Igor Sikorsky accompanied his father to Germany and through conversations with his father, became interested in natural sciences. After returning home, Sikorsky began to experiment with model flying machines, and by age 12, he had made a small rubber band-powered helicopter. Sikorsky began studying at the Saint Petersburg Maritime Cadet Corps, in 1903, at the age of 14. In 1906, he determined that his future lay in engineering, so he resigned from the academy, despite his satisfactory standing, and left the Russian Empire to study in Paris. He returned to the Russian Empire in 1907, enrolling at the Mechanical College of the
Sikorsky S-20 because it was viewed as inferior to newer enemy aircraft, and no series production was undertaken. As such, only five aircraft were ever produced. Sikorsky S-20 The Sikorsky S-20 (named after its designer) or RBVZ S-XX (named after its manufacturer) was a Russian single-bay unequal span two-seat biplane designed by Igor Sikorsky in 1916. Displaying some Nieuport influence, it saw very little service during World War I. Five S-XX aircraft were built in September 1916, with the first two powered by the 100 hp Gnome rotary engine which had powered its predecessor, the RBVZ S-XVI. However, the other three were