<P> Helicopters were developed and built during the first half - century of flight , with the Focke - Wulf Fw 61 being the first operational helicopter in 1936 . Some helicopters reached limited production , but it was not until 1942 that a helicopter designed by Igor Sikorsky reached full - scale production , with 131 aircraft built . Though most earlier designs used more than one main rotor , it is the single main rotor with anti-torque tail rotor configuration that has become the most common helicopter configuration . Tandem rotor helicopters are also in widespread use due to their greater payload capacity . Coaxial helicopters , tiltrotor aircraft , and compound helicopters are all flying today . Quadcopter helicopters pioneered as early as 1907 in France , and other types of multicopter have been developed for specialized applications such as unmanned drones . </P>
<P> Helicopters were developed and built during the first half - century of flight , with the Focke - Wulf Fw 61 being the first operational helicopter in 1936 . Some helicopters reached limited production , but it was not until 1942 that a helicopter designed by Igor Sikorsky reached full - scale production , with 131 aircraft built . Though most earlier designs used more than one main rotor , it is the single main rotor with anti-torque tail rotor configuration that has become the most common helicopter configuration . Tandem rotor helicopters are also in widespread use due to their greater payload capacity . Coaxial helicopters , tiltrotor aircraft , and compound helicopters are all flying today . Quadcopter helicopters pioneered as early as 1907 in France , and other types of multicopter have been developed for specialized applications such as unmanned drones . </P>
when was the first helicopter made and flown
when was the first helicopter made and flown
1936
1936