Juan de la Cierva was introduced to flying when the Wright brothers demonstrated their flying machine to the world in 1908. Intrigued by this new technology, Cierva decided to build his own airplane. His first attempt was to rebuild a Sommer biplane. He fitted it with a new engine and made several modifications. Completing the project in 1912, he named this airplane the BCD-1 El Cangrejo, Spanish for the BCD-1 Crab. This was considered to be the first Spanish built aircraft. Further attempts at building improved aircraft were not as successful. Cierva's final airplane design was the C-3, built for a Spanish military competition. This plane, the C-3, was a large tri-motor biplane completed in May of 1919 and entered into the bomber division of the contest. It performed well, but in one of the tests the plane flew too slow and it stalled. The pilot escaped without serious injury but the plane was wrecked. This crash disappointed Cierva, inspiring him to think of a better way to fly at low speeds. He began developing his concept for a flying machine having a "parachute" capability to provide for improved safety in the event of engine failure. His tests showed that both short take-off and landing, and his initial objective of parachute capability, could be achieved by combining the capabilities of a conventional aircraft and the helicopter, calling the invention "autogyro." By 1925 his development aircraft had achieved reliability, and he began demonstrations in France, England, and the United States. It was Cierva's rotor blade design and articulated rotor blades which contributed to the development of the first successful helicopter in 1936.
Inducted in 1966.
Portrait Location: Modern Jet