Overview
The Cornu helicopter was an experimental helicopter built in France, and is widely credited with the first free flight of a rotary-wing aircraft when it took to the air on 13 November 1907. Built by bicycle-maker Paul Cornu, it was an open-framework structure built around a curved steel tube that carried a rotor at either end, and the engine and pilot in the middle. Power was transmitted to the rotors by a drive belt that linked both rotors and spun them in opposite directions. Control was to be provided by cables that could alter the pitch of the rotor blades, and by steerable vanes at either end of the machine intended to direct the downwash of the rotors.
Specifications
Dimensions
| Wingspan | 6.00 m |
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Crew & capacity
| Seats (max.) | 1 |
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Powerplant
| Engine model | V8 |
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Figures are compiled from public sources and may be approximate; they can vary by variant and configuration.
Photos
Photo 1: Unknown authorUnknown author / Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
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