Whirlybirds: A History of the U.S. Helicopter Pioneers [Hardcover]

Jay P. Spenser (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1998

Study of the lives and work of four Americans--Igor Sikorsky, Frank Piasecki, Arthur Young, and Stanley Hiller, Jr.--who, working independently but concurrently, developed the helicopter in the 1940s. Discusses the confluence of entrepreneurship, corporate practices, and government influence and fi

Product Details

• Hardcover: 512 pages
• Publisher: University of Washington Press; 1st edition, edition (October 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0295976993
• ISBN-13: 978-0295976990
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 7.4 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,087,194 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #34 in Books > Professional & Technical > Transportation > Aviation > Helicopters

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An interesting look into aviation history, June 28, 2008

By 

Charles P. Hobbs (Los Angeles, CA, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Whirlybirds: A History of the U.S. Helicopter Pioneers (Hardcover)

Spenser's _Whirlybirds_ describes the evolution and development of the helicopter. Although Leonardo Da Vinci's notes and several European refinements are discussed, the book primarily concentrates on the efforts of four Americans: Igor Sikorsky, Frank Piasecki, Arthur Young, and Stanley Hiller.

Sikorsky, an immigrant from the Ukraine, is occasionally credited with inventing the helicopter. Although he did not invent the helicopter, he made many refinements. Sikorsky is still the first name in helicopters today.

Piasecki built a small helicopter at a young age. His company eventually became Boeing Vertol.

Young also got started with helicopters early in life. The company that he founded became Bell Helicopters, later Bell Helicopter Textron.

Hiller was unique among the four helicopter pioneers in that he started out in California, not on the east coast. He was somewhat isolated from the centers of early helicopter development. Hiller Aircraft exists today as a manufacturer of light helicopters.

Helicopters proved to be invaluable for the military, and served in wars from Korea onwards. Much of the onward development of these machines depended on continued military support. A number of commercial uses were developed too: crop spraying, aerial surveys and photography, air ambulances, etc.

Although Piasecki and Hiller developed small helicopters for personal use (like an automobile), they proved to be unaffordable for the vast majority of people. Helicopter "airlines" flourished (with Federal subsidies) in the 1960's, but fizzeled out about 10 years later due to high costs and accidents.

_Whirlybirds_ is long (almost 500 pages), but is well-written and easy to read. (It is helpful to have a nodding familiarity with aviation vocabulary such as "roll", "pitch", "yaw", etc.) I recommend this book for anyone interested in helicopters or aviation history.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book on helo pioneers, May 29, 2003

By 

Michael Hirschberg (Arlington, VA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Whirlybirds: A History of the U.S. Helicopter Pioneers (Hardcover)

This is a masterpiece on the four US helicopter pioneers -- Sikorsky, Bell (Arthur Young), Piasecki, and Stanley Hiller. Only faults to the book are (1) that it primarily focuses on the pioneers (hence the title), not the machines, and (2) he has nothing at all good to say about Hughes helicopters. In fact, it's pretty well damning. I think it should've been a little more objective. Also doesn't cover Charlie Kaman, who was also one of the early pioneers and still active today.

5 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent! a great book, November 11, 1998

By 

Jay Hendrickson ([e-mail]) (Houston Texas USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Whirlybirds: A History of the U.S. Helicopter Pioneers (Hardcover)

Whirlybirds is very well written account of the early history of the helicopter, and its pioneers. Filling a long needed gap in aviation history, this book tells how four men looked into the future of vertical flight, and turned it into a reality. This book is a must have. Jay Hendrickson