I am Russian-Ukrainian, from an Eastern Ukrainian city of Ivano-Frankovks. My grandparents from my father’s side are from Russia, and my mother’s side of the family is Ukrainian, thus making me a combination of both. Being Russian in the Eastern part of Ukraine is pretty uncommon, as the eastern part closer to Poland speaks Ukrainian, and the Western part of the country mostly speaks Russian. Ukraine was occupied by Poland and Lithuania in the 14th century. Ukrainian peasants who fled the Polish who forced them into slavery came to be known as Cossacks. The Cossacks created their own colonies and led several uprisings against Polish rule, but ultimately they turned to the Russians for security. The country became one of the republics within the Soviet Union in 1922. Ukraine gained independence after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. From the nine years that I lived in Ukraine, and the many summers that I’ve spend there after coming to United States, I’ve come to realize that it’s a very beautiful country, with breath taking Carpathian mountains, and the cold Black Sea. Both Ukrainian, and Russian cosines are delicious, with the cultural menus ranging from borsch to the famous pirogues, and my favorite being blini (also known as crepes). Although Ukraine is a wonderful country to spend summers in, but economically and politically the country is currently not doing very well, especially with the ongoing protests that began last year. Ukraine’s economy continues to be burdened by extreme government regulation, corruption, and lack of law execution. (Country Watch) Being an immigrant in United States, it is interesting, and motivational to find, and read about individuals, of my background who have succeeded in this country. Igor Sikorsky was born, in Kiev, Ukraine in 1889. As a child Sikorsky’s imagination was captured by the possibility of flying. His earliest aviation related memory was of his mother telling him of Leonardo Da Vinci’s attempt to build a flying machine. (Nat. Aviation Hall of Fame) From that point in his life Igor began building models of airplanes, from anything he could find, materials such as paper, or wood. As no successful flying machines were built at that time, Sikorsky was constantly reminded that flying is impossible, and that he is wasting his time. But even at the age of 12 he firmly stood behind his belief, and continued experimenting in attempts to making flying machines a reality. A real breakthrough came to Sikorsky when at 18 years old he accompanied his father to Germany, where Igor learned of the flights of Count von Zeppelin, and the Wright Brothers from a local newspaper. The news of these successful attempts, have motivated Sikorsky to make aviation his life long pursuit. Sikorsky’s real goal was to design a craft that could hover over one spot, and fly in any desired direction, today known as a helicopter. Little did he know, than in a little over a decade he would solely found a successful company that is until this day, known and respected by many. After returning from Germany to Kiev fueled by his ideas, and his passion, Igor decides to drop out of the local polytechnic institute, and leaves for Paris in attempts to buy and engine and other parts he may need to begin building his helicopter. Once in Paris, he enrolled into a French school of aeronautics. With the little money he had, Igor was able to build his first helicopter in the middle of 1909. With all his attempts, and invested time, the craft would not lift from the ground, therefore proving to be unsuccessful. In the following months Sikorsky continued creating prototypes, and designs, and finally after a few months he was able to build a craft that would lift off the ground for a whole twelve seconds. After a few more attempts of building helicopters, Sikorsky decided to stick to building airplanes whose design and ability to fly have already been proven, putting his dreams of creating a helicopter aside. Sikorsky’s model airplanes ended up being far more successful, and have given him back his hopes. (Grant, Tina) By May 1913, Sikorsky build the first 4 engine airplane in history, and gained the attention of Russia’s Czar Nicholas II. The czar presented Igor with a gold engraved watch as to congratulate his on the accomplishment. Enthusiastically Sikorsky built even a larger four-engine airplane naming it, “Ilya Mourometz”. His successful, and powerful airplanes began to be used by the Russian military, and Navy, resulting in a huge success for Igor. Unfortunately in 1917, the Bolshevik Revolution began in Russia, and Sikorsky made the decision to leave his homeland, leaving most of his possessions behind and flee to Paris. He stayed in France for a few years; after which he made the decision to immigrate to United States, as he saw more opportunity here. With only $600 to his name, and not one familiar person in United States, Sikorsky came to New York in the early 1900’s. With a series of unfortunate partnerships, and failed contracts, Igor was at first unable to pursue his passion in aviation. To support himself he began teaching night classes to Russian immigrants. In March of 1923, Sikorsky with the funding of $5,000 from a fellow Russian immigrant, composer Rachmaninoff, Igor Sikorsky established Sikorsky Aero Engineering Corporation in a workshop that was previously a chicken house. Sikorsky’s team began transforming parts that they would find in salvage yards, into future aircrafts. By 1924 Sikorsky, and his team build a 14-passenger plane known as S-29-A. This accomplishment earned Sikorsky Corporation the publicity that they needed to continue succeeding, and the company established themselves as a major designer of airplanes in America. (Grant, Tina) By the 1930’s, Sikorsky’s Corporation quickly expanded, as the commercial air transportation industry boomed. The company began getting many orders for Sikorsky’s airplanes, the company continued creating new and innovative designs, and managed to expand their business internationally. In the beginning of 1940’s the demand for aircrafts decreased, as land based transportation took over. The decline in the interest of the aircrafts, allowed Sikorsky to finally return to his old idea of building a helicopter. In five years not only did Sikorsky Corporation build successful helicopters, his first helicopter the R-4, become in full demand by the U.S. Army. Sikorsky’s innovative aircraft was proven to be a necessity in the missions of supply, and rescue. (Bobrow, Carl) Igor Sikorsky retired in 1957, and turned to writing, and pursue of his Russian Orthodox religion, and humanitarian works. (Bobrow, Carl) He died October 26th 1972 in Connecticut, but his legacy lived, and the company he once started in an old barn continues to successfully grow and expand. Today the Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation is one of the leading aircraft companies in the world. Their sales hit 1.5 billion dollars, and they employ 8,000 employees. (Sikorsky Corp). Sikorsky helicopters are used by militaries in 40 countries across the globe, including all branches of US military. Today both U.S. Army, and Navy heavily rely on the Sikorsky H-60 models, and the well-known Black Hawk and Seahawk helicopters. The company differentiates itself by being, an ethical, and safe working environment, and being committed to their customers, and shareholders. The companies mission is to behave in with high levels of integrity, and their vision is to “ Pioneer flight solutions that bring people home everywhere…every time” (Grant, Tina) Igor Sikorsky’s ambition, and success greatly impressed me. It’s incredibly fascinating to read, and discover the achievements that a person can accomplish in a different country, with limited connections, and resources. Sikorsky followed his dreams his entire life, overcame not only many failures, but also escape a revolution in his country, and was able to build an entire empire that continues to strive. What I find really interesting in Sikorsky’s work is that although he was at first unsuccessful with his idea of building a helicopter, he moved on to building airplanes that have become a success, and then went back to building, and developing a helicopter when he had the necessary resources. Sikorsky was not the first person to develop an airplane, but he was the first one to create a helicopter, although the two may seem very similar, helicopter’s use is much different, and have been proven incredibly useful in today’s world, as they have helped save many lives.
Works Cited
• Bobrow, Carl J. "American National Biography Online." American National Biography Online. N.p., Feb. 2000. Web. 15 Oct. 2014.
• "Country Profile | CountryWatch Ukraine." Country Profile | CountryWatch Ukraine. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Oct. 2014.
• Grant, Tina. "Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation." International Directory of Company Histories. St. James Press, 2009. Web. 15 Oct. 2014.
• "Home." Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2014.
• “Igor Sikorsky Industrialist/ Inventor” National Aviation Hall of Fame. NAHF, n.d. Web. 01 Oct. 2014
