| On a frigid morning in January 1958, with the Holland farm in Tredyffrin Township in the distance, Haig Kurkjian is shown piloting his HK-1 to demonstrate the ship's reliability and flight characteristics to a group of potential investors. Kurkjian had successfully created the world's first helicopter to have all the controls in a “steering wheel,” enabling the pilot to move up, down, turn, hover, all by means of a single control wheel. It was also the first helicopter to utilize a multi-vee belt drive for both main and tail rotors. Regrettably, Haig-K was unable to raise sufficient capital to certify his ship, and for these financial reasons the aircraft was never produced commercially. | www.verticalmag.com🔗 |
