Born: Spain
Primarily active in: United Kingdom

1895-1936

Juan de la Cierva was born in Murcia, Spain. He was one of the pioneers of rotary-wing flight, and was responsible for successfully introducing the flap hinge as a method for making rotary-winged aircraft controllable. He went on to develop many successful autogyros, or gyroplanes, with many companies purchasing licensing rights for the many patents that he developed.

He was killed in an air crash at Croydon, United Kingdom, on December 9, 1936.

Note: This is an interim biography pending the availability of a more complete version