George Bothezat

George Bothezat

Russian-American engineer, aircraft designer and entrepreneur
Date of Birth: 07.06.1882
Country: Romania

Content:
  1. Early Life and Education
  2. Career in Russia
  3. Research and Development in the United States
  4. Helicopter Design and Legacy
  5. Return to Helicopter Research and Death

Early Life and Education

George de Bothezat was born in Iași, Romania, in 1882. He received his early education in Romania and then went on to study electrical engineering in Belgium, graduating in 1907. He later studied mechanical engineering at the Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute in Ukraine and completed his education in Germany, where he earned a doctorate in aeromechanics from the University of Paris.

Career in Russia

After returning to Russia in 1911, de Bothezat joined the faculty of the Saint Petersburg Polytechnical University and conducted research on propeller theory. In 1914, he became the director of the Polytechnic Institute in Novocherkassk, but the outbreak of World War I forced him to return to Saint Petersburg and join the technical committee of the Imperial Russian Air Force.

During the war, de Bothezat developed a single-engine aircraft and headed the chief aerodrome in Saint Petersburg. In 1918, he fled to the United States after the Russian Revolution.

Research and Development in the United States

In the United States, de Bothezat worked for the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics and taught at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Columbia University. In 1921, he received a grant from the U.S. Army Air Service to develop a helicopter.

Helicopter Design and Legacy

De Bothezat designed a quadrotor helicopter, known as the Bothezat helicopter, which successfully flew in 1922. However, the Army deemed the design impractical, and the project was terminated.

After his experience with the Army, de Bothezat founded his own company, De Bothezat Impeller Company, Inc., which manufactured industrial fans used on U.S. Navy cruisers. He also wrote essays on various topics and famously challenged Albert Einstein's theory of relativity.

Return to Helicopter Research and Death

In 1938, de Bothezat returned to helicopter research, founding the Air-Screw Research Syndicate (later renamed the Helicopter Corporation of America). He died in 1940 before seeing his SV-5 helicopter successfully fly.

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