Cornu Helicopter

Paul Cornu · France · first flew 1907 · helicopter

The Cornu Helicopter made history on 13 November 1907 when Paul Cornu achieved the first free, untethered vertical flight by a powered rotary-wing aircraft, lifting a few centimetres off the ground near Lisieux, France.

Recognition (WEFT)

WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.

Spot it by:

• twin tandem rotors on a bicycle-frame fuselage
• belt-driven rotors, no tail rotor
• pilot seated in open tractor position

Unmistakable bicycle-frame skeleton with two large two-bladed rotors mounted fore and aft on a central spine, driven by exposed drive belts. No enclosed fuselage, no tail rotor, and no conventional aircraft surfaces of any kind.

Specifications

• The Cornu Helicopter has a length of 6.2 m (20 ft).
• It has a wingspan of 6.1 m (20 ft).
• Its maximum speed is 20 km/h (12 mph).
• Typical crew: 1.

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

Paul Cornu, a bicycle maker from Normandy, constructed his twin-rotor machine in 1907 using a 24 hp Antoinette engine driving two contra-rotating rotors via belts. The machine weighed about 260 kg and achieved a flight of approximately 20 seconds at a height of 30 cm. Although directional control was almost non-existent, the achievement pre-dated Igor Sikorsky's practical helicopter by over three decades. Cornu was unable to secure funding to develop the design further.

Variants

Only one prototype was built; no production or developed variants followed.

Where you'll see it

Never entered service; the sole machine was a proof-of-concept that is now known only through photographs and contemporary accounts. Replicas exist in museums.

Related aircraft

• Breguet-Richet Gyroplane No. 1

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