it was not an auspicious beginning . Transport Corporation, which had just craft factory, with first-class machinery, At the crack of dawn of September 21, formed from the combination of , equipment, offices, drafting rooms, 1926, 37-year-old Igor I. Sikorsky stood Pratt & Whitney, research laboratories and a wind tunnel, on a low hill on Long Island overlooking Propeller, and Chance . “At the was planned and ... erected,” Sikorsky the thousands of people who crowded a time there were other alternatives but my wrote. As president narrow runway below. A biplane embla - associates and I were strongly in favor of Eugene Wilson later recalled it, Sikorsky zoned with his own name had a French United Aircraft Corporation, because we was soon running “the strangest factory ace at the controls and car - felt that this fine, progressive and substan - on earth,” its plant floor crowded with ried more than 2,500 gallons of gas as it tial organization which combined engine, Russian immigrants. Sikorsky had origi - attempted to take off on a 3,600-mile propeller and aircraft manufacturers and nally launched his airplane company with flight to Paris. at that time even airline operation, were a encouragement and financial backing The weight of the fuel collapsed the group which would permit us to develop from fellow Russian immigrants in New landing gear of the Sikorsky S-35, causing to the best extent our inherent York City, having eventually landed there it to careen over an embankment at the possibilities,” Sikorsky explained in after fleeing the chaos of the Russian end of the runway. The pilot and copilot The Story of the Winged-S. Revolution. Born May 25, 1889 in Kiev, managed to escape the ensuing fireball, but the two other crewmembers perished. At stake that grim morning was the very survival of the Sikorsky Manufacturing Corporation, founded in 1923 as the Sikorsky Aero Engineering Corporation and now leveraged to the hilt in the now-charred hulk of the smolder - ing S-35. “The financial situation of the company was obviously deplorable,” Sikorsky recalled in his autobiography The Story of the Winged-S (Dodd, Mead & Co., 1938). “At that time there was no possibility of insuring the ship and it was a total loss, the major part of which fell on our organization. All our capital was spent, and in addition there was an By Alexander Soule indebtedness many times in excess of our assets.” Sikorsky, however, succeeded in scraping together enough cash to start work on a new plane. Within two years, Sikorsky had built an SikorSky: (one that could take off and land on In 1929, Sikorsky moved to a new plant in Stratford, and became a United Aircraft subsidiary. water), and his fortunes turned a corner. Igor I. Sikorsky Historical Archives, Inc. The aircraft’s performance would secure Stratford was chosen as the site for a he had honed both his craft and his Sikorsky a U.S. Navy contract and a deal new Sikorsky factory, both because of the reputation in Russia building the first-ever Still Revolutionary with Pan American Airways. new airport under construction nearby multi-engine plane, which would evolve In 1929, with more business than his and its waterfront location on Long Island into land-based that saw action Long Island site could handle, Sikorsky Sound, providing the company both in World War I. accepted a $5-million buyout from the runway and waterway takeoff capabilities. The amphibious Sikorsky-built Hartford-based United Aircraft and In July 1929, the new plant was ready Clipper became an icon at the outset of for its tenant. “An excellent, modern air - transoceanic flight, but Sikorsky did not Alexander Soule is an independent writer and Redding resident. CT Explored / 20 in his later years. Igor I. Sikorsky Historical Archives, Inc. (c) 2014 CONNECTICUT EXPLORED. Vol.12 No.2, Spring, 2014. www.ctexplored.org CT Explored / 21 Copying and distribution of this article is not permitted without permission of the publisher. Pan American Airways Clipper , John Amendola. Sikorsky’s success with fixed-wing aircraft peaked with the S-40. New England Air Museum Sikorsky had two more things going fo r design entails addressing six As chronicled by the Stratford-bas ed him: a patron in United Aircraft’s Wilson, major factors, according to J. Gordon Igor I. Sikorsky Historical Archives, those who had a war chest bursting with excess Leishman, professor of aerospace trials included the pilot’s spearing a 10- cash and a willingness to bet on an engineering at the University of Maryland: inch ring using a projecting tube and unproven technology, and a made-to- weight, engine power, rotor torque, “handing” the ring to Igor Sikorsky while order engineering shop with proven vibration, stability, and the basic theories hovering. In another demonstration, the success solving knotty aeronautical prob - of lift as applied to rotors. Sikorsky’s result - pilot maneuvered the helicopter to lower a lems and converting theory to working ing VS-300, a Tinker Toy-like contraption bag of eggs suspended from a rope to the prototypes. that underwent so many rebuilds workers ground, keeping the shells intact. In 1939, airplane production dominat - called it “Igor’s nightmare,” suffered from Pilot Charles “Les” Morris recalled the ed the attention of Wilson and his cohorts extreme vibration on its first flight on event in a memoir published by the at United Aircraft, which moved its September 14, 1939. That year, wearing Sikorsky Archives, providing a glimpse of Chance Vought airplane manufacturing his trademark fedora hat and seated in an his boss’s penchant for engineering detail. division to Sikorsky's Stratford plant. open cockpit, Sikorsky managed short Mr. Sikorsky hovered near, nerv - During the war years, the U.S. govern - “hops” of up to a few minutes’ duration, ously chewing at the corner of his ment ordered 10,000 F4U-Corsair fighters, with lines tethering the aircraft to the mouth. His keen gray-blue eyes overwhelming the production capabilities ground. In May 1940, the VS-300 took its flashed out from under the familiar of the rechristened Vought-Sikorsky first untethered flight, and the following gray fedora as they searched every facilities in Stratford. (Other companies January, the U.S. Army signed a contract detail of the craft to detect any sign took up the slack at other sites.) Vought- for Sikorsky to build the R-4 Hoverfly of flaw. I knew the capacity of those Sikorsky employed more than 12,000 helicopter. eyes from experience—that time people at the peak of the war years, Over six days in mid-May 1942, a pilot they had seen from twenty-five feet making it among the largest manufactur - flew the R-4 more than 750 miles from the strut that was so slightly bent foresee the short-lived era of the ing sites in New England. Stratford to Wright Field in Dayton, Ohio, that I had to sight along it at close . Airports soon sprouted to Even as the Vought name was elbow - for trials with the U.S. Army. By the time range to notice it... . The time when, accommodate larger, land-based planes. It ing aside that of Sikorsky, Igor was hard at it arrived, the helicopter had already without apparently looking at the was a strategic blunder deftly sidestepped work designing a helicopter. He’d secured proven itself in April trials in Stratford ship at all, he had commented on a by Sikorsky’s former United Aircraft peer his first patent in 1931 but had not further before an audience of military brass. tail-rotor blade whose tip had an Boeing, which had been spun back out as developed the idea or tested the concept eighth-of-an-inch nick in it. an independent company in the Air Mail until late in the decade. In Europe and Act of 1934. Boeing produced a dozen big Russia, several men had already pioneered Pan Am Clippers, but it also built on its helicopter designs, but in the United States experience building cross-country mail Sikorsky had a head start in terms of actu - carriers to create the first all-metal passen - al work done and the viability of his ger in 1933, and in 1938, the first design. (It was still more than a year before airliner with a pressurized cabin. Douglas Arthur Young would show up at Bell Aircraft, meanwhile, won a contract in Aircraft in Buffalo, New York with blue - 1932 to build a fleet of DC-1 passenger air - Even as Sikorsky began producing its newest VS-44 flying boats in the early 1940s (including Excambian , prints for a helicopter.) planes for TWA (then Transcontinental now on view at the New England Air Museum), the era of the flying clippers was grounded by a new generation of passenger planes flying in and out of the burgeoning array of commercial airports. and Western Air, Inc., later named Trans New England Air Museum With no airplane contracts on the horizon, World Airlines). With the California Igor Sikorsky built and flew the first practical company progressing in 1936 to the wrote in a 1956 Reader's Digest article about manufacturers on a war footing, and helicopter in the United States, the VS-300. iconic DC-3, the writing was on the wall Sikorsky. “By 1938 we had a factory full of Sikorsky’s longtime fascination with the Igor I. Sikorsky Historical Archives, Inc. for Sikorsky’s flying boats. wonderful people, but no orders.” possibilities of vertical lift. As a child he’d “The trouble was that, when he proved Several factors saved Sikorsky from the experimented with rubber-band helicop - that his flying boats could cross the oceans speedy demise of the flying clipper: Nazi ters, and in 1909 and 1910 he attempted safely in one jump, he paved the way for Germany’s 1939 invasion of , the real thing with two that their replacement by land planes,” Wilson which put United Aircraft and other U.S. never got off the ground. CT Explored / 22 (c) 2014 CONNECTICUT EXPLORED. Vol.12 No.2, Spring, 2014. www.ctexplored.org CT Explored / 23 Copying and distribution of this article is not permitted without permission of the publisher. With the UH-60 Black Hawk, won “the big one,” in the words of Sergei Sikorsky. Department of Defense, TSGT M.J. Green

During the 1960 s Today, Sikorsky is the lead contractor several big contracts went for the CH-53K heavy-lift helicopter for to other manufacturers, the U.S. Marine Corps; when fielded, the including Boeing Vertol CH-53K will be the largest helicopter ever with the CH-47 Chinook flown by the U.S. military. The company is Charles Lindbergh (right) collaborated with tandem-rotor transport also wooing the Pentagon with a high- Sikorsky on the flying boat design, with the (1962), Hughes Helicopters speed reconnaissance attack helicopter, pioneers continuing their friendship into with the OH-6 Kiowa the X-2, featuring stacked, counter-rotat - later years. Igor I. Sikorsky Historical Archives, Inc. observation helicopter ing rotor sets and a rear “pusher” prop to Orville Wright (right) views the R-4 helicopter with Igor Sikorsky. Igor I. Sikorsky Historical Archives, Inc. Three R-4s were shipped to Burma and (1965; Hughes was later propel it at speeds up to 50 percent faster were used in April 1944 in a combat the - recognizable helicopter from period— Scotland. The company sold thousands folded into Boeing), and than the Black Hawk. The X-2 prototype Sikorsky and his staff were not shy about staging stunts in their Bell with the AH-1 Cobra won the 2010 Robert J. for ater for the first time to rescue occupants thanks to its prominent role in the opening more successor helicopters that traced bids to win military contracts. Igor I. Sikorsky Historical Archives, Inc. of a medical evacuation plane that had credits of the war sitcom M*A*S*H . But the their engineering inspiration to the S-55. attack helicopter (1966). achievement in aeronautics from the crashed in enemy territory. “It felt, you Sikorsky H-19 Chickasaw (the S-55 in With military manufacturing straining military contracts. The company has vied Sikorsky, however, won National Aeronautic Association, the high - know, that I was part of the whole Sikorsky’s aircraft lineage) performed yeo - a Bridgeport facility into which Sikorsky with Bell, Boeing, and predecessor compa - the most prized contract of them all. In est accolade in the U.S. industry. sequence of events, with Sikorsky think - man’s work evacuating wounded soldiers, had expanded in 1943, Sikorsky was nies for U.S. Army and Navy contracts 1974 the company beat out fellow finalist More than 85 years since Igor Sikorsky ing, ‘This is a good machine for rescuing ferrying troops and cargo, and performing forced to license production for 900 R-6 while still trying to drum up interest from Boeing to produce the U.S. Army’s next left Long Island to set up shop in people,’” said pilot Carter Harman. “I went rescues, among other utility missions. helicopters to a Michigan company, cho - commercial customers and international utility helicopter, and the UH-60 Black Connecticut, his company remains ahead and I showed it could be done on The U.S. government ordered more sen in part for its previous experience pro - militaries. Hawk entered service in 1979. According revolutionary. “After the , his machine.” Sikorsky’s nephew Dmitry than 1,000 Chickasaw helicopters. This ducing aircraft engines and propeller In 1960, as the United States inched to the Sikorsky Archives, the company I think his contributions to the develop - “Jimmy” Viner made history on was a comeback of sorts for Sikorsky, after blades under license from United Aircraft toward greater involvement in the is approaching 4,000 Black Hawk and ment of aviation were the most important November 29, 1945 with the first use of a earlier attempts to build larger helicopters subsidiaries Pratt & Whitney and Hamilton Vietnam War, rival Bell Helicopter beat out derivative aircraft built—and counting. in the world,” said Michael Speciale, helicopter to hoist people from peril, hov - from smaller models failed due to design Sundstrand. By 1955, Sikorsky Aircraft Sikorsky for an all-purpose, turbine- “Let’s put it this way. When the contract executive director of the New England Air ering a Sikorsky R-5 helicopter to pluck flaws affecting stability and control. “After solved its capacity problem by relocating engine helicopter, despite the fact that was first publicized, the aircraft industry Museum in Windsor Locks. There you can two crewmembers from an oil barge losing those contracts Sikorsky was practi - its facility further up the Housatonic River. Sikorsky’s XH-39 had set helicopter in America knew that this was the big see several Sikorsky airplanes and helicop - snagged on Penfield Reef off Fairfield cally out of business,” said Dan Libertino, Today that headquarters is the largest altitude and speed records at Bridgeport one,” said son Sergei Sikorsky in my ters and learn more about the pioneering during a storm. executive director of Sikorsky Archives. single manufacturing plant in Connecticut, and at Bradley Field in Windsor Locks. interview with him in October 2013. Igor Sikorsky. 2 Helicopters were used in isolated “Then they came up with the S-55.... That having employed more than 9,000 people With full production beginning in 1960, “Whoever won this one would probably instances during World War II, but they became the utility helicopter of choice.” In at the height of the U.S. war in Bell’s UH-1 Iroquois “Huey” would dominate the helicopter scene.” Sergei’s played a major role in the Korean War in 1952, two S-55 variants became the first Afghanistan. Between 1955 and today, become the most-manufactured helicopter father did not live to see that day. Explore! Igor Sikorsky died on October 26, 1972, at the early 1950s. The spindly, bubble- helicopters to cross the Atlantic, hop - Sikorsky’s fortunes have hewed closely to in U.S. history, with more than 16,000 The New England Air Museum canopied Bell H-13 Sioux is the most scotching from Maine to Iceland and then its successes and failures in landing U.S. units produced. age 83. 36 Perimeter Road, Bradley International Airport, Windsor Locks CT Explored / 24 (c) 2014 CONNECTICUT EXPLORED. Vol.12 No.2, Spring, 2014. www.ctexplored.org neam.org; 860-623-3305 CT Explored / 25 Copying and distribution of this article is not permitted without permission of the publisher.