Juan de la Cierva

Juan de la Cierva was born in Murcia, Spain, in 1895. He came from a wealthy and aristocratic family, as his father was a lawyer, politician and businessman who served as the war minister under King Alfonso XIII. Juan de la Cierva showed a keen interest in aviation and engineering from a young age. He spent his pocket money on experiments with gliders and built his own airplanes with his friends. He studied civil engineering at the Technical University of Madrid, where he gained a solid foundation in mathematics and physics. In 1919, after designing and building several airplanes, he witnessed the crash of his trimotor plane due to a stall at low speed. This tragic event motivated him to seek a more stable and safe form of aircraft that could fly at low speeds without stalling. He came up with the idea of using a rotor to generate lift, instead of fixed wings. He used the principle of autorotation, whereby a rotor can spin freely without mechanical drive, sustained by the aerodynamic forces acting on the blades. He called his invention the autogiro, a single-rotor type of aircraft that was the forerunner of the modern helicopter. In 1923, after four years of trial and error, he achieved a breakthrough by developing the articulated rotor, which allowed the blades to flap and drag independently, thus reducing vibrations and improving stability. He made his first successful flight of a stable rotary-wing aircraft with his C.4 prototype at Getafe, Spain. His invention attracted worldwide attention and recognition, and he received several awards, including the Daniel Guggenheim Medal and the Elliott Cresson Medal. In 1925, he moved to England with the support of Scottish industrialist James G. Weir, who became his partner and financier. He established the Cierva Autogiro Company and continued to improve his design and performance. He also licensed his patents to other countries, such as France, Germany, Japan and the United States. His autogiros were used for various purposes, such as aerial photography, mail delivery, military reconnaissance and search and rescue missions. Juan de la Cierva was not only an inventor, but also a pilot and a teacher. He flew his autogiros across Europe and America, demonstrating their capabilities and advantages over conventional airplanes. He also taught many students and engineers about his invention and inspired them to pursue their own innovations. He was a visionary who foresaw the potential of vertical flight and laid the foundation for modern helicopters. Juan de la Cierva's life was tragically cut short in 1936, when he was killed in an airplane crash at Croydon aerodrome near London. He was on his way to attend an international conference on aviation in Amsterdam. He was only 41 years old. His death was mourned by many people who admired his genius and contributions to aviation. His legacy lives on in his invention, which revolutionized transportation and saved countless lives through its applications.