helicopter history

ATIS Oct 31, 2026

The Hiller UH-12A, the Servorotor That Made Helicopters Learnable, and the Nineteen Forty-Nine Example That Just Came Up for Sale

A 1949 Hiller UH-12A is on the market - here's the full story of the servorotor system that made helicopters learnable and shaped rotary-wing aviation.

Tower

The Hangar Oct 30, 2026

The Sikorsky VS-300, the Homburg Hat Over Stratford, and the Machine That Fathered Every Helicopter Flying Today

The Sikorsky VS-300's first tethered flight on September 14, 1939 established the single-rotor design that still dominates helicopter aviation today.

Taildragger

The Hangar Sep 14, 2026

Igor Sikorsky, the Vought-Sikorsky Three Hundred, and the September Morning That Built the Helicopter

On September 14, 1939, Igor Sikorsky flew the VS-300 in Stratford, Connecticut, proving the single-main-rotor design that defines nearly every helicopter built since.

Taildragger