Piasecki, Frank Nicholas

▪ 2009

      American mechanical engineer

born Oct. 24, 1919, Philadelphia, Pa.

died Feb. 11, 2008, Haverford, Pa.

developed his first helicopter (the PV-2), a small one-man chopper, in the early 1940s, and in 1943 he piloted the craft and became the second American (after Russian-born engineer Igor Sikorsky) to design a helicopter that actually worked. It was Piasecki's second effort, however, that gained him renown. The PV-3 (dubbed the “Flying Banana” because of the bend in its fuselage) was a heavy-duty tandem-rotor helicopter built for the U.S. Navy; it could carry a cargo load of up to 2,950 kg (6,500 lb), and later versions were used to transport troops into combat. In addition, Piasecki designed the YH-16, which flew in 1953 and was the first twin turbine helicopter. In 1986 Pres. Ronald Reagan awarded him the National Medal of Technology, and in 2005 Piasecki was the recipient of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Lifetime Achievement Award.

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