Igor Sikorsky

Just a few years after the Wright brothers successfully flew their first plane, Igor Sikorsky built the first four engine plane.  Then, in 1939, Sikorsky would fly the first helicopter prototype.  Although he was born in Kiev, Russia (now the Ukraine), Sikorsky had emigrated to the United States about twenty years before flying his helicopter.

According to the National Aviation Hall of Fame, Sikorsky was first inspired as a child by his mother telling him about Leonardo da Vinci's attempts to design a flying machine, and by age twelve he had already made a model helicopter powered by rubber bands.

In 1927, he built a series of twin engine amphibious airplanes, which are essentially small passenger planes that can land on water.  These proved to be extremely successful for him, as Pan American Airways needed them to create air routes to South and Central America.  These small amphibious planes led to his creation of the American Clipper plane; later planes in this series would travel across every ocean in the world.

Sikorsky's achievements in the advancement of aeronautics would lead to modern helicopters that are vital in emergency medical and rescue situations.  The military and emergency medical services would have lost countless lives if it weren't for helicopters.  His four engine plane and amphibious planes built for Pan American Airways laid the foundation for modern commercial flight.

American Clipper Plane

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/543984/Igor-Sikorsky
http://www.nationalaviation.org/sikorsky-igor/
http://www.biography.com/people/igor-sikorsky-9483585