Sikorsky S-43

S-43 (JRS-1)
U.S. Navy Sikorsky JRS-1 in 1945
Role	Flying boat airliner
National origin	United States
Manufacturer	Sikorsky Aircraft
Designer	Igor Sikorsky
First flight	1935
Introduction	1934
Primary user	Pan American Airways
Number built	53

The Sikorsky S-43 was a twin engine amphibious aircraft manufactured in United States during the 1930s by the American firm Sikorsky Aircraft.

Design and development

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 and 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.

Operational history

The Norwegian Sikorsky S-43 LN-DAG Valkyrien at Gressholmen Airport near Oslo in 1936.

Sikorsky S-43 preserved at Pima Air & Space Museum, Tucson AZ, in 2005, painted to represent a USMC JRS-1 of VMJ-2 Squadron.

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 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.

Two aircraft went to private owners: Harold Vanderbilt and Howard Hughes. Hughes' S-43 remains the last example of this aircraft type flying [1].

Accidents and incidents

• June 2, 1937: A Linea Aerea Nacional de Chile S-43 disappeared over the Sea of Chile with 9 on board.
• August 3, 1937: A Pan Am Grace Airways (Panagra) S-43 crashed 20 miles off Cristobal, Panama; all 14 on board died. The flying boat probably struck the water at high speed and was destroyed by an immediate explosion and fire.
• August 8, 1937: A China National Aviation Corporation (CNAC) S-43 ditched at Chilang Point, Bias Bay, China, killing the three crew; all 8 passengers survived. The flying boat was forced to ditch due to bad weather. High waves broke one wing off; the 8 passengers clung to the other wing until rescued.

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)
• Wing area: 781 ft² (72.5 m²)
• Empty: 12,750 lb (5,783 kg)
• Loaded: lb ( kg)
• Maximum takeoff: 19,096 lb (8,662 kg)
• Powerplant: 2× Pratt & Whitney R-1690-52 radials, 750 hp (560 kW) each

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)
• Wing loading: lb/ft² (115.84 kg/m²)
• Power/mass: hp/lb ( kW/kg)

See also

Related development

• Sikorsky S-42
  

Related lists

• List of aircraft of World War II
  

References

Notes

Bibliography

• Simpson, Rod (2001). Airlife's World Aircraft. Airlife Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1-84037-115-3. 
• Swanborough, Gordon (1963). United States Military Aircraft since 1909. Putnam & Co. Ltd. ISBN none. 
• Swanborough, Gordon (1990). United States Navy Aircraft since 1911. Putnam Aeronautical Press. ISBN 0-87021-792-5. 

External links

• Video - Howard Hughes Sikorsky S-43