The Wright brothers are generally credited with developing the airplane, but helicopters have a much longer and troubled history. Engineers, inventors, and scientists around the world worked to turn the idea of the “gyroplane” into a working machine. But they lacked the necessary knowledge to control the aeronautical forces that lifted a helicopter off the Read More…
The mechanics that make helicopter flight possible have been around for centuries. In ancient China, children put slightly twisted feathers on sticks and rapidly spin them, so that they would lift into the air and gently fly back to the ground. In ancient Greece, the mathematician and inventor Archimedes created a rotating screw for a Read More…
At the beginning of 1923, Juan de la Cierva, a Spanish engineer, developed a rotor blade design and articulated rotor blades. Cierva used a flexible hinge to attach the blades to a shaft. Once the articulated rotor blades began moving, the hinge enabled Cierva to control the lift created by the blades. Once he figured Read More…
Special Note: If you’re a newly-graduated commercial pilot looking for a low-time job, consider checking out Airployment.com. They post over a dozen new pilot jobs everyday, many of them low-time. Right now, they’re offering a special limited-time offer of $1 for the first 2 weeks, and just $9/ month after that. You can learn more Read More…
World War 2 was fraught with 100’s, possibly even 1,000’s of aerial battles. From the skies over France, the UK, and Germany, to the air combat in the Pacific, a number of fighter pilots became legendary aces. These aces of Word War II were not limited to American fighter pilots, as you’ll find out shortly. Read More…