Étienne Oehmichen facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Étienne Œhmichen
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Étienne Œhmichen in May 1924
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| Born |
Étienne Edmond Œhmichen
15 October 1884 |
| Died | 10 July 1955 (aged 70) |
| Nationality | French |
| Alma mater | École Centrale Paris |
| Occupation | engineer |
| Known for | helicopter designer |
Étienne Edmond Œhmichen (French: [ømiʃɛn]) was a clever French engineer and helicopter designer. He was born on October 15, 1884, in Châlons-sur-Marne, which is now called Châlons-en-Champagne. He passed away on July 10, 1955, in Paris.
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A Pioneer in Flight
Étienne Œhmichen studied engineering at a famous school called École Centrale Paris. He was not only interested in flying machines but also in how things move very fast.
Early Inventions
In 1917, Œhmichen invented the first electric stroboscope. This special device makes fast-moving objects look like they are standing still or moving slowly. It helps scientists study things that happen too quickly for the human eye to see. At the same time, he built a camera that could take an amazing 1,000 pictures every second! This was incredibly fast for that time.
Helicopter Breakthroughs
Œhmichen made history with his helicopter designs. His first successful flight in a helicopter happened on February 18, 1921. This was a big step forward in aviation.
His most famous helicopter was called 'Oehmichen No.2'. He first flew this improved helicopter on November 11, 1922. It had small rotors that spun vertically, opposite to the main lifting rotors. This design was very important. It helped make the helicopter stable and controllable. This idea later led to the invention of the tail rotor, which is used on most helicopters today. The 'Oehmichen No.2' was probably the first reliable helicopter that could carry a person.
On April 14, 1924, Œhmichen broke the world record for helicopter flight. He flew 360 meters, and then 525 meters just a few days later! Soon after, another inventor, Raúl Pateras Pescara, flew even further.
Winning the Prize
A very important moment came on May 4, 1924. Œhmichen won a huge prize of 90,000 French Francs! He won it for being the first to complete a closed-circuit helicopter flight. This means he flew in a complete circle, following a triangular path about one kilometer long. The flight took him about 7 minutes and 40 seconds. In the same year, he even managed to fly his helicopter with two passengers!
The Hélicostat
Œhmichen continued to invent. In 1931, he created and tested a new type of airship. He called it the "Hélicostat." This unique blimp had four propellers that could move. This allowed it to hover in the air, take off, and land without needing a ground crew to help.
Other Interests
Besides his work on flying machines, Étienne Œhmichen was also very interested in biology. He spent a lot of time studying how insects use their wings to fly, especially dragonflies. He worked at the Collège de France in Paris for 30 years, sharing his knowledge until he retired.
See also
In Spanish: Etienne Oehmichen para niños
