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Chinese bamboo toy consisting of a stick and rotor was the earliest form of a helicopter.
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Leonard De Vinci made the aerial screw, an aircraft with screw like configuration that produced lift when spun. He only made drawing though never a real model.
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Christian De Launoy crated a model with two rotors that spun out in opposite directions; therefore balancing out the torque reaction and improving stability and handling.
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The first aluminium was used in helicopters. It was advantageous as it was light, strong and corrosion resistant.
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Skids replace wheels as landing gear in light weight helicopters. They were advantageous as they were light weight and simple to connect.
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Fiberglass was used in construction of helicopters, particularly for the blades and airframe.
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The Coaxial was made by Alphonse Penaud. It consisted of a pair of rotors fitted onto the same shaft. Which spun the same axis as each other. Each rotor spun in different directions. It was so the torque was balance reaction.
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The first derivative of stealth was developed in the US military.
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Paul Cornu invented the first pilot driving helicopter. His helicopter incorporated two six metre rotors in counterrotation to each other. The helicopter was made from a simple airframe constructed from steel.
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Emile and Henry Berliner, Father and daughter, developed a rotor capable of movement on x-axis. This provided directional control of the helicopter
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Stud welding was invented and used for industrial use for purposes such as welding steel.
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Fiberglass was developed, but wasn't used in helicopter until 1965.
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Heinrich Karl Johnson Focke made the first helicopter that was fully controlled by a pilot; the Fw 61.
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Igor Sikorsky created the first successful helicopter that has formed one of the fundementals of a helicopter design.
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The USA military developed the first fully controllable unmanned helicopter (externally controlled).
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The first electric helicopter was created by Sikorsky. ( an American aviation company).
