Libélula española
Encyclopedia
The Libélula Viblandi, or Libélula española (Spanish dragonfly) was one of the first helicopter
s invented 1924. It was developed in the twenties by Federico Cantero Villamil
, a Spanish civil engineer also known for the dams he constructed and planned along the river Duero.
founded a workshop with precision machinery, purchased in 1900 at the Universal Exposition in Paris
. He began his experiments on "rotating wings" (a kind of propellers invented by him) in Zamora
in 1908, and two years later he was patenting a
Several patents on propellers were developed between 1912 and 1936. As a consequence, Cantero began to construct his helicopter in 1935, being helped by Pedro Blanco Pedraza, a young student of aeronautical engineering, and Antonio Díaz, the owner of a precision mechanic workshop. The names of these three people form the acronym VIBLANDI which was the definitive name of the helicopter. In July 1936 the spanish civil war
began, and the construction of the helicopter was interrupted until 1940. In September 1941 the helicopter was finished, and in October 1941 it was tested, but the results remained unknown. During the next years Cantero improved the helicopter, registered more patent
s about these improvements, and continued trying out the machine. At the moment there are no sources about the success of these trials.
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
s invented 1924. It was developed in the twenties by Federico Cantero Villamil
Federico Cantero Villamil
Federico Cantero Villamil was a Spanish civil engineer known for the dams he constructed and planned along the river Duero and for his research on the aeronautical field, which is summarized in the Libélula española, a helicopter constructed by him.-Early work:His parents were the civil engineer...
, a Spanish civil engineer also known for the dams he constructed and planned along the river Duero.
The project
Federico Cantero VillamilFederico Cantero Villamil
Federico Cantero Villamil was a Spanish civil engineer known for the dams he constructed and planned along the river Duero and for his research on the aeronautical field, which is summarized in the Libélula española, a helicopter constructed by him.-Early work:His parents were the civil engineer...
founded a workshop with precision machinery, purchased in 1900 at the Universal Exposition in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. He began his experiments on "rotating wings" (a kind of propellers invented by him) in Zamora
Zamora, Spain
Zamora is a city in Castile and León, Spain, the capital of the province of Zamora. It lies on a rocky hill in the northwest, near the frontier with Portugal and crossed by the Duero river, which is some 50 km downstream as it reaches the Portuguese frontier...
in 1908, and two years later he was patenting a
"...procedure or idea in order to obtain the lift of a body or apparatus on the air, as well as the propulsion if wanted, both things simultaneous or not, by means of special wheels of one or more blades, jointed, moveable, gradually leaning, depending on the variation and form explained in the body of the current Memory."
Several patents on propellers were developed between 1912 and 1936. As a consequence, Cantero began to construct his helicopter in 1935, being helped by Pedro Blanco Pedraza, a young student of aeronautical engineering, and Antonio Díaz, the owner of a precision mechanic workshop. The names of these three people form the acronym VIBLANDI which was the definitive name of the helicopter. In July 1936 the spanish civil war
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
began, and the construction of the helicopter was interrupted until 1940. In September 1941 the helicopter was finished, and in October 1941 it was tested, but the results remained unknown. During the next years Cantero improved the helicopter, registered more patent
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
s about these improvements, and continued trying out the machine. At the moment there are no sources about the success of these trials.
Patents
The helicopter was patented under the name Libélula Viblandi in 1940 with registration number 149788 at the Spanish Office of Patents and Trademarks. This and other patents on propellers by Federico Cantero that led to the Libélula española may be found at Oficina española de patentes y marcas.Sources
The works of Cantero were forgotten during years, and they have been recently rediscovered by Isabel Díaz de Aguilar and Federico Suárez Caballero. Basic sources are the patents he registered and two books by Cantero about the Libélula española.See also
- Juan de la CiervaJuan de la CiervaJuan de la Cierva y Codorníu, 1st Count of De La Cierva was a Spanish civil engineer, pilot and aeronuatical engineer. His most famous accomplishment was the invention in 1920 of the Autogiro, a single-rotor type of aircraft that came to be called autogyro in the English language...
- AutogyroAutogyroAn autogyro , also known as gyroplane, gyrocopter, or rotaplane, is a type of rotorcraft which uses an unpowered rotor in autorotation to develop lift, and an engine-powered propeller, similar to that of a fixed-wing aircraft, to provide thrust...
- Igor SikorskyIgor SikorskyIgor Sikorsky , born Igor Ivanovich Sikorsky was a Russian American pioneer of aviation in both helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft...
- HelicopterHelicopterA helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...