Igor Sikorsky – A Kyiv Native with a Worldwide Name

On June 6, we celebrate the 135th anniversary of the birth of the prominent aircraft designer Igor Sikorsky. Born in 1889 in Kyiv, he was the youngest of five children in the family of the renowned psychiatrist Ivan Sikorsky, who headed the Department of Psychiatry at St. Vladimir's University in Kyiv. The family's wealth allowed the children to receive a good education. Igor studied at the best school in Kyiv, the 1st Gymnasium, and later attended the Naval Cadet Corps in Saint Petersburg.

However, the young man realized that a military career was not his calling. His true passion was aviation, so after completing his general course in 1906, he left the Cadet Corps. His desire to quickly gain professional knowledge led him to France, to the Duvinge de Lanno Aviation School. These were essentially quick courses for neophyte aviators, and after six months, Sikorsky returned to his hometown. In the fall of 1907, he became a student at the Kyiv Polytechnic Institute.

There, an Aeronautical Section and a group of aviation enthusiasts had already formed. Later, historians would introduce the concept of the Kyiv School of Aircraft Design. One of its brightest representatives was Igor Sikorsky, although his creative period in Kyiv lasted less than six years. Initially, he created two coaxial helicopters, which, however, could not take off. Then, switching to airplanes, he, together with Fedir Bylinkin and Vasyl Yordan, built the relatively simple biplanes BiS-1 and BiS-2. Sikorsky then independently created more advanced aircraft: the S-3, S-4, S-5, and S-6, which he piloted himself.

Igor was still very young, barely in his twenties. His passion for aviation overshadowed his studies at the Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, and he did not graduate. However, the knowledge he had was enough for rapid progress in aircraft construction (there were many aviation pioneers worldwide who did not even have a high school education). His successes became increasingly convincing. In December 1912, for instance, he set a world speed record, accelerating to 111 km/h in his S-6 aircraft.

The achievements of the young aviator caught the attention of Mikhail Shidlovsky, chairman of the board of the Russo-Baltic Wagon Factory (RBVZ), who invited the talented Kyiv native to the position of chief designer of the company's aviation department in Saint Petersburg. Under his leadership, the first multi-engine aircraft in the world, the "Grand" and "Ilya Muromets," were created there. Sikorsky's achievements proved that he had become a top-notch aviation engineer. This was formally confirmed by the awarding of an honorary diploma from the Saint Petersburg Polytechnic Institute.

The Bolshevik takeover upended Sikorsky's life. In March 1918, he was forced to emigrate. Despite being a globally renowned aircraft designer, finding suitable work in Europe proved impossible. The early years in the United States were also difficult, and he had to make ends meet by tutoring mathematics.

With sponsorship support, in 1923 Sikorsky founded the Sikorsky Aero Engineering Corporation near Roosevelt Field, New York. After several reorganizations, the company moved to a new base in Stratford, Connecticut, was renamed Sikorsky Aviation Corporation, and became part of the large United Technologies Corporation. For a time, the company specialized in seaplanes, which were in high demand. The pinnacle of this period was the creation of the four-engine flying boats S-40, S-42, and S-44 in the 1930s, designed for transoceanic flights.

However, the "golden age" of civil seaplanes was short-lived. More economical land planes progressed quickly, along with the development of the airport network. The demand for civil flying boats plummeted, and competing for military contracts with powerful rivals proved very challenging.

Sikorsky never forgot his first passion – helicopters. He intuitively understood that these machines had a great future. Moreover, their market was untapped. On September 14, 1939, Sikorsky himself piloted his first flying helicopter, the VS-300. By persistently improving this machine, he achieved the creation of a reliable single-rotor helicopter design. Sikorsky was not the inventor of this scheme, but it became "classic" worldwide thanks to him.

The unusual aircraft's potential caught the attention of the U.S. military. On their order, the light multi-purpose helicopter R-4 was created in 1942. It can be considered the first mass-produced helicopter in the world, as the German Focke-Achgelis Fa 223, although earlier, was built in very small numbers.

Since then, Sikorsky's company has maintained its position among the leaders in helicopter manufacturing. For example, the multi-purpose S-55/H-19 became a model for imitation. In particular, it inspired the Soviet Mil Design Bureau when creating their landmark Mi-4 helicopter.

In 1957, Igor Sikorsky retired but continued to work for the company as a consultant. He passed away on October 26, 1972.

Modern scientific literature still debates Sikorsky's attitude toward Ukraine. The author had the opportunity to participate in meetings with his sons, Mykola and Serhiy, when they visited Kyiv. Questions related to Ukraine inevitably arose, and the response was that their father was apolitical, increasingly religious with age, and deeply nostalgic for his native Kyiv.

While his native city has yet to properly restore the Sikorsky family home on Yaroslaviv Val Street, it pays great respect to its illustrious native son. A street, the National Technical University of Ukraine "Kyiv Polytechnic Institute," and Kyiv International Airport (Zhuliany) are named after him. Wonderful monuments have been erected on the grounds of the Kyiv Polytechnic Institute and near the airport. 

Rostyslav Maraiev

Photos:

1 – Igor Sikorsky, circa 1911

2 – Igor Sikorsky, 1972

3 – Igor Sikorsky by his second helicopter in the yard of his house

4 – Igor Sikorsky at the pilot's seat of the experimental VS-300 helicopter

5 – Igor Sikorsky in the rescue seat of his first mass-produced R-4 helicopter