Obituaries : Gerald J. Vidal; Aviation Pioneer, Helped Invent Copter Forerunner

Gerald John Vidal, 88, aviation pioneer who co-invented the “Planycopter,” a forerunner of the helicopter. Born in Peru, Vidal immigrated to the United States, where he studied aeronautics and settled in Los Angeles, supporting himself at odd jobs, including as a Hollywood propman, dance instructor, chauffeur and mechanic. Later a trainer at North American Aviation and its successor, Rockwell Corp., Vidal in 1930 worked with two other men to build his “flying vertical machine” in Los Angeles. Also called a “windmill,” the early versions had eight blades, four rotating clockwise and four counterclockwise. Unable to sell their invention during the Depression, the inventors dismantled it and shipped it East, where Sikorsky engineers refined and developed the modern helicopter. Vidal was with the U.S. Aircorp during World War II. During his retirement years, Vidal became a minister for Jehovah’s Witnesses. On Dec. 18 in Van Nuys.