Igor Ivanovich Sikorsky was a Russian-American pioneer in aviation known for his development of the helicopter and fixed-winged aircraft. For his aircraft, the S-6-A, he won the highest award in the 1912 Moscow Aviation Exhibition. Later the same year, the aircraft also won the first prize in the military competition held at Saint Petersburg. After he immigrated to US, he founded the Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation in the year 1923, and later also developed the ocean-conquering flying boats of the Pan American Airways. In addition, he is known for designing and flying the Vought-Sikorsky VS-300, the first known successfully working American helicopter. It became popular for pioneering the rotor configuration which can be found in most helicopters today. He also modified the design for the Sikorsky R-4 that went on to become the world’s first helicopter to be produced on a mass scale.
