Igor Sikorsky, born in 1889 in Kiev, Ukraine, was a pioneering aviation engineer and inventor. He is best known for designing and constructing the world’s first successful helicopter, the VS-300, in 1939, revolutionizing vertical flight. Prior to his helicopter innovations, Sikorsky achieved acclaim for designing large fixed-wing aircraft, including the “Russky Vityaz,” the world’s first four-engine airplane, in 1913. Throughout his career, he developed successful multi-engine bombers and passenger planes. Sikorsky’s contributions to aviation earned him numerous accolades, including the National Medal of Science in 1967. His legacy lives on through the Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation, a leading manufacturer of helicopters and rotorcraft. Sikorsky’s pioneering work continues to influence modern aviation, cementing his status as one of the most important figures in aerospace engineering. He passed away in 1972, leaving behind a profound impact on the field of aviation.

Igor Sikorsky Quotes

01. “If you are in trouble anywhere in the world, an airplane can fly over and drop flowers, but a helicopter can land and save your life.”
― Igor Sikorsky

02. “According to recognized aero technical tests, the bumblebee cannot fly because of the shape and weight of his body in relation to the total wing area. The bumblebee doesn’t know this, so he goes ahead and flies anyway.”
― Igor Sikorsky

03. “At that time [1909] the chief engineer was almost always the chief test pilot as well. That had the fortunate result of eliminating poor engineering early in aviation.”
― Igor Sikorsky

04. “The work of the individual still remains the spark that moves mankind forward.”
― Igor Sikorsky

05. “The helicopter is probably the most versatile instrument ever invented by man. It approaches closer than any other to fulfillment of mankind’s ancient dreams of the flying horse and the magic carpet.”
― Igor Sikorsky

06. “Aeronautics was neither an industry nor a science. It was a miracle.”
― Igor Sikorsky

07. “It would be right to say that the helicopter’s role in saving lives represents one of the most glorious pages in the history of human flight.”
― Igor Sikorsky

08. “Money lost-nothing lost, Health lost-little lost, Spirit lost-everything lost.”
― Igor Sikorsky

09. “It is like a dream to feel the machine lift you gently up in the air, float smoothly over one spot.”
― Igor Sikorsky

10. “If a man is in need of rescue, an 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

11. “Our concerns sink into insignificance when compared with the eternal value of human personality ―a potential child of God which is destined to triumph over lie, pain, and death. No one can take this sublime meaning of life away from us, and this is the one thing that matters.”
― Igor Sikorsky

12. “The helicopter appeared so reluctant to fly forward that we even considered turning the pilot’s seat around and letting it fly backward.”
― Igor Sikorsky

13. “This machine was a failure to the extent that it could not fly. In other respects it was a very important and necessary stepping stone.”
― Igor Sikorsky

14. “It would be right to state that, with the successful flight of the XR-4 in the summer of 1942, the helicopter became a reality in the United States.”
― Igor Sikorsky

15. “Supersonic airplanes have carried men at more than 2,000 miles per hour and there are reasons to believe that this speed will be doubled by 1960 or so.”
― Igor Sikorsky