In the 1940s, after some of the significant early technical challenges started to fade into history, helicopter
enthusiasts began to tout rotor-driven aircraft as personal vehicles that might grace the suburbs much like the automobile. (Igor Sikorsky even wanted to build a balcony-like platform onto the front of helicopters--great for picnic excursions!) We all know how things turned out.
But count 75-year-old Japanese engineer Gennai Yanagisawa among those who still see promise in helicopters for recreational use. That's his Gen H-4 design in the picture, and ahead of this flight on Sunday, he told the Associated Press, "I hope someday this can be used just like a scooter." (The pilot is not Yanagisawa, but rather Yasutoshi Yokoyama.)
Photo by AFP photo/Tiziana Fabi
Caption by Jonathan Skillings
