Mathematical Contributions

Though the first actual helicopter wasn’t built until the 1940s, it is believed that Leonardo da Vinci’s sketches from the late fifteenth century were the predecessor to the modern day flying machine. As with many of da Vinci’s ideas, he never actually built and tested it – but his notes and drawings mapped out exactly how the device would operate. Da Vinci scrawled next to his sketches of the screw-like machine the following description: "If this instrument made with a screw be well made – that is to say, made of linen of which the pores are stopped up with starch and be turned swiftly, the said screw will make its spiral in the air and it will rise high." Also known as the "Helical Air Screw" or simply the "airscrew", the device was designed to compress air to obtain flight – similar to today’s helicopters. Da Vinci was a big proponent of the many possibilities offered by the screw shape, and he used the shape for other inventions and designs as well. Da Vinci’s helicopter measured more than 15 feet in diameter and was made from reed, linen and wire. It was to be powered by four men standing on a central platform turning cranks to rotate the shaft. With enough rotation, da Vinci believed the invention would lift off the ground. Unfortunately, due to weight constrictions, modern scientists do not believe da Vinci’s invention would have been able to take flight.

Why Are Helicopters Important?

Mankind's Desire to Fly "If a man is in need of rescue, the airplane can come in and throw flowers on him, and that's just about all. But a direct lift aircraft could come in and save his life." - Igor Sikorsky. For as long as mankind has looked skyward, humans have pondered the mysteries of flight. The first successful ascent, in a hot air balloon, occurred a little more than two centuries ago. And a little over 100 years ago the Wright brothers inaugurated the age of modern aviation. Initially the thrill of flying was enough, but soon inquiring minds began to consider the more pragmatic possibilities of flight. Five hundred years ago Leonardo da Vinci considered possible designs for flying machine, including a crude helicopter. In 1928, barely two decades after the Wright Brothers made history, Harold Pitcairn of Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania, realized Leonardo da Vinci's dream of taking off and landing in a small space when he piloted the first American rotary wing aircraft to fly in this country, the Cierva C-8 autogiro. Just ten years later in 1938, Philadelphia hosted the first international Rotary Wing Conference at the Franklin Institute. By the 1950s, and due in part to its role in the Korean War, the helicopter has become an integral part of American aviation. Today they are such a prolific part of everyday life that their importance goes almost unnoticed. No other mode of transportation can rival the versatility and ease-of-access offered by the helicopter especially in its use by the military and in its life-saving rescue and medical evaluation applications.

Helicopters are everywhere!

Law enforcement. Fire-fighting. Medivac. Traffic reporting. Sightseeing. National security. Wilderness observation. Movie making. Construction. High power line inspections. Transporting VIPs, including U.S. Presidents. If only Da Vinci could see us now!
The dream of rotary flight has been realized, but the accelerating pace of technology already is focusing on a near boundless future for creative new applications of the helicopter.

Helicopter (Aerial Screw)