Who Invented the Helicopter?
Before the invention and following improvement of both rotor-winged and fixed-winged aircraft, there was a belief that the rotor-winged version would take precedence. This was not to be the case as the true helicopter did not fly until the 1930’s, long after the fixed-winged aircraft had taken to the air. The idea behind a helicopter was initiated by a toy that featured a blade on a stick that could be spun by the hands and so ascend into the air. This was called a ‘Chinese top’. Leonardo da Vinci later drew some improved versions of the Chinese top but never came close to building anything more than a model. So who really invented the helicopter? In 1784, centuries after the da Vinci illustrations, Launoy and Bienvenu improved on the Chinese top by introducing a shaft to the model with rotors at both ends. They then added a string and when the tension was released, the toy would take to the skies.
But who actually invented the helicopter? George Cayley came up with improved toy designs that would use locally available materials but he never came close to actually building a machine as there were no practical materials that would allow him to. In the 1860’s, Viscount Gustave experimented with coaxial models of rotors that were greatly improved on anything existing in the past. He was able to use springs for power. He was also able to design a model that would be powered by steam but this one failed to get off the ground. This is where we got the name helicopter for the first time as he named his machines “Helicopteres”. These machine models were later improved by Penaud, who used rubber bands as a source of power. These toys were able to fly quite well but he never came around to making a real machine.
These were the pioneers of the helicopter. They can be seen as the ones who invented the helicopter, or at least the idea. It was not until the invention of the combustion engine that it was possible for an engine to lift itself off the ground.