September 21, 20214 yr Visit KBDR Sikorsky Memorial Airport and learn about the birthplace of helicopters and the mighty WW2 Vought F4U Corsair, and enjoy a tour of New York. Cheers. Great places to fly in MSFS: https://youtube.com/channel/UCqCzobOlQLeGycCFnavVrPg
September 22, 20214 yr Author 7 hours ago, Petraeus said: Wasn't the birthplace of helicopters in France? Some say France, some say Germany, for basic beginnings, but Sikorsky for real practical start to helicopters. If you want to add the word practical and/or the phrase in the USA, to my title, ok with me! Cheers. Great places to fly in MSFS: https://youtube.com/channel/UCqCzobOlQLeGycCFnavVrPg
September 22, 20214 yr 10 hours ago, Petraeus said: Wasn't the birthplace of helicopters in France? Strictly speaking it was China. No doubt about that one, examples of toys which are rotary-winged craft are mentioned from about 400BC in China, but if there is any doubt concerning that, there are also very clear literary references to rotary-winged craft in Fourth Century Chinese writings. These are the basis for Leonardo Da Vinci's Aerial Screw design of the 15th century. There were a number of autogyros made in the 1920s and 1930s which whilst not really a helicopter, are a bit like one in some principles, but if were talking about the first helicopter to go into proper production, it probably would have been the German Focke-Angelis 223 Drache, which first flew in 1940 and was made in small numbers, but production was halted by frequent Allied bombing. However, it was good enough to even be produced in small numbers after WW2, in France. The Drache was also the first chopper to cross the English Channel, when the RAF (using German pilots) flew one over to England to examine it after the war, however, an autogyro had done this in 1928 going from London to Paris. But the first helicopter to actually go into unbroken full-scale practical mass-production was indeed the Sikorsky R4, at New York in 1942, and built until 1944, with well over 100 produced, and the R4 was no mere prototype, it was used fairly extensively in WW2 for SAR duties, but then again the Germans had been using their Drache for cargo and troop transport up into mountainous terrain well before that. So it depends on your criteria as to what you regard as the chopper's birthplace. In practical terms, I'd give the honours to the Drache, it was a very usable machine. Edited September 22, 20214 yr by Chock Alan Bradbury Check out my youtube flight sim videos: Here
September 23, 20214 yr Author Interesting @Chock. I love your location under your picture Alan! Cheers. Great places to fly in MSFS: https://youtube.com/channel/UCqCzobOlQLeGycCFnavVrPg
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