This is the story of one of the greatest men in aviation history and of the aircraft that have carried his name for ninety years. Igor Sikorsky designed, built and flew the first four-engined aeroplane in 1913 in Czarist Russia, but moved to the United States at the time of the Bolshevik Revolution. He arrived virtually penniless in America but became famous for the amphibians upon which Pan American built itself into the USA's flagship airline in the 1920s and 1930s. The First entirely practical helicopters, on which the modern worldwide helicopter industry was founded, owe their existence to his inspiration and determination dating back to his pioneering years in Russia.

Sikorsky aeroplanes and helicopters are illustrated in more than 200 photographs, many of them made available from Sikorsky family archives. The full range of Sikorsky aircraft is portrayed, from the earliest prototypes to modern military, commercial and rescue models. The images reflect the ambition of a remarkable man to produce equally remarkable vehicles that would carry passengers in comfort and safety, lift huge loads as flying cranes, and — above all else in Igor Sikorsky's outlook — save lives in every kind of emergency. His story is unique and inspiring.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

   Introduction
1. In the Czar's Russia
2. Wings for America
3. The Impossible Dream
4. A World Leader

 
OTHER TITLES IN THIS SERIES

Pan Am : Images of Aviation
Boeing : Images of America