https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sikorsky_S-43
The Sikorsky S-43 was a twin-engine amphibious aircraft manufactured in United
States during the 1930s by the American firm Sikorsky Aircraft.
The S-43 first flew in 1935, and was a smaller version of the Sikorsky S-42
"Clipper". It accommodated between 18 and 25 passengers, with a separate
two-crew forward cockpit. The S-43 was known as the "Baby Clipper" in airline
service.
On April 14, 1936, an S-43 with a 500 kilograms (1,100 lb) payload, piloted by
Boris Sergievsky, set an altitude record for amphibious aircraft when it reached
an altitude of 27,950 feet above Stamford, Connecticut. Also aboard was designer
Igor Sikorsky.
In total, approximately 53 S-43s were built, including examples of the
twin-tailed S-43B.
Role
Flying boat airliner
National origin
United States
Manufacturer
Sikorsky Aircraft
Designer
Igor Sikorsky
First flight
1935
Introduction
1934
Primary users
Pan American Airways
Hawaiian Airlines
Number built
53
The S-43 was used primarily by Pan American World Airways for flights to Cuba
and within Latin America. Two were also flown by Reeve Aleutian Airways in
Alaska and three were used by Inter-Island Airways of Hawaii, the predecessor to
modern-day Hawaiian Airlines, to ferry Pan-Am Clipper passengers and local
residents from Honolulu to the other islands. One aircraft was purchased by
Norwegian airline Det Norske Luftfartselskap. Panair do Brasil operated seven
aircraft. Five S-43s were used between 1937 and 1945 by the French company
(Congo). Reeve Aleutian Airways owned two S-43s during the 1950s, one
operational (N53294 purchased 1948 and trade for G-21 in 1957) and one for
spares (fuselage at Alaska Aviation Heritage Museum). Another S-43 was operated
in Alaska with an unknown operator, wrecked at Chignik, AK, 1950s.
Five aircraft were acquired by the U.S. Army Air Corps in 1937 under the
designation OA-8 and were used for transport of freight and passengers. 17
aircraft were procured by the U.S. Navy between 1937 and 1939 as the JRS-1, two
of which served the U.S. Marine Corps. One JRS survived in service at the end of
1941.
The Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in
Virginia is currently restoring a Sikorsky JRS-1 that was on duty at Pearl
Harbor on December 7th, 1941.
Two aircraft went to private owners: Harold Vanderbilt and Howard Hughes.
Hughes' S-43 N440 remains the last example of this aircraft type flying . It is
now owned by Kermit Weeks and has been relocated from Texas to the restoration
facility at the Fantasy of Flight Museum in Polk City, Florida where it is
awaiting reassembly and restoration.
Specifications (S-43)
General characteristics
Crew: two (pilot, copilot)
Capacity: 19 passengers
Length: 51 ft 2 in (15.60 m)
Wingspan: 86 ft 0 in (26.21 m)
Height: 17 ft 8 in (5.38 m)
Empty: 12,750 lb (5,783 kg)
Loaded: lb ( kg)
Maximum takeoff: 19,096 lb (8,662 kg)
Performance
Maximum speed: 190 mph (306 km/h)
Range: 775 miles (1,247 km)
Service ceiling: 20,700 ft (6,310 m)
Rate of climb: ft/min ( m/min)
Power/mass: hp/lb ( kW/kg)
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