helicopteron

English

Etymology

From Ancient Greek ἕλῐξ (hélix, “spiral”) +‎ πτερόν (pterón, “wing”). Doublet of helicopter.

Noun

helicopteron (plural helicopterons or helicoptera)

1. (historical) A flying machine having an aerial screw propeller.
   • 1876 February, “Flying-Machines and Pénaud’s Artificial Bird”, in Alfred M. Mayer, transl., The Popular Science Monthly, volume VIII, translated from the Journal de Physique, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton and Company, […], pages 453–455:

     But though many of these projects called forth considerable inventive ability, yet, until quite recently, the helicopteron (from ἑλικός, any thing spiral or twisted, and πτερόν, a wing—that is, a machine furnished with an aërial screw-propeller) was the only type of machine which had succeeded in raising itself in flight. Several of these helicopterons have been constructed since 1784, at which date Bienvenu made the first that flew. […] Leaving out of consideration the inventions which are evidently defective, we have thought it possible to divide the majority of the systems of artificial flight into helicopterons, areoplanes, and orthopterons (from ὀρθός, straight, and πτερόν, a wing). The helicopterons sustain themselves by the aid of screws whose axes of rotation are nearly vertical. […] We applied the new motor first to the helicopteron, after having previously investigated the curious and valuable actions of caoutchouc when subjected to various successive torsions. […] The great superiority of these results over those obtained with preceding helicopterons encouraged us to apply our motor to other systems of artificial flight. […] Measured directly, and irrespective of any hypothesis, the force required to sustain and propel the areoplane and the helicopteron proved to be relatively moderate, and did not approach the fabulous estimations previously given by Navier. […] Our helicopterons and areoplanes which performed with success on the 2d of July, 1875, before the Physical Society, have a numerous offspring.

   • 1876 April 8, “Science Gossip”, in The Athenæum: Journal of Literature, Science, the Fine Arts, Music, and the Drama, number 2528, London: […] E. J. Francis & Co., […] John Francis, page 506, column 2:

     Prof. Alfred M. Mayer, of the Stevens Institute of Technology, in the Journal of the Franklin Institute for March, gives a paper on flying-machines and [Alphonse] Pénaud’s artificial bird, for the invention of which the Academy of Sciences awarded awarded M. Pénaud a prize in June last. In this paper he describes some “helicopterons,” or aërial screw-propellers, which have been successful in raising themselves in flight.

   • 1884 November 29, “Aerial Navigation”, in Scientific American: A Weekly Journal of Practical Information, Art, Science, Mechanics, Chemistry, and Manufactures, volume LI, number 22, New York, N.Y.: Munn & Co., translation of original by Victor Tatin in La Nature, page 342, column 1:

     The purely mechanical solution of the problem of aerial navigation has been sought through three means—helicoptera, or large helices with vertical axes, imitation of the natural flight of birds, and aeroplanes moved by helices with horizontal axes. / Helicoptera.—The first helicopteron that was able to sustain itself in the air was that of [Christian de] Launoy and Bienvenu. […] The only apparatus of the kind that has since been constructed is Mr. [Enrico] Forlanini’s helicopteron. […] So, in the helicopteron, as the helix is at the same time a sustaining plane, it should be likened to a surface moving horizontally, and in which, consequenty, the resistance to motion will be to the lifting power as the sinus is to the cosinus of the angle formed by such plane with the horizon. […] However this may be, it seems to us that the helicopteron system has indeed but little future before it, because of the extreme lightness that it would be necessary to give the immense structures whose every part would be in motion.

   • 1893 August, “Omega: The Last Days of the World”, in John Brisben Walker, Arthur Sherburne Hardy (associate), editors, The Cosmopolitan: An Illustrated Monthly Magazine, volume XV, number 4, New York, N.Y., translation of La Fin du monde by Camille Flammarion, page 460, column 1:

     Only one of these pictures related to what had once been Europe, and was a view of Paris, consisting of a promontory projecting into the sea, crowned by an astronomical temple and gay with helicopterons circling above the lofty towers of its terraces.

   • 1913, The Boy’s Own Annual, page 313, column 2:

     This machine, designed and built by the engineer Robur, relied upon the twofold operation of the screw which, in turning, moves in the direction of its axis. If the axis is vertical, it moves vertically; if it is horizontal, it moves horizontally. It was the principle of the helicopteron which rises because it strikes the air obliquely as if it were moving along an inclined plane.

   • 1935, Wettenhovi-Aspa, The Diamondking of Sahara, Helsinki: K. F. Puromies Limited, page 74:

     As the whole airship, in full sailing order, weighed nothing at all, very little power and oil consumption was required to raise it to any desired height — perpendiculary into the air. This was effected by a helicopteron or elevating propeller which sucked the air downwards by means of a vertical tunnel, right through the supporting gas body.