The Story of Flight: Helicopter

Man had however not left his dreams. He observed the insects and wanted to hover like them. As early as 400 AD there is a reference to a Chinese toy, which had rotary wing. Leonardo da Vinci made drawings of a helicopter that used a spiral "airscrew". Helicopters were designed and developed throughout the WWII. In 1936 the Focke Achgelis Fa61 which had two 3 bladed rotors set numerous records. Igor Sikorsky developed the VS-300 in 1939-1941. This machine had all the characteristics of the present day helicopter. The French SNCA-SE 3130 Alouette II made its first flight on March 12, 1955. This was powered by turbine engines and set the trend towards jet-powered helicopters everywhere. The Indian Chetak (Alouette III) is a multirole helicopter with a maximum speed of 210 km/h and a range of 540 km. It has been used by the Navy and supports commando forces. Chetak can be seen on the stamp issued on October 15, 1979.