# " HISTORY OF THE HELICOPTER " 1950s SHELL OIL COMPANY FILM 32122

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…

- Kind: Newsreel
- Genres: History, News, Industrial and advertising
- Archive: [Internet Archive](https://archive.org/details/32122TheHistoryOfTheHelicopter)
- Licence or status: none stated by the archive
- Who can watch: Tweens profiles and older (the archive gives no rating; placed by Invisible Network from its collection and subjects)

[Watch now](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/watch/archive/ia/32122TheHistoryOfTheHelicopter?play=1)