The correct answer is 1939.
While the concept of vertical flight has existed for centuries (dating back to Leonardo da Vinci’s sketches), the year 1939 marks the development of the first truly "practical" helicopter: the VS-300.
Igor Sikorsky and the VS-300:
The VS-300 was designed by Igor Sikorsky, a Russian-American aviation pioneer. It performed its first tethered flight on September 14, 1939, in Stratford, Connecticut.
- The Configuration: This was the first helicopter to use a single main rotor for lift and a single small vertical tail rotor to counteract torque. This "Sikorsky configuration" proved so effective that it remains the standard for most helicopters built today.
- Free Flight: Following successful tethered tests, the VS-300 made its first untethered (free) flight on May 13, 1940.
Evolution of Vertical Flight:
- Early Experiments (1907–1920s): Inventors like Paul Cornu and Étienne Oehmichen created machines that lifted off the ground, but they were unstable and lacked control.
- The Autogyro (1923): Juan de la Cierva invented the autogyro, which used a rotor for lift but a standard propeller for forward thrust. It wasn't a true helicopter because it couldn't hover.
- The Focke-Wulf Fw 61 (1936): This German aircraft is often cited as the first functional helicopter, but it used two rotors on outriggers. Sikorsky's 1939 design is considered the "practical" breakthrough because of its simpler, more scalable single-rotor design.
Comparison of the Options:
- 1852: Far too early for powered flight; this era saw early experiments with steam-powered dirigibles and gliders.
- 1923: The year the first successful Autogyro was flown, which was a precursor to the helicopter but lacked hovering capability.
- 1935: Around the time of the Gyroplane Laboratoire's record-breaking flights, but it was still considered experimental rather than practical.
- 1939: The correct answer; the year the VS-300 changed aviation by proving helicopters could be stable and useful.
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