane was altered so that the two rear engines were remounted outboard on the leading edges, "...transforming the installation into a four-in-line. The change resulted in a substantially improved take-off and a slightly better climb. The rudders were still effective enough to hold the plane against two engines stopped on one side." On 2 August Sikorsky flew the "Grand" for one hour and fifty-four minutes with eight persons on board. Sikorsky made

2196-418: The airplane's stability. The first quadruple-engined version of what was to become known as the Russky Vityaz , originally known as the Bolshoi Baltisky (Great Baltic), was powered by four engines installed in tandem pairs (it was originally designed as a twin-engine plane, known as "Le Grand" ). The Russky Vityaz relocated the twin pusher engines from the Bolshoi Baltisky's layout onto the leading edge of

2257-613: The aviation industry. In 1932, he joined the faculty of the University of Rhode Island to form an aeronautical engineering program and remained with the university until 1948. He also lectured at the University of Bridgeport . In 1923, Sikorsky formed the Sikorsky Manufacturing Company in Roosevelt, New York . He was helped by several former Russian military officers. Among Sikorsky's chief supporters

2318-502: The beginning of World War I, Sikorsky was encouraged by the results of the proving flights to redesign the aircraft to become the "Military Ilia Mourometz, Type V, the world's first purpose-designed heavier than air bomber. The new heavy bomber was slightly smaller and lighter than the Type A. Internal racks carried up to 800 kg of bombs, and positions for up to nine machine guns were added for self-defense in various locations, including

2379-735: The city of Vinnytsia however only six of these were serviceable. During summer of 1918 the Ukrainian State counted four Ilya Murmomets aircraft in its inventory. A few remaining aircraft were used by the newly formed Soviet Air Forces during the Russian Civil War as trainers and transports. Some sources claim that Ilya Muromets aircraft were also used by the White Army during the conflict. From 1921 to 1922 Ilya Muromets were used as civil airliners on routes from Moscow to Sevastopol (via Kharkiv ) and from Sarapul to Yekaterinburg . One Ilya Muromets S-22 replica exists in

2440-673: The design into the Sikorsky R-4 , which became the world's first mass-produced helicopter in 1942. Igor Sikorsky was born in Kiev, Russian Empire (now Kyiv , Ukraine ) on May 25, 1889. He was the youngest of five children. His father, Ivan Alexeevich Sikorsky, was a professor of psychology in Saint Vladimir University (now Taras Shevchenko National University), a psychiatrist with an international reputation, and an ardent Russian nationalist . Igor Sikorsky

2501-446: The extreme tail. The Muromets (in its S-25 Geh-2 variant, March 1916) was the first aircraft in history to incorporate a tail gunner position . The engines were protected with 5 mm-thick armor. The military version was designed expressly for long-range flying in both bombing and reconnaissance roles. When WWI broke out, only two Ilya Muromets bombers were completed out of an initial production run of ten aircraft. In August 1914,

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2562-480: The first to develop defensive tactics for a single bomber engaged in an air combat with several enemy fighters. The Ilya Muromets performed more than 400 sorties and dropped 65 tons of bombs during the war. By 1917, attrition from constant flying had reduced the bombing fleet substantially and only four bombers remained at the front line; the other Ilya Muromets were relegated to trainer duties. The heavy bombers of other participants appeared in 1916, all resembling

2623-507: The fuselage for measuring climbs and descents. Later, in the bomber variants, a drift indicator and elementary bombsight was added to aid bombing. In 1913 the Ilya Muromets No. 107 flew for the first time, and on 11 February 1914, the second prototype (factory airframe 128) took off for its first demonstration flight with 16 passengers aboard, marking a record for number of passengers carried. From 30 June to 12 July 1914, it set

2684-519: The ground after a 700-meter (2,300 ft) takeoff run. After the first test flight with his co-pilot and mechanic on board, Sikorsky noted, "in order to keep the engines close to the center line, they were mounted in two tandem groups on both sides of the fuselage. This was done chiefly to protect the plane from the danger of unsymmetrical thrust if one of the outer engines should stop." However, this configuration resulted in poor take-off and climb performance, due to propeller inefficiency. In June 1913,

2745-440: The lower wing as tractor configuration powerplants, outboard of the original inner tractor configuration engines. Sikorsky described the airplane's instruments, "There were four tachometers for the engines, two altimeters, a U-glass tube with alcohol connected to a sort of pressure receiver to indicate the flying speed, a ball in a curved glass tube to work as bank indicator and a long streamline tube mounted some three feet ahead of

2806-427: The pilot. Openings on both sides of the fuselage permitted mechanics to climb out onto the lower wings to service the engines during flight. A hatch on the left side provided an entry to the main cabin, behind the cockpit. The main cabin featured two large windows on each side. Further back was a private cabin that included a berth, a small table, and a cabinet. Lighting was provided by a wind-driven generator and heating

2867-470: The shortage of money and lack of experience... I would not be able to produce a successful helicopter at that time. Sikorsky's first aircraft of his own design, the S-1 used a 15 hp Anzani 3-cylinder fan engine in a pusher configuration , that could not lift the aircraft. His second design called the S-2 was powered by a 25 hp Anzani engine in a tractor configuration and first flew on June 3, 1910 at

2928-528: The summer of 1908, where he learned of the accomplishments of the Wright brothers ' Flyer and Ferdinand von Zeppelin 's rigid airships . Sikorsky later said about this event: "Within twenty-four hours, I decided to change my life's work. I would study aviation." By the start of World War I in 1914, Sikorsky's airplane research and production business in Kyiv was flourishing, and his factory made bombers during

2989-419: The unique tail gun position, and the difficulty in bringing down such a large aircraft. Once engaged, small fighters also found that they were buffeted by propeller wash of the four large engines. On 12 September 1916 ( Julian calendar ), the Russians lost their first Ilya Muromets in a fight with four German Albatros , three of which it managed to shoot down. This was also the only loss to enemy action during

3050-612: The war. After the Russian Revolution in 1917, Igor Sikorsky fled his homeland in early 1918, because the Bolsheviks threatened to shoot him for being "the Tsar 's friend and a very popular person". He moved to France where he was offered a contract for the design of a new, more powerful Muromets -type plane. But in November 1918 the war ended, and the French government stopped subsidizing military orders, whereupon he decided to move to

3111-404: The war; three others were damaged in combat, but managed to return to base to be repaired. 83 Ilya Muromets bombers were built for the Russian forces between 1913 and 1918. They recorded a number of firsts in the history of military aviation, like bombing from heavy bombers, performing bomber group raids on enemy targets, night bombing , and photographic bomb damage assessment. They were also

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3172-405: The window with divisions to indicate the incidence. The three latter instruments were 'home made,' designed for the 'Grand.' They were particularly necessary because of the enclosed cabin." After the Russky Vityaz's first test flights between 10 and 27 May 1913 O.S. , it was established that a passenger could even walk around the cabins without causing any problems to stability. The aircraft left

3233-405: The wings (wing gap) was also 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in). Its fuselage was a rectangular section girder , covered with plywood sheets. The aircraft had a cabin with dual control columns, two passenger cabins and a storage room for spare parts. There was also an open deck forward of the pilot's cabin equipped with a searchlight and machine gun. The ailerons on the upper wings provided for

3294-488: Was an Orthodox Christian . When questioned regarding his roots, he would answer: "My family is of Russian origin. My grandfather and other ancestors from the time of Peter the Great were Russian Orthodox priests." Sikorsky's mother, Mariya Stefanovna Sikorskaya (née Temryuk- Cherkasova ), was a physician who did not work professionally. She is sometimes called Zinaida Sikorsky. While homeschooling young Igor, she gave him

3355-502: Was awarded an honorary degree in engineering from Saint Petersburg Polytechnical Institute in 1914. Sikorsky took the experience from building the Russky Vityaz to develop the S-22 Ilya Muromets airliner. Due to outbreak of World War I , he redesigned it as the world's first four-engined bomber , for which he was decorated with the Order of St. Vladimir . After World War I, Igor Sikorsky briefly became an engineer for

3416-491: Was composer Sergei Rachmaninoff , who introduced himself by writing a check for US$ 5,000 (equivalent to $ 89,414 in 2023). Although his prototype was damaged in its first test flight, Sikorsky persuaded his reluctant backers to invest another $ 2,500. With the additional funds, he produced the S-29 , one of the first twin-engine aircraft in the U.S., with a capacity for 14 passengers and a speed of 115 mph. The performance of

3477-543: Was designed and constructed by Igor Sikorsky at the Russo-Baltic Carriage Factory (RBVZ) in Saint Petersburg in 1913. It was based on his earlier S-21 Russky Vityaz , which started out as the twin-engined Le Grand , then as the twin tandem-engined Bolshoi Baltisky before placing all four of the Baltisky's engines in a tractor configuration along the lower wing's leading edge to create

3538-544: Was inducted into the International Air & Space Hall of Fame . Sikorsky's and Andrei Tupolev 's professional careers were covered in the 1979 Soviet biopic The Poem of Wings ( Russian : Поэма о крыльях ) where Sikorsky was portrayed by Yury Yakovlev . A working model of Sikorsky Ilya Muromets was recreated for filming. The Sikorsky Memorial Bridge , which carries the Merritt Parkway across

3599-676: Was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame and the Junior Achievement U.S. Business Hall of Fame in 1987. In October 2011, one of the streets in Kyiv was renamed for Sikorsky. The decision was made by the City Council at the request of the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine , which opened its new office on that street. The Sikorsky's family house in the city's historical center is preserved to this day but

3660-506: Was named National Technical University of Ukraine "Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute" after its former student and outstanding aircraft designer. On March 22, 2018, the Kyiv City Council officially renamed Kyiv International Airport to "Igor Sikorsky Kyiv International Airport Zhuliany". Sikorsky was a deeply religious Russian Orthodox Christian and authored two religious and philosophical books ( The Message of

3721-410: Was supplied by two long engine exhaust pipes that passed through the corners of the cabin. Despite many advancements, the flight instruments on the Ilya Muromets were primitive. They included four tachometers , one per engine, a compass , a crude altimeter and airspeed indicator, two glass U-shaped tubes and a ball for bank indication, and a series of horizontal bars situated vertically on the nose of

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