Science: Copter Hop

The helicopter came of age in 1950 in the Korean war. On awkward, whirring wings, from Korean battlefields to Brazilian jungles, it has fluttered to the rescue of grounded airmen. It has ferried passengers and cargo to remote landings that were unreachable by conventional, straight-wing planes. Last week the helicopter added new range to its versatility. In a 3,400-mile hop, skip & jump, a pair of Sikorsky H19 helicopters landed in Prestwick, Scotland, after a leisurely 16-day flight from Westover Field, Mass. For the first time, rotary-wing aircraft had spanned the Atlantic.

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