Helicopter

Hello. I am a helicopter. I have big, long arms that spin round and round on top of my head. They look like a giant whirly hat. Whir, whir, whir. When they spin fast, I can fly. I am very special because I don't need a long road to take off like an airplane. I can go straight up into the sky. Whee. And I can stay in one spot, just floating in the air like a little hummingbird looking for a flower. It feels like I am dancing in the sky all by myself. I love the feeling of the wind beneath my spinning blades when I lift off the ground and go up, up, up.

My creator was a very kind man named Igor Sikorsky. When he was a boy, he loved watching tiny dragonflies zip and zoom through the air, and he dreamed of making something big that could fly just like them. He worked very, very hard to build me. He gave me my big whirly hat on top to lift me high, high, high into the clouds. He also gave me a tiny spinning tail. That little tail is very important. It keeps me from getting dizzy and spinning in circles, so I can fly straight and true. One very special day, on September 14th, 1939, I tried to fly for the very first time. I wobbled a little bit, and then, whoosh. I lifted right off the ground. I was flying. Igor was so happy, and I was so proud of my wobbly wings.

Now that I'm all grown up, I have so many important jobs to do. I am a helper in the sky. If someone is stuck on a big, tall mountain where it is hard to walk, I can fly right up to help them. When there is a big fire in the forest, I can carry a giant bucket of water to help the brave firefighters put out the flames from above. I can also land in tiny places where airplanes can't go, like on the top of a tall building or on a boat out in the big, blue sea. I love being a special flying machine that can zoom in to help people whenever they need me. It makes my engine hum with happiness.