It is a great honour for me to present this lecture as a tribute to the memory of La Cierva.

In my opinion, La Cierva was more than a pioneer who designed practical rotor-craft: he was, above all, the engineer who tried to understand how these machines worked and what is more remarkable, he sometimes succeeded! I am afraid that this attitude of mind has been somewhat forgotten since La Cierva, but the manufacturers willing to survive should now follow his example.

I have been asked to present the next generation of French helicopters but it would be more appropriate to speak of the next generation of Anglo-French helicopters. For, as you know, the models of the near future are being developed and produced under the terms of a co-operation agreement concluded between our two Governments. Other lecturers, with better qualifications, have already emphasised the “pros” and “cons” of these international programmes.