Igor Ivanovich Sikorsky

Wikipedia Biographical Summary:

"...Igor Sikorsky (May 25, 1889 – October 26, 1972), born Igor Ivanovich Sikorsky was a Russian American pioneer of aviation in both helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft. He designed and flew the world's first multi-engine fixed-wing aircraft, the Russky Vityaz in 1913, and the first airliner, Ilya Muromets, in 1914.

After emigrating to the United States in 1919, Sikorsky founded the Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation in 1923, and developed the first of Pan American Airways' ocean-conquering flying boats in the 1930s.
In 1939 Sikorsky designed and flew the Vought-Sikorsky VS-300,[3] the first viable American helicopter, which pioneered the rotor configuration used by most helicopters today.[4] Sikorsky would modify the design into the Sikorsky R-4, which became the world's first mass-produced helicopter in 1942..."

"...Igor Sikorsky was born in Kiev, Russian Empire (present day Ukraine), as the youngest of five children. His father, Ivan Alexeevich Sikorsky, had a Russian and noble Polish (Polish: szlachta) family background. A professor of psychology, Ivan was the son and grandson of Russian Orthodox priests and held monarchist and Russian nationalist views.

Igor Sikorsky's mother, Mariya Stefanovna Sikorskaya (née Temryuk-Cherkasova), was a physician who did not work professionally..."

"...After World War I, Igor Sikorsky briefly became an engineer for the French forces in Russia, during the Russian Civil War.[21] Seeing little opportunity for himself as an aircraft designer in war-torn Europe, and particularly Russia, ravaged by the October Revolution and Civil War, he emigrated to the United States, arriving in New York on March 30, 1919..."

"...In 1923, Sikorsky formed the Sikorsky Manufacturing Company in Roosevelt, New York..."

"...In 1928, Sikorsky became a naturalized citizen of the United States..."

"...Sikorsky was married to Olga Fyodorovna Simkovitch in Russia. They were divorced and Olga remained in Russia with their daughter as Sikorsky departed ahead of the October Revolution. In 1923, Sikorsky's sisters emigrated to the United States, bringing six-year old Tania with them. Sikorsky married Elisabeth Semion (1903-1995) in 1924, in New York. Sikorsky and Elisabeth had four sons; Sergei, Nikolai, Igor Jr. and George..."

Children:

Tania Sikorsky von York (1918 – 22 September 2008), Sikorsky's eldest child and only daughter. Tania was born in Kiev, Ukrainian People's Republic, eventually part of the Soviet Union. Educated in the United States, she earned a B.A. at Barnard College and a doctorate at Yale. She was one of the original faculty members of Sacred Heart University in Bridgeport, Connecticut, where she served as Professor of Sociology for 20 years.

Sergei Sikorsky (1925– ), Sikorsky's eldest son. Sergei served in the United States Coast Guard, and later earned a degree from the University of Florence. He joined United Technologies in 1951, and retired in 1992, as Vice-President of Special Projects at Sikorsky Aircraft.
Igor Sikorsky Jr. is an attorney, businessman and aviation historian..."

"...Sikorsky died at his home in Easton, Connecticut, on October 26, 1972, and was buried in Saint John the Baptist Greek Catholic Cemetery in Stratford..."

SOURCE: Wikipedia contributors, 'Igor Sikorsky', Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 8 March 2012, 23:14 UTC, <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Igor_Sikorsky&oldid=48091...> [accessed 13 March 2012]

http://rus-eng.org/eng/Sikorskij%20Igor'%20Ivanovich.htm

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