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The aerial screw was made sometime in the 1480's. The exact date is not specified.
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In July, 1754 Mikhail Lomonosov made a tandem rotor machine powered by a spring. He hoped that he could use it to help meteorologists lift tools.
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In 1783 Christian de Launoy and his mechanic Bienvenu made a helicopter model with counter rotating propellers. The propellers were made with turkey feathers.
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The word "helicopter" was thought up by French inventor Gustave de Ponton d'Amécourt. He made an aluminum, steam-powered helicopter, but it never lifted off the ground.
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Alphonse Penaud was the first person to build and successfully fly heavier than air rubber band powered model flying machines. He flew his model at Tuileries Gardens in Paris, France
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In 1907, Jacques and Louis Breguet created the Gyroplane No.1. It lifted its pilot about 2 feet in the air for a minute. However the plane was extremely unstable.
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French inventor Paul Cornu built the Cornu Helicopter. It used two 20 feet counter rotating rotors powered by a 24 horsepower engine.It managed to raise Cornu about 7 feet, but it was unstable and the helicopter was abandoned.
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The Ellehammer Helicopter was equipped with two counter-rotating propellers with six vanes around it. The helicopter was destroyed in 1916 when it tipped over and destroyed its rotors.
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The Focke-Wulf Fw 61 is often considered the first practical, functional helicopter, first flown in 1936.
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The Bell 47 is a two-bladed, single engine, light helicopter manufactured by Bell Helicopter. The Bell 47 became the first helicopter certified for civilian use.