EXPLORATIONS - Igor Sikorsky: Aircraft and Helicopter Design

EXPLORATIONS - Igor Sikorsky: Aircraft and Helicopter Designer
By Marilyn Christiano

Broadcast: Wednesday, July 06, 2005

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ANNOUNCER¹:

 
Igor Sikorsky on the cover of Time magazine.
Now, the VOA Special English program, EXPLORATIONS. Today Shirley Griffith and Steve Ember tell about Igor Sikorsky. He was a leader in designing and building new kinds of aircraft.

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VOICE ONE:

Igor Sikorsky was born in the city of Kiev, Russia, on May twenty-fifth, eighteen eighty-nine. His mother was a doctor. His father was a professor of psychology².

Igor became interested in science when he was very young. He was especially interested in the possibilities of human flight. As a ten-year-old boy, he started building toy flying machines out of paper and bamboo.

One was a helicopter. Igor turned the blades³ and held them in place with a thin piece of rubber. When he let go of the rubber, the blades turned in the opposite direction. And the little helicopter flew around the room.

VOICE TWO:

Igor dreamed of building a real helicopter. But he had little hope. Later he said: "I had read with great interest the stories of French writer Jules Verne. In some of the stories, Verne described a helicopter. Many intelligent people, however, said such a machine would never fly. So I decided⁴ my dream would remain just that."

Sikorsky entered the naval⁵ college in St. Petersburg. Then he studied engineering⁶ at the Polytechnic⁷ Institute in Kiev. He did not know that,a few years earlier, Americans Orville and Wilbur Wright had succeeded in flying.

VOICE ONE:

In nineteen-oh-eight, Sikorsky traveled to Germany with his father. He saw a picture in a newspaper of Orville Wright and his airplane. "Within twenty-four hours," he said, "I decided to change my life's work. I would study aviation⁸."

The next year, Sikorsky went to Paris. At that time, Paris was the center of aviation in Europe. Sikorsky met several French pilots, including Louis Bleriot, the first person to fly across the English Channel. The pilots gave him advice about building successful airplanes.

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VOICE TWO:

Sikorsky returned home to Kiev after learning⁹ all he could in Paris. He decided to build a helicopter, even though many experts said it was not possible.

He tested his first helicopter in nineteen-oh-nine. It weighed too much and had too little power. It could not get off the ground. He tested his second helicopter a year later. That one could lift itself off the ground. But it was not powerful enough to lift a pilot, too. After these failures, Sikorsky decided to work on airplanes, instead.

VOICE ONE:

His technique was unusual. First, he drew pictures of a plane. Then he built it. Finally, he trained himself to fly it. In this way, he quickly discovered any problems in the design and was able to correct them.

The first plane Sikorsky designed and built was called the S-Two. He tested it in the summer of Nineteen-Ten. Just two years later, another Sikorsky plane -- the S-Six -- won the highest prize at an aviation show in Moscow.

VOICE TWO:

Sikorsky's success helped win him a job as head of the airplane division¹⁰ of the Russian Baltic Railroad¹¹ Car Works¹². That is where he developed his first major new airplane design.

Planes at that time had only one engine. Sometimes, a plane's propeller¹³ pulled masses of flying insects into the engine. The engine stopped, and the plane crashed. Sikorsky thought planes would be safer if they had more than one engine. So he designed a plane with four engines. He called it "The Grand."

VOICE ONE:

Sikorsky's plane was revolutionary. It was the first to have more than one engine. It was the first to have a closed area for the pilot and passengers. And it was the first to have a toilet.

After designing "The Grand," Sikorsky designed an even bigger airplane. He called it the "Ilia Mourometz," the name of a famous Russian who lived in the tenth century. He made a military version¹⁴ of this plane. It became the most successful bomber¹⁵ used in World War One.

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VOICE TWO:

Igor Sikorsky left Russia at the start of the revolution in nineteen seventeen. He stayed for a while in Britain and France.

Then he went to the United States.

He arrived with little money and no real chances for work. America's aviation industry was new and very small. There were no jobs.

In nineteen twenty-three, however, he got help from a group of Russian exiles¹⁶ in the United States. They gave him enough money to start his own aviation company, Sikorsky Aero Engineering. It was on Long Island, east of New York City.

VOICE ONE:

Sikorsky's greatest success during this period was designing seaplanes. These planes could land on ground or on water. They could fly long distances. The Pan¹⁷ American airline company used them to fly from North America to Central and South America.

In nineteen twenty-nine, the Sikorsky company became part of the United Aircraft Corporation¹⁸. The re-organized company produced a series of large planes known as flying boats.

These planes were big enough and powerful enough to fly across oceans. They made it possible to move people and goods quickly from the United States to Europe and Asia. Passengers on flying boats rested in soft seats. They ate hot meals. Air travel had become fun, as well as safe.

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VOICE TWO:

By nineteen thirty-eight, Igor Sikorsky decided to experiment with helicopters again. It had been thirty years since his first unsuccessful attempts. Through those years, he had written down ideas for possible new designs.

The first helicopter Sikorsky built in America was the V-S-Three-Hundred. It was a

 
Igor Sikorsky's first successful helicopter, the VS-300.
skeleton¹⁹ of steel tubes. In its first test flight, it rose about a meter off the ground.

Sikorsky then tested nineteen more designs.

VOICE ONE:

The final design had one main rotator, or rotor. The rotor was connected to three long blades on top. These blades turned around like an album on a record player. They lifted the helicopter into the air. A smaller rotor, with shorter blades, was at the back end. Those blades turned around like the wheel of a car. They kept the body of the helicopter pointed²⁰ forward.

This remained the basic design of all Sikorsky helicopters.

VOICE TWO:

By nineteen forty-one, the V-S-Three-Hundred had set all world records for helicopter flight. Military versions²¹ were made and some were used in the last years of World War Two. Most people, however, still did not accept the new flying machine. They said the helicopter had to prove its worth.

It did that during the war in Korea in the early nineteen fifties.

Helicopters take off straight into the air. They can land just about anywhere. They do not need long airport runways like planes. During the Korean War, helicopters flew into battle areas to rescue wounded soldiers. They flew the men quickly to medical centers set up away from the fighting. This greatly improved the men's chances of survival²².

VOICE ONE:

Igor Sikorsky, the man most responsible for successfully designing and building helicopters, thought helicopters would be a common form of transportation. People, he said, would use them instead of automobiles²³. They would fly into a city, land on top of a building, go to work, then fly home again.

This has not happened. Privately-owned helicopters are not common. Yet helicopters have proved their value in other ways.

Companies use them to transport heavy equipment to hard-to-reach places. Farmers use them to put insect poisons on their crops. And emergency teams use them to rescue people from fires and floods.

VOICE TWO:

Igor Sikorsky continued as an engineering adviser²⁴ to his aircraft company until he died in Nineteen-Seventy-Two. He was one of the best-known and most respected leaders in international aviation.

He received more than ninety major awards and honors²⁵ from many countries and organizations.

He always said, however, that his greatest satisfaction did not come from receiving honors. It did not come from being the first person to design new kinds of aircraft. Igor Sikorsky said his greatest satisfaction came from knowing that his helicopters were responsible for saving²⁶ lives.

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ANNOUNCER:

This Special English program was written by Marilyn Rice Christiano. Your narrators were Shirley Griffith and Steve Ember. I'm Ray Freeman. Join us again next week for another EXPLORATIONS program on the VOICE OF AMERICA.

1 announcer   

n.宣布者；电(视)台播音员，报幕员

参考例句：

• The radio announcer said it was nine o'clock.电台播音员报时9点整。
• The announcer tells the listeners what programme comes next.广播员告诉听众下一个是什么节目。

2 psychology   

n.心理，心理学，心理状态

参考例句：

• She has a background in child psychology.她受过儿童心理学的教育。
• He studied philosophy and psychology at Cambridge.他在剑桥大学学习哲学和心理学。

3 blades   

n.刀口( blade的名词复数 )；（机器上旋转的）叶片；桨叶；（船桨的）桨叶

参考例句：

• the blades of a propeller 螺旋桨叶
• Stay well away from the helicopter when its blades start to rotate. 直升机的螺旋桨开始转动时，尽量离远点儿。

4 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

5 naval   

adj.海军的，军舰的，船的

参考例句：

• He took part in a great naval battle.他参加了一次大海战。
• The harbour is an important naval base.该港是一个重要的海军基地。

6 engineering   

n.工程，工程学，管理，操纵

参考例句：

• The science of engineering began as soon as man learned to use tools. 人类一学会使用工具,工程科学就开始了。
• It was the first great engineering works in the world. 这是世界上第一家大型的工程工厂。

7 polytechnic   

adj.各种工艺的，综合技术的；n.工艺(专科)学校；理工(专科)学校

参考例句：

• She was trained as a teacher at Manchester Polytechnic.她在曼彻斯特工艺专科学校就读，准备毕业后做老师。
• When he was 17,Einstein entered the Polytechnic Zurich,Switzerland,where he studied mathematics and physics.17岁时，爱因斯坦进入了瑞士苏黎士的专科学院，学习数学和物理学。

8 aviation   

n.航空，航空学，飞机制造业

参考例句：

• Ten years ago,they began to develop the aviation. 十年前，他们开始发展航空工业。
• Pilots of large aircraft are masters of aviation.大型飞行器的驾驶员是航空学方面的专家。

9 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。

10 division   

n.区分，分开，除法，公司，部门，师(军队里)

参考例句：

• Have you learnt division?你学会除法了吗？
• The division commander ordered that we start the attack before dawn.师长令我们在拂晓前发起攻击。

11 railroad   

n.铁路；vi.由铁路运输

参考例句：

• The railroad connects two cities,namely,New York and Chicago.这条铁路连接两个城市，即纽约与芝加哥。
• My brother is working on the railroad.我兄弟在铁路系统工作。

12 works   

n.作品，著作；工厂，活动部件，机件

参考例句：

• We expect writers to produce more and better works.我们期望作家们写出更多更好的作品。
• The novel is regarded as one of the classic works.这篇小说被公认为是最优秀的作品之一。

13 propeller   

n.螺旋桨，推进器

参考例句：

• The propeller started to spin around.螺旋桨开始飞快地旋转起来。
• A rope jammed the boat's propeller.一根绳子卡住了船的螺旋桨。

14 version   

n.版本；型号；叙述，说法

参考例句：

• His version of the events is pure supposition.他对这件事的说法纯属猜测。
• What is your version of this matter?你对这件事情的看法 怎么样？

15 bomber   

n.轰炸机，投弹手，投掷炸弹者

参考例句：

• He flew a bomber during the war.他在战时驾驶轰炸机。
• Detectives hunting the London bombers will be keen to interview him.追查伦敦爆炸案凶犯的侦探们急于对他进行讯问。

16 exiles   

流放，放逐，流亡( exile的名词复数 )； 长期离家[出国]； 被流放者，流亡国外者，背井离乡者

参考例句：

• There were many French exiles in England after the Revolution. 法国大革命后，有许多法国人流亡到英国。
• Political exiles had not been given indemnity from prosecution. 政治流放犯没有得到免予起诉的保护。

17 pan   

n.平底锅；v.严厉批评

参考例句：

• The water had all boiled away and the pan was burned.水煮干了，锅也烧坏了。
• The eggs were frying in the pan.鸡蛋正在锅里煎。

18 corporation   

n.公司，企业&n.社团，团体

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation. 这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• The inflation did the corporation up. 通货膨胀使这个公司破产了。

19 skeleton   

n.骨骼，框架，骨干，梗概，提要

参考例句：

• A long illness made a skeleton out of him.长期的卧病使他骨瘦如柴。
• Her notes gave us just the bare skeleton of her theory.她的笔记只给我们提供了她的理论的梗概。

20 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

21 versions   

n.译本( version的名词复数 )；版本；（个人对事件的）描述；（原物的）变体

参考例句：

• There are two versions of the game, a long one and a short one. 这游戏有两个版本，一长一短。
• When both versions of the story were collated,major discrepancies were found. 在将这个故事的两个版本对照后，找出了主要的不符之处。 来自《简明英汉词典》

22 survival   

n.留住生命，生存，残存，幸存者

参考例句：

• The doctor told my wife I had a fifty-fifty chance of survival.医生告诉我的妻子，说我活下去的可能性只有50%。
• The old man was a survival of a past age.这位老人是上一代的遗老。

23 automobiles   

n.汽车( automobile的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• When automobiles become popular,the use of the horse and buggy passed away. 汽车普及后，就不再使用马和马车了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Automobiles speed in an endless stream along the boulevard. 宽阔的林荫道上，汽车川流不息。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

24 adviser   

n.劝告者，顾问

参考例句：

• They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
• Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。

25 honors   

n.礼仪；荣典；礼节； 大学荣誉学位；大学优等成绩；尊敬( honor的名词复数 )；敬意；荣誉；光荣

参考例句：

• He aims at honors. 他力求名誉。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We did the last honors to his remains. 我们向他的遗体告别。 来自《简明英汉词典》

26 saving   

n.节省，节约；[pl.]储蓄金，存款

参考例句：

• Energy saving is term strategic policy of our country.节约能源是我国长期的战略国策。
• Old-fashioned housewives were usually very saving.旧时的家庭主妇通常都很节俭。