The Age of Helcopters

One of the first pioneers in aviation was a young man by the name of Igor Sikorsky. He was born in the Kiev region of the Russian Empire on May 25, 1889. His mother was the graduate of a medical school, and his father, also a doctor, was a psychology professor. As Igor grew up he quicklly showed an interest in the science of aviation, and at an early age was fascinated by Leonardo da Vinci's theory of the flying screw.

 

Igor was 14 when Wilbur and Orville Wright made the first manned flight at Kill Devil Hills near Kittyhawk, NC, on December 17, 1903. The die was cast, and Igor was more determined than ever to build his career in aviation. Growing up Igor spent three years at the Naval College in St. Petersburg, and then on to the Mechanical Engineering College of the Polytechnic Institute in Kiev where he became determined to build the first helicopter.

 

Igor then travelled to Paris, the aeronautical center of aviation in Europe. There he met pioneers like Louis Bleriot, the first person to fly across the English Channel. He then built his first helicopter in 1909, a failure, and the second in 1910. This second helicopter could lift itself off the ground, but it was unable to sustain flight carrying the weight of a pilot.

 

Igor Sikorsky standing by his second helicopter, the H-2, in 1910.

 

Igor Sikorsky then turned to fixed-wing planes and, in 1910 made his first solo in an aircraft of his own design and construction, the S-1. Igor was a very practical man; he first  made-sketches of the plane he wanted to build, then built it, and then trained himself to fly it, correcting his errors as a pilot and correcting errors he discovered in his design.

 

Igor Sikorsky at the controls of his first aircraft, the Sikorsky S-1, May 1910.

 

Igor was a very determined young lad, and despite the opinions of experts, he built the first four-engine aircraft in 1913. It had an enclosed cabin, a washroom, upholstered seats, and a balcony for passengers to walk out on. The airplane was called "The Grand," and Igor followed up then with a military version which proved to be a very successful bomber in World War I.

 

Tsar Nicholas inspecting The Grand, with Igor Sikorsky on the left.

 

In 1917 the Russian Revolution occurred, and that ended Sikorsky's career in Russian aviation. America had attracted him with the rapid development of industry and new inventions, so he gave lectures to Russian immigrant groups to raise money for his immigration to the United States. In 1919 Igor Sikorsk found himself in New York City.

 

In 1923 Igor formed the Sikorsky Aero Engineering Corporation on a chicken farm near Roosevelt Field, out on Long Island. He assembled a group of Russian immigrants to work for him. They quickly built a number of different aircraft, including the S-38 amphibian which Pan American Airways used to expand throughout North and South America. This was followed by the 40-passenger Flying Clippers in 1931, and then the first transoceanic flying boat, the S-42.

 

 
Sikorsky S-38 in flight over the Sikorsky Manufacturing Corp. factory, College Point, Queens, New York.

 

But, Igor never gave up on his dream of creating the first practical helicopter. In 1938 Igor Sikorsky returned to his true love, the field of vertical lift. He had kept notes for helicopter designs over the years, and early in 1939 he began working on his first helicopter, the VS-300, at the Vought-Sikorsky plant in Stratford, Connecticut. 

 

VS-300 First Flight with Igor Sikorsky at the controls, on September 14, 1939 in Stratford, Connecticut.

 

Charles Lindbergh is introduced to the VS-300 by Mr. Sikorsky.

 

On May 6, 1941, after trying 19 different configurations, the VS-300 established a world endurance record of one hour and 32 minutes. Finally, the fundamentals of helicopters were established. Sikorsky imagined the helicopter as a way to free aviation from relying on airports with it's ability to take off and land vertically, a breakthrough long dreamed of by engineers.

 

While Sikorsky found great satisfaction that he had  solved the problem of vertical flight, his greatest satisfaction came from the knowledge that helicopters would go on to save tens of thousands of lives as a rescue vehicle. Sikorsky was a deeply religious man who wrote three books on religion and philosophy. His many contributions to aviation brought him many honors and rewards.

 

The Sikorsky H-5 Dragonfly

 

During World War II the U.S. Military was exploring the potential of vertical lift helicopters and their potential in a military aviation role. As a result the U.S. Army Air Corps staff sought out Igor Sikorsky and his team to develop a helicopter for the military. The first version was the Sikorsky R-4. This two-seat helicopter was the world's first mass produced helicopter, and the first helicopter used by the U.S. Army Air Forces.

 

A photograph of the Sikorsky R-4 helicopter developed for the U.S. Army Air Forces.

 

The U.S. Army Air Force needed a larger helicopter which would be a significant improvement over the R-4. It required a greater useful load, longer endurance capabilities, more speed and a higher service ceiling. On August 18, 1943, the XR-5 (later designated as the H-5 Dragonfly) took flight, opening a new chapter in rotary-wing aviation.

 

This new design featured an increased rotor diameter, a longer fuselage, two tandem crew members, and a more conventional landing configuration. It was powered by a new 450 hp Pratt & Whitney R-985-AN-5 Wasp Junior radial engine, which allowed the H-5 to achieve 106 mph and a service ceiling of 14,400 feet, impressive performance numbers for its time.

 

The history of the Sikorsky H-5 is diverse, and the impact it had during its service life proved invaluable in a number of important roles. Among those roles was performing the critical, and dangerous, Search and Rescue (SAR) operations. The H-5 gained is reputation during the Korean War (1950-1953), where it proved invaluable for its ability to perform life-saving SAR missions.

 

A photograph of a Sikorsky H-5 Dragonfly Korean War Rescue Helicopter taking off.

 

Sikorsky H-5 Dragonfly Specifications:

• Crew: 1;
• Passengers: 3;
• Length: 40 feet, 10 inches;
• Height: 12 feet, 10 inches;
• Rotor Span: 47 feet, 12 inches;
• Tail Rotor Span: 8 feet, 0 inches;
• Cruise speed: 123 mph;
• Range: 281 miles;
• Service Ceiling: 14,800 feet;
• Empty Weight: 4,050 pounds;
• Max Takeoff Weight: 5,500 pounds;
• Propulsion: Pratt & Whitney R-985-AN-5 Wasp Junior 450 hp.

 

During its service life the Sikorsky H-5 Dragonfly saw itself deployed in many different roles, including but limited to utility, rescue and mercy missions around the globe. While serving in the Korean War the H-5s were repeatedly called upon to extract pilots behind enemy lines and to evacuate wounded soldiers from the front lines. Many times these life-saving missions were under challenging conditions.

 

What Follows Is An Example Of It's Use

 

Paul W. van Boven was born on April 30, 1923, in San Francisco, CA. He grew up in San Mateo, CA, and graduated from San Mateo High School in 1941. Upon graduation he attended Pasadena College, and then joined the U.S. Army Air Corps. After flight training 2nd Lt Boven became a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bomber pilot. On his 21st birthday, in 1944, the aircraft he was flying was shot down over Berlin, Germany. He survived and was a Prisoner of War (POW) for a year until General Patton's troops liberated his camp.

 

Upon his return stateside he married Marjorie Borger in 1945, and then continued his military career in the newly formed U.S. Air Force. He was stationd at Muroc Air Force Base (later renamed Edwards Air Force Base) flying the first jet aircraft and helicopters. During the Korean War he made the first behind the enemy lines rescue of a downed airman using a helicopter. 

 

On September 4, 1950, a North American F-51 Mustang pilot, Captain Robert E. Wayne, an already highly experienced combat pilot, was on a low-level strafing mission. During this mission Capt. Wayne's aircraft was struck by ground fire. He pulled up to 1,100 feet and realized the aircraft was on fire and that he would not be able to save the airplane. Even though he was badly injured with burns to his leg and both arms, he parachuted out and landed in a rice paddy some five miles behind enemy lines. Soon after he landed enemy troops were closing in. But, there was still hope, as 13 other aircraft on his attack mission were orbiting overhead to offer cover.

 

Soon an urgent call to the 3rd Automated Response System (ARS) unit came in, asking the unit to perform a rescue mission behind enemy lines. Before this no one had attempted a behind enemy lines rescue. Could they do this? The JOC Rescue Coordinator called the commanding officer of the Rescue Service, Lt. Col. Richard K. Kight, for personal approval. Precious time ticked away as the commander declined to order the mission because there were no protocols in place for this. He then decided that he trusted his men, and told them a pilot could take the mission on under his own initiative.

 

!st Lt van Boven gathered up Cpl John Fuentez, his paramedic, and they were soon airborne out of Pusan on their way to pick up the downed pilot, Capt. Wayne. For 1st Lt Boven there was no question - he had been a POW during WW II, and he was not going to let Capt. Wayne down! Everyone understood how desperate the situation was, because they all knew the North Koreans would have no intention of taking Capt. Wayne alive.

 

The H-5 was unarmored and unarmed, but between van Boven and Fuentez they had a pistol and a rifle. They were told that the downed pilot's squadron were overhead strafing any enemy troops if they attempted to get to Capt. Wayne. To avoid enemy ground fire van Boven flew offshore before turning North to fly past the enemy lines. Monitoring the radio, van Boven heard the F-51s were leaving due to low fuel, leaving just four F-51s as two hours had already passed. It was now or never as nightfall was approaching.

 

As van Boven turned inland he saw the smoke from the still burining F-51. He searched the area but did not see the downed pilot, but then he saw the F-51s making strafing passes against the enemy positions over a rice paddy. 1st Lt van Boven flew around the paddy and then approached it from the North, hoping he would surpirse the enemy by arriving from an unexpected direction.

 

Seconds later, Capt. Wayne heard the rotors of the H-5 and looked south but didn't see anything. He quickly realized it was behind him, so he turned and saw the helicopter hovering a short distance away. He ripped open his flight suit, peeled off his white t-shirt, and waved it frantically to get the helicopters attention. From every direction the enemy opened fire, and van Boven knew it was now or never! 

 

Bullets were soon hitting the helicopter, but, ignoring the incoming small arms fire, van Boven set down on the edge of the rice paddy. Amidst all of this chaos, Capt. Stan White, flying an F-51, saw a North Korean soldier leap up and run towards the wounded pilot. When the North Korean soldier was 50 yards from Capt. Wayne he pulled out a pistol and took aim. When Capt. White saw this he pointed his F-51 directly at the North Korean, fired all eight of his .50 caliber machine guns, taking down the soldier in a hail of bullets.

 

At the same time, another F-51 pilot, Capt. Edwards, pulled out his personal camera, rolled to the left, and as he passed overhead took a photo of the helicopter as it was hovering over the pilot, thus capturing a unique moment in history. Just then, Cpl. Fuentez reached out, grabbed Capt. Wayne and pulled him into the helicopter, followed by 1st Lt van Boven heading towards the coastline. 

 

Cpl. Fuentez told 1st Lt van Boven about the damage to the helicopter. There were lots of holes, but nothing critical had been hit. The remaining F-51 Mustangs provided cover for the helicopter as it headed out to sea, and until it safely made it back to Pusan. 

 

The famous photograph by Capt. Edwards helicopter as 1st Lt van Boven hovers over the pilot below. Look in the area where the circle is to see the H-5 hovering.

 

The team that performed the rescue standing in front of the H-5 helicopter used in the rescue — from left, Captain Ray S. White (Capt. Wayne’s wing man), 1st Lt Paul van Boven, Cpl. John Fuentez. Photo Credit: Truman Library

 

1st Lt van Boven was awarded the Silver Star for his rescue of Capt. Wayne, and by the end of the war, 3rd ARS personnel pioneered the concept of Rescue Combat Air Patrol (ResCAP), in large part due to the rescue performed by van Boven and Fuentez that day. This was designed to include propeller fighter planes to orbit around the downed pilot, strafe enemy forces if they approached the downed airman, and a North American T-6 Texan that would orbit and direct the missions.

 

Lt. Col. Richard T. Kight would subsequently author the Code of the Air Rescueman, which is still used today:  “It is my duty as a Pararescueman to save lives and to aid the injured. I will be prepared at all times to perform my assigned duties quickly and efficiently, placing these duties before personal desires and comforts.  These things I do, that others may live.”

 

Paul W. van Boven flew air rescue in Panama after the Korean War, and then retired from the USAF in 1961, and returned to California. He had a career in real estate and aviation after that, then moved to the Bahamas in 1968. He had one son, James W. van Boven of Berkley, California, and one grandson, Leonard van Boven of Davis, CA.  On December 26, 2003, Paul W. van Boven passed away in Pompano Beach, Florida. He was interred in the Arlington National Cemetary, Washington, D.C.

 

I hope you enjoyed this trip through some of the history of aviation. If you enjoyed this trip, and if you are new to this blog, sign up to receive your own weekly blog post here: Subscribe here!

 

Until next time, keep your eyes safe and focused on what's ahead of you, Hersch!