Igor Sikorsky

Igor Sikorsky did not invent the first helicopter, but his VS-300, first flown in 1939, established the practical single-main-rotor and tail-rotor configuration that became the industry standard. Earlier inventors like Paul Cornu and Heinrich Focke had achieved limited helicopter flights, but Sikorsky's design proved to be the most practical and manufacturable. The Sikorsky R-4, developed from the VS-300, became the first mass-produced helicopter in 1942.

Igor Sikorsky founded Sikorsky Aero Engineering Corporation in 1923 after emigrating from Russia to the United States. The company, now known as Sikorsky Aircraft, became a subsidiary of United Technologies Corporation and is currently owned by Lockheed Martin following its 2015 acquisition. Sikorsky Aircraft remains one of the world's leading helicopter manufacturers, producing the Black Hawk family of military helicopters.

Yes, before pioneering helicopters, Igor Sikorsky designed and built large fixed-wing aircraft in Russia. His most famous pre-helicopter achievement was the Ilya Muromets, a four-engine bomber and passenger plane first flown in 1913, which was one of the largest aircraft of its era. He also developed flying boats for Pan American Airways in the 1930s before returning to his lifelong helicopter ambitions.

The VS-300 made its first tethered flight on September 14, 1939, with Igor Sikorsky himself at the controls. The initial version used a single main rotor and three auxiliary tail rotors for anti-torque and control. By 1940, Sikorsky refined the design to the now-standard single tail rotor configuration, and the VS-300 set an endurance record of over an hour of continuous flight.