Made in 1952 by the Shell Oil Co. and directed by Sarah Erulkar, this film “History of the Helicopter” features a look at the revolutionary machine that had only recently come into wide use. The film features a brief look at the history of flight such as (01:30) Leonardo DaVinci’s whirling wings and aerial screw, (01:58) ancient Chinese bamboo flying toys, (02:09) Sir George Cayley’s 19th Century aerial carriage, (02:20) Launoy and Bienvenu’s 1783 model of counter-rotating rotors and attempts to build a helicopter, (03:13) the steam engine attempts of Ponton d’Amecourt and Forlanini and, at (03:24), the Wright Brothers fixed wing and gas engine accomplishments. (03:56) A brief history of early 20th Century vertical lift attempts including Breguet’s successful 1907 experiment. (07:06) Helicopter model demonstrating the stability of the vertical winged aircraft and the importance of a tail rotor to counteract the rotation of the top blade which, without the tail rotor, would make the craft rotate in the opposite direction. (07:50) the model demonstrates how, when craft is moving forward, one blade moves with the air flow and the other against it producing unequal lift and instability. (08:15) Helicopter blades hinged so they flap to counter act the instability, a solution credited to Juan de la Cierva. (08:44) A Cierva C-19, an autogiro, takes off. (08:57) Series of autogiros taking off and flying. (09:40) Nicholas Florine’s flapping blade helicopter takes off at the 1930 Brussels Exposition and Corradino D’Ascanio sets a record with a flight of over 8 minutes, 1000 yards at 59 feet. (10:08) 1936 flight of Breguet’s improved cyclic pitch control design allows him to fly 63-minutes at 515 feet. (10:48) A modern helicopter in slow motion shows its rotors rise and fall with the airflow. (12:07) Germany’s 1937 Focke-Achgelis flies a demonstration inside the Berlin Sports Stadium (12:22) Igor Sikorsky’s Vought-Sikorsky VS-300 achieving parallel success in the United States. (12:37) A contemporary Sikorsky H-5S flies a demonstration (13:07) A British Bristol 171 takes off and flies. (13:24) The 3-rotor giant Cierva W.11 Air Horse rises and flies, complemented by Cierva’s 2-seat personal helicopter, the Skeeter. (14:05) The Fairey company’s Gyrodyne speeds past at 124 mph. (14:28) A Breguet G.111 is displayed showing its contra-rotating blades. (14:42) A Sud Aviatino helicopter designed to carry 6 passenger is displayed while a Sud West experimental jet-driven helicopter, flies clean without need for a tail rotor. (15:21) A McDonnell Douglas jet-driven helicopter, Little Henry, experiments in flight. (15:36) Demonstration of a no-hands flying Hiller Hornet. (15:52) The Sikorsky S-51 displays its distinct silhouette as it lands. It takes off in an uncommon night flight experiment. (16:27) A Sikorsky S-55 lifts off as a Bell HH-12 receives payload. (16:47) A small Bell helicopter in use on farms, spraying crops and cattle. (17:14) Helicopters arrive at hard-to-reach locations in the wild serving various industry. (17:42) A Piasecki flying banana, in military use, delivers troops and supplies in the field during military campaigns while The Command, a small trainer craft, flies on a mission. (18:03) Various military helicopters in action transporting war wounded and rescuing those in dire straits at sea. (18:34) Admiral Richard Byrd on his 1946 Antarctic expedition making use of helicopters. (18:46) Hiller 360s travel in formation. (19:02) Various shots of the Grand Canyon, elk in the wild, the Welsh mountains from helicopter perspective. (19:54) A man retrieves a Hiller Hornet personal helicopter from his home garage. (20:18) Chemists and engineers in labs search for better fuels and lubricants, more efficient jet engines, and improved airframe designs.(20:35) A helicopter at night, rotors rotating, the tips intentionally on fire for illumination. (20:50) Tribute title card to the unknown early cinematographers whose work appears in this film. End.

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