IGOR SIKORSKY - ILLUSTRATION SIGNED 01/17/1947 - HFSID 47111

IGOR SIKORSKY. Postcard signed: "I. Sikorsky/Jan 17/1947". Color, 5¼x3¼. Depicts Sikorsky's R-5 helicopter. Windowed to show verso, which is captioned: "This card has actually been flown in the helicopter pictured on the other side." The R-5 made its maiden flight on August 18, 1943. During the Korean conflict (1950-1953), the R-5 was flown behind enemy lines to rescue United Nations' pilots and to evacuate the wounded from the front. Russian-born Igor Sikorsky (1889-1972), a pioneer in the advancement of the helicopter and naval aircraft, had constructed and flown the first multi-motored airplane in 1913. In 1931, he built the first amphibian American Clipper, which pioneered transoceanic commercial flights. In 1939, Sikorsky developed the first practical American helicopter. His breakthroughs involving vertical flight were instrumental to the advancement of the helicopter; during both the Korean War (1950-1953) and the Vietnam War (1955-1975), the U.S. relied upon the helicopter for medical emergencies as well as for combat. Sikorsky's belief in the "process of intuitive discovery' led to his major achievements, including the development of the four-engine S-42 "Clipper" and the VS-300 helicopter. The recipient of the U.S. Presidential Certificate of Merit (1948) and the National Defense Award (1971), Sikorsky is enshrined in the National Aviation Hall of Fame. Not filled in on verso, which is slightly soiled and has mounting remnant at lower right blank corner. Fine condition. Framed in the Gallery of History style: 20½x22¼.