Grigore Brișcu

Grigore Brişcu (1884 in Bârlad – 1965 in Bucharest) was a Romanian engineer and inventor.^[1]

1909 Brişcu was the first engineer to begin experimenting with the cyclic variation of rotor blade pitch to ensure horizontal flight and stability in helicopters. He invented a prototype "air-carriage" with all the features of a helicopter-like flying-machine: horizontal, vertical and lateral movement and fixed-point landing. It was equipped with two coaxial propellers rotating in opposite directions. This was flown experimentally by the French aviator Paul Cornu, who built a prototype with an Antoinett engine. The Brişcu rotary engine was patented by the Romanian Office for Inventions (patent no. 2323/2046 of 1912).

References

1. Petru Ciontu, Inventatori români, p.46. Editura Osim, 2000