Please also see below the link to the tribute video. Scott
CTâs Sikorsky mourns death of son of its founder, known as a man, âwho meant so much to aviationâ Sergei I. Sikorsky, the son of famous aviator Igor Sikorsky, <https://www.courant.com/2024/12/26/think-you-know-connecticuts-most-imnspiring-immigrant-the-answer-might-surprise-you/> has died, according to the Connecticut based company bearing that family name. <https://sikorskyarchives.com/> Sergei I. Sikorsky was 100. âA proud military veteran, Sergei served our country during World War II, in the United States Coast Guard, assigned to the Helicopter Development Unit,â Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company <http://lockheedmartin.com/>, said in a statement Saturday. Those at the company are âsaddened to learn of the passing,â the statement said. Born in Ukraine in 1889, Igor Sikorsky settled in Stratford and revolutionized aviation by developing the first successful helicopter in the U.S. He also founded Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation, the prominent business in Connecticut. âThe entire team â past and present â at Sikorsky and Lockheed Martin mourn the passing of a remarkable man, a link to the golden age of aviation who meant so much to the success of our business,â said Rich Benton, Sikorsky vice president and general manager. âSergei will be greatly missed.â The company also released a video tribute <https://youtu.be/M9Y6czS1hOA?feature=shared> that it said âcommemorates the amazing life and times of Sergei I. Sikorsky, a remarkable man who meant so much to aviation history, the Sikorsky business, its employees and the greater Stratford, Connecticut, community. The remarkable impact of the Sikorsky family spans generations, touching every current and former employee, engineer and technician, the places we live and work and the countless lives saved by the helicopter.â The company noted Sergei Sikorsky has a âdistinguished 41-year careerâ with the company, beginning in 1951 in international marketing and sales. and âplayed a significant role in the companyâs growth into one of the worldâs leading helicopter manufacturers and the expansion of rotary aircraft around the world.â Sergei Sikorsky returned to the United States in 1976 âat the dawn of the Black Hawk era to become division vice president in Stratford, overseeing the companyâs co-production programs,â and then served in marketing and special project roles until retiring in 1992, according to the company. âEven in retirement, Sergei remained active with the company, serving as a goodwill ambassador at major trade shows and other events where he would sign autographs, speak about his familyâs legacy and highlight an immeasurable passion for the helicopter and its promise to save lives around the world.â The company noted the aircraft hangar at its Stratford facility was dedicated as the âSergei I. Sikorsky Flight Centerâ in 2019 and he called it his lifeâs âsingle greatest honor.â Sergei Sikorsky, who then had recently retired as a Sikorsky Aircraft vice president but still lived in Stratford, spoke to the Courant in 1993 about a plan to rename the airport that carried his family name. He said then he hadnât been consulted about the proposed airport name change. âThe name Sikorsky is a name thatâs internationally recognized,â he said. âIt would seem to be telling me volumes about the mentality of the Bridgeport and Stratford communities if they want to take that name away from the airport.â Sergei Sikorsky said at the time <https://www.courant.com/1993/08/07/more-at-stake-than-renaming-of-an-airport/> that he favored expanding the airport by lengthening the runways to accommodate larger aircraft. Without such an expansion, he said, the region wonât attract major businesses and the airport wonât be worthy of his fatherâs name. The airport, which actually is in Stratford, is now known as the Bridgeport-Sikorsky Airport. <https://www.bridgeportct.gov/government/departments/airport-services> In 2003, the Courant wrote about Connecticutâs aviation pioneers, noting that, By 1939, when (Igor) Sikorsky got corporate approval to build and test the VS-300 prototype at his plant in Stratford, inventors in France and Germany had already made successful flights with rotor-powered aircraft. âThis dream of a helicopter in every back yard ⌠was shared by a great many aviation professionals toward the end of World War II,â said Sergei Sikorsky, eldest son of the late inventor and a pilot, himself, said at the time. âAll of these people, and obviously Dad, thought that the helicopter would have a tremendous postwar potential for personal use. It did not turn out that way.â Instead, helicopters have proved vital for search-and-rescue efforts, emergency medical response and military troop transport. They have changed the world, while never quite landing in the garage of the average suburbanite. But by inventing Americaâs first practical helicopter and moving it into mass production, the Russian immigrant and aeronautical genius realized a boyhood dream. Link to video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9Y6czS1hOA <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9Y6czS1hOA>
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