igorsikorsky

The propeller says "Garuda," which was a manufacturer in Berlin: www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1913/1913%20-%200252... Outsourcing, I guess.

NYT of April 5, 1914 commented on the size of Sikorsky's plane query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9402E1DB163AE633A... "GIGANTIC AEROPLANE CARRIED 16 PERSONS SUCCESSFULLY; Sikorsky's Huge Machine, with Cabins, Observation Gallery, &c., Makes Record-Breaking Flights in St. Petersburg."

Igor Sikorsky (1889-1972) came to America in 1919, and became a U. S. citizen in 1928. Wikipedia on Igor Sikorsky: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Igor_Sikorsky

This HAS to be a joke! The photographer is playing with perspective. If the distance between each pair of men is about 6 feet, the propeller would be around 36 feet long. Sikorsky's giant Ilya Muromets bombers had large propellers, but they appear to be about 10 feet in diameter in most archival photos. There's definitely something funny going on here. Look closely at how the giant propeller is sitting on the sawhorses.

Agree with techno -- notice the four guys on the far end are standing on an inclined plane, which is monkeying with the perspective. Also the propeller itself has a weird outline, as if cut and pasted onto the photograph. On the other hand, the Germans built a plane with a 23-ft Garuda propeller ( www.markslists.net/history/germangiants/index.html ) . If the guy on the near end is about 6-ft tall, this propeller might go 23 ft.

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Sikorsky VS-300 of 1939

Igor himself spelled his name as Sikorsky lccn.loc.gov/mm82040014. I believe the Russian Knight is the first multi-engine, fixed wing aircraft, and a later version became the first 4 engine aircraft. Sikorsky immigrated to the U.S. in 1919, developed the first practical helicopter in 1939, and later designs of the Sikorsky Aircraft Company were chosen to serve the U.S. President. These include the VH-3D seen here with Rosalynn Carter

www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2005696417/
Several of these shiny, dark green and white VH-3Ds are still operated by the Marine Corps as official helicopters of the President, and can frequently be seen flying around Washington D.C.

Thank you for the information, very interesting.

Thanks, L, we'll touch up the record.

Sikorsky built this aircraft during the winter of 1912-13. He named it "Russkiy vityaz" (Russian Knight) but it soon became known as the "Grand" or "Le Grand." A giant machine at the time, it had a wingspan of 88 ft. 7 in. and a length of 65 ft. 7 in. The fuselage was covered with plywood for greater rigidity. Initially the airplane had two 100-horsepower Argus engines, but two more were added for the first historic flight near St. Petersburg on May 26, 1913. (Source: D. Cochrane et al. "The Aviation Careers of Igor Sikorsky." Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1989.) The image above shows a half-tone print of the original. It is usually dated February 1913.