Gustave de Ponton d'Amecourt, Gaspard Felix Tounachon and Gabriel de la Landelle: A Re-evaluation of the Contributions of the "Triumvirat Helicopteroidal" to the Early History of Rotary-wing Flight

Gustave de Ponton d'Amécourt, Gaspard Félix Tounachon and Guillaume Joseph Gabriel de La Landelle, dubbed the "Triumvirat Hélicoptèroidal" by French physicist Jacques Babinet, played indirect and subtle roles in the early history of the development of rotary-wing flight in the latter 19th century in Paris. Tournachon, adopting the professional name of 'Nadar', innovated aerial photography (from a balloon), forever changing the way people viewed the earth and significantly contributing to an enthusiasm for aviation, a term thought to have been coined by fantasy artist Gabriel de la Landelle. Landelle's appealing representations of just-possible future helicopter-ships caught the public fancy, also contributing to an awareness of such potential flight. Vicomte Gustave de Ponton d'Amécourt had begun working on a steam-powered coaxial rotary-wing design in 1853 - in the process, coining the word 'helicopter', and by 1863 a steam powered aluminum model had been produced by mechanic L. Joseph of Arras. Although the model aircraft failed, it represented the first use of aluminum in engine construction and was a milestone attempt to solve the weight/power issues necessary for manned flight that had been set forth by Sir George Caley, the "father of aerodynamics", in his 1809-10 series of papers under the collective title "On Aerial Navigation." These three, under the direction and promotion of Nadar, formed the 'Société d'Autolocomotion Aérienne' in 1862, the name of which was changed two years later to Société d'Aviation – the first organization to employ this term. These efforts resulting in a greatly increased public enthusiasm and awareness among the common people and notables of the time, and came to involve and inspire Jules Verne, who became the organization's secretary and promoter. Verne, in 1886, wrote Robur-le-Conquérant (Robur the Conqueror), known in English as The Clipper of the Clouds, the first helicopter novel, which would be read a young Russian boy and, much later, cited as a seminal inspiration – his name was Igor Sikorsky