The idea of the helicopter evolved over centuries, but two names usually get the spotlight: Paul Cornu , who built the first manned helicopter in 1907, and Igor Sikorsky , who created the first truly practical, modern helicopter in 1939.

Quick Scoop

  • Paul Cornu, a French engineer, is often credited with building the first manned helicopter that briefly lifted off the ground in 1907.
  • Igor Sikorsky, a Russian‑American engineer, is widely regarded as the “father of the modern helicopter” for his VS‑300 design, which first flew successfully in 1939 and established the single‑rotor + tail‑rotor layout used today.
  • Earlier concepts go back to Leonardo da Vinci’s 15th‑century sketches and even older spinning “Chinese top” toys, but these were ideas or models, not practical aircraft.

Who “made the first helicopter”?

Because “first helicopter” can mean different things, history usually separates it into:

  • First manned helicopter that left the ground : Paul Cornu’s twin‑rotor helicopter in 1907, which hovered only a short distance and for a very short time, with poor control.
  • First practical, controllable helicopter : Igor Sikorsky’s VS‑300 in 1939, which could be piloted reliably and became the blueprint for later helicopters.

So, if the question is “who made the first helicopter in the world?”:

  • For first manned helicopter : Paul Cornu (1907).
  • For first practical modern helicopter : Igor Sikorsky (1939).

Why Sikorsky is most famous

Many modern sources highlight Sikorsky because:

  • His VS‑300 introduced the now‑standard layout: one main rotor for lift and a tail rotor to counter torque and control yaw.
  • His later production helicopters proved useful in military, rescue, and civilian roles, which made his design the first to succeed commercially and operationally at scale.

Earlier ideas and experiments

Long before anyone flew in a helicopter:

  • Medieval and early modern inventors played with rotor toys that rose when a string was pulled, sometimes called “Chinese tops.”
  • Leonardo da Vinci sketched a spiral “airscrew” in the 15th century that anticipated the idea of vertical flight, though it was never built as a working machine.

These were important conceptual steps, but they were not practical helicopters as understood today. Bottom note: Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.