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- INTRODUCTION
In 400 BCE China, no one could have guessed that the design for a simple children’s toy would be developed into a form of aerial transportation. From the reference of those toys in 400 BCE China to the gyroplanes built by the French in 1907, humans have dreamt of vertical flight for thousands of years. Through history, this dream was pursued by countless innovators such a Leonardo da Vinci and Thomas Edison. But, it was early in the twentieth century that the technology of rotary wing transportation accelerated to the point of practical use. From that point on, rotary wing aircraft, known as helicopters have impacted society by providing a convenient method of rapid transportation that has uses ranging from civilian medical transportation to carrying troops into combat.
- EARLY ROTARY WING DESIGNS AND IMPACTS
2.1 Pre-manned flight
The early history of rotor wing transportation was marked by significant innovations followed by hundreds of years of stagnation. For example, the first vertical flight design came from China around 400 BCE [1]. It involved rolling a stick attached to a bamboo rotor, which would then fly. The next recorded vertical flight design did not come until the 1480s, when Leonardo da Vinci documented in detail his idea for vertical flight, known as the vertical screw. However, da Vinci’s design never made it past a written stage [1]. Although there were no major innovations in vertical flight from the 1480s to the late nineteenth century, man’s general interest in being able to fly directly impacted the development of helicopters. It did this because between the fifteenth and nineteenth century countless inventors attempted to construct vertical flying contraptions. Although none of them worked, it impacted society by providing the research necessary for coming up with a final, working design. It was in 1878 that Italian Enrico Fornalli demonstrated that his helicopter design worked, with an unmanned steam powered model which rose to 40 feet and hovered for 20 seconds (see Figure 1) [1]. That design created by Fornalli proved to be crucial, because it led to the next step in helicopter development, manned flight. 
Figure 1: A depiction of Enrico Fornalli’s steamed powered, unmanned helicopter
2.2 Manned Helicopter Flight
Following the innovative breakthroughs of the early unmanned helicopter prototypes, inventors began to refine their designs and take more risks including actually piloting the helicopters. The first manned helicopter flights were conducted in 1907 by two French brothers; Jacques and Louis Breguet. They flew their helicopter, named Gyroplane No. 1 a few feet off the ground for only less than a minute [1]. Their design was extremely unsteady and impractical, but its invention represented the impact of years of testing and research done by multiple inventors. For example, using previous inventor’s technology, Jacques and Louis Breguet were able to refine the autogiro system in helicopters [4]. Their developments in the autogiro inspired the first practical manned helicopter. Also, the desire of inventors to have an increased level of safety and lift capacity impacted the development of further generations of helicopters. Using the early autogiro designs, a German engineer named Heinrich Focke designed the FW-62 in 1936, which proved to be the world’s first practical helicopter [5]. Not only was it maneuverable, simple, and easy to manufacture, but it could even travel in the air for over an hour [5]. It was originally adopted for use by the German military in 1940. For military reasons, it was designated Fa 223 (see Figure 2). Although it was first employed as a military tool, its major use and impact came from non-military missions. The Fa 223 was used on several occasions for civilian rescue operations [6]. Through its ability to land and take off in otherwise unreachable areas, the Fa 223’s impact was that it proved to society that it filled a gap that airplanes could not fill. The potential of its design was even recognized by Lufthansa, a German airline [6]. But, the Fa 223 was not used on a wide enough military scale during World War II to have a major impact on the outcome of the war.
Figure 2: The first practical helicopter design; the Fa 223
2.3 From the First Manned to First Mass Use of Helicopters
While the Germans constructed and used the first practical helicopter during World War II, they were not able to mass produce them. The desire for an easily mass producible helicopter impacted the industry and Igor Sikorsky created the first helicopter to be mass produced [7]. Known as the S-300, it was adopted for use by the U.S. military in 1942 [1]. The reason this had a major impact was that the S-300 represented the first helicopter to be produced on a mass scale while being adopted for use by a military. Although the S-300 was not used on a wide scale during World War II, the fact that the U.S. military adopted it on a mass scale proved invaluable for future wars. From the practicality demonstrated by the S-300, the U.S. military recognized that it needed to continue to develop and incorporate helicopters into operations for future wars. Therefore, the U.S. military had a major impact on the continuing development of the helicopter. Also, the desire for increased speed and lift capacity in helicopters impacted companies to build more and more helicopter designs. By investing the time and effort into its development, the U.S. military was able to demonstrate the absolute need for helicopters in conflicts like the Korean and Vietnam War. Helicopters impacted the battlefield by being able to rapidly transport and deploy troops to destroy the enemy [8]. Known as Air Assault, the U.S. military perfected methods of using helicopters to transport troops and destroy enemies during the Korean War and Vietnam War. Not only that, but helicopters could land troops in remote areas that even airplanes could not access. Using that advantage, helicopters could pick up and transport casualties more rapidly than in any previous war [8]. Therefore one of the clear impacts of the helicopter was in the thousands of lives it saved during both the Korean War and the Vietnam War [8]. Also, following those wars, society had a major impact on the development of wider uses for helicopters. This is because after those wars, hundreds of helicopter pilots trained by the military entered the civilian sector and sought employment using their flying skills [7]. While the military uses for the helicopter proved plentiful in the mid to late 20th century, they also found their way into a several different uses by civilian organizations. While the military use is still important, in modern day many of the impacts of the helicopter are seen as coming from the civilian sector.
- MODERN DAY USE AND IMPACTS
Not only are modern day helicopters used as a major asset in the military sector, they are also used by civilian agencies for reasons such as medical transport, news broadcasting, and police work. The heavy lifting capabilities of certain modern day helicopters makes them ideal for use in construction work. They can carry heavy supplies and equipment to inaccessible areas. Helicopters in this configuration have impact society by being able to place things like radio antennas in remote areas [7]. In addition to this, because helicopters can hover in place at low altitudes, they are highly sought after by news agencies. Helicopters in the news role are equipped with cameras and have been able to give real time traffic conditions and give aerial views of news events [7]. One of the helicopter’s most impactful roles comes from its ability to fight fires in remote areas. Helicopters can be rigged with a water tank and deliver it to areas where firefighters on the ground cannot reach (see Figure 3) [7]. This has impact society by helping to stop the rapid spread of remote wildfires. Finally, aside from its military role, the helicopter’s most notorious role is as an air ambulance. In this capacity, helicopters can quickly reach and transport patients to hospitals for treatment. This can be done when a regular ambulance either cannot access the patient or cannot access them quickly enough [7]. This has impacted society by saving thousands of human lives.
Figure 3: A helicopter dumps water on a forest fire
- CONCLUSION
Given the fact that the first practical helicopter was built in 1936, it is hard to image that designs for rotary wing machines have been made for thousands of years. Through the collective trial and error of early attempts to make helicopters, inventors like Heinrich Focke were able to make a workable design. Using the principles of that design, companies have continued to make helicopters that have increased in speed, safety, and lift capacity. Through its modern day uses, it has dominated the battlefield and saved lives in the civilian sector.
References
[1] “When Was the First Helicopter Invented?” Upper Limit Aviation. N.p., 08 June 2016. Web. 01 Mar. 2017.
[2] “History of Helicopters.” History of Helicopters. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Mar. 2017.
[3] “Helicopter.” Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., n.d. Web. 01 Mar. 2017.
[4] “History of Helicopters.” History of Helicopters | American Helicopter Museum and Education Center. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2017.
[5] “Focke-Wulf Fw 61 Helicopter – Development History, Photos, Technical Data.” Focke-Wulf Fw 61 Helicopter – Development History, Photos, Technical Data. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2017.
[6] “Focke-Achgelis Fa 223 “Drache” Helicopter – Development History, Photos, Technical Data.” Focke-Achgelis Fa 223 “Drache” Helicopter – Development History, Photos, Technical Data. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2017.
[7] “Helicopter.” Helicopter – New World Encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2017.
[8] “The Rise of the Helicopter During the Korean War.” HistoryNet. N.p., 13 Apr. 2016. Web. 21 Mar. 2017.
Photographs:
http://www.warbirdsresourcegroup.org/LRG/images/lrg0058.jpg
https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/photos/MISNR/2012-05-30-14:16-pine-creek/picts/pict-20120531-130829-0.jpeg
