Sikorsky VS-44

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Sikorsky VS-44 was a large four-engined flying boat built in the USA in the early 1940s. The VS-44 was designed primarily for the trans-Atlantic passenger market, with a capacity of 40+ passengers. Three units were produced: Excalibur, Excambian, and Exeter.^[1]

Development

In the early 1930s, the primary mode of long distance air travel over oceans was in flying boats, due to the ease of constructing docking facilities on shore without having to construct runways, and the possibility of malfunction forcing a sea landing. One flying boat designer was Russian immigrant Igor Sikorsky who had founded Sikorsky Aero Engineering Company when he came to the US in 1919. In 1930, his company became a subsidiary of United Aircraft.

XPBS-1 patrol bomber

In March 1935, the United States Navy was making plans for a new patrol bomber that would have increased performance and weapon load capability from their newly procured Consolidated YP3Y-1. Prototypes were ordered from Sikorsky in June 1935 and Consolidated Aircraft in July 1936. Sikorsky's entry, the XPBS-1 (BuNo. 9995), made its first flight on 9 September 1937, the Consolidated XPB2Y-1 on 17 December of the same year.

The XPBS-1 patrol bomber, 1938.

The XPBS-1 was evaluated by the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) in 1938, but the Navy contract went to Consolidated. The XPBS-1 remained in naval service, temporarily operated by Patrol Wing Five at Norfolk, Virginia in 1939, then by Patrol Wing Two at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, until it was finally assigned to transport squadron VR-2 at Naval Air Station Alameda, in 1940. On 30 June 1942, the XPBS-1 hit a submerged log upon landing at NAS Alameda. Among its passengers was CINCPAC Admiral Chester W. Nimitz who suffered minor injuries. One member of the flight crew, Lt. Thomas M. Roscoe, died. The XPBS-1 sank and was lost.^[2]

VS-44 commercial flying boat

By 1940 Sikorsky had merged with Chance Vought under the umbrella of United Aircraft and hoped to regain the Pan Am Clipper routes once serviced by their S-42 with the new Vought-Sikorsky VS-44, based on the XPBS-1.

A single deck seaplane with four twin-row Pratt & Whitney Twin Wasps rated at 1,200 horsepower (895 kW) each, the new aircraft was 80 feet (24 m) in length and weighed in at 57,500 lb (26,100 kg) for takeoff. The Boeing 314 Clipper was larger and had more powerful Wright Twin Cyclones of 1,600 horsepower (1,193 kW), but the VS-44 was 30 miles per hour (48 km/h) faster and could fly an average payload more than 4,000 miles (6,400 km), out distancing the big Boeing by 500 mi (800 km) giving it the longest full-payload range of any aircraft. The VS-44 brought home several new world records after it went into operation, but, missing out on a Pan Am contract, who instead purchased the Martin M-130 and later the Boeing 314 Clipper.,^[3] the VS-44’s limited production would never recoup the development costs.

Operational service

Commercial service

American Export Airlines (AEA) ordered three VS-44s, dubbed ‘Flying Aces’ and named Excalibur (NX41880; later as NC41880), Excambian (no NX; later as NC41881), and Exeter (no NX; later as NC41882) after the parent company's Four Aces passenger liners. AEA had grown out of the American Export Lines steamship line, so naturally these planes gave nothing away to cruise ships. Sikorsky’s standard of luxury boasted full-length beds, dressing rooms, full galley, snack bar, lounge and fully controlled ventilation.

Sikorsky VS-44 NC41881 displayed at the New England Air Museum wearing American Export Airlines colours in June 2005

Sikorsky VS-44A Excambian

World War II

With the American entry into World War II, 200 of the nation's 360 airliners were requisitioned for military service.^[4] AEA’s three VS-44’s, now with the Navy designation JR2S-1, continued flying between New York and Foynes, Ireland, carrying passengers, freight and materiel. The first VS-44, Excalibur, crashed on takeoff in 1942 at Botwood, Newfoundland, killing 11 of 37 aboard.^[5] A proposed licensed version of the VS-44 to be built by Nash-Kelvinator, the JRK-1, was cancelled due to the availability of the impressed JR2S aircraft.^[6]

Post War Service

After the war, the two remaining VS-44s continued to fly for AEA, now renamed American Overseas Airlines (AOA) and operated by American Airlines.

In 1946, Exeter was sold to TACI of Montevideo, Uruguay, as CX-AIR. It crashed on August 15, 1947 while landing in River Plate off Montevideo when (allegedly) returning from a smuggling flight to Paraguayan rebels. 4 out of the 5 crew were killed, but both passengers survived.

In 1949, AOA sold Excambian to Tampico Airlines. A short-lived effort to restore the only remaining VS-44 to run freight in the Amazon was unsuccessful, leaving the flying boat stranded in Ancon Harbor, Peru.

By the late 1950s, two Southern California businessmen had heard of the Excambian's plight and had her ferried to Long Beach, where restoration work began. Dick Probert and Walter von Kleinsmid of Avalon Air Transport, (AAT) thought the VS-44 would be perfect for the Catalina tourist trade. AAT named her Mother Goose, to complement the line’s Grumman Goose amphibians, and plans were made to utilize her for summer travel. In the winter, N41881 would undergo maintenance.

Excambian carried thousands of passengers for AAT until 1967 when it was sold to Charles Blair of Antilles Air Boats. Blair, husband of actress Maureen O'Hara, acquired Excambian to ferry passengers among the Virgin Islands. On January 3, 1969 she was extensively damaged by rocks while taxiing at Charlotte Amalie, US Virgin Islands. Damaged beyond economic repair, it was beached in March 1972 and converted into a hot dog stand.

Restoration and Museum Piece

In 1976, Excambian was donated to the Naval Aviation Museum at Pensacola, Florida. In 1983 the Navy transferred the aircraft on permanent loan to the New England Air Museum in Windsor Locks, Connecticut. A restoration of Excambian to its post-WWII American Export Airlines livery was begun in 1987 by a team of volunteers with Sikorsky support. Many of the volunteers were Sikorsky retirees who had worked on the original construction of the planes. ^[7] The restoration was completed in 1997 and the aircraft was put on display at the New England Air Museum. ^[8]

Specifications (Excalibur)

Data from Sharpe, 2000. p 309.

General characteristics

Length: 79 ft 3 in (24.15 m)
Wingspan: 124 ft in (37.79 m)
Height: 27 ft 7.25 in (8.41 m)
Gross weight: 57,500 lb (26,082 kg)
Powerplant: 4 × Pratt & Whitney R-1830-S1C3-G, 1200 hp (895 kW) each

Performance

Cruise speed: 160 mph (257 km/h)
Range: 3,800 miles (6,116 km)

References

Notes

↑ Sharpe, 2000. p 309.
↑ http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/aircraft/pbs.htm
↑ airliners.net
↑ "America by Air". Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. Retrieved 2012-10-14.
↑ Oliver Moore, "The search for Excalibur, the doomed flying boat: The Sikorsky VS-44, a huge hulk of a plane, crashed and sank off Newfoundland in 1942. Now, a US team aims to recover its human remains," globeandmail.com, Sept. 11, 2008.
↑ Butler and Hagedorn 2004, p.175.
↑ http://www.sikorskyarchives.com/S-44%20restore.php
↑ http://neam.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=884 "Sikorsky VS-44A 'Excambian'"

Bibliography

Bill Maloney's pictures of the VS44A at the New England Air Museum
Popular Science, November 1941, "New Planes For Ocean Travel" early article on VS-44 with cutaway drawing of VS-44 on page 83 of three page article.
"Sikorsky VS-44 Flying Boat" YouTube excellent photos
Butler, Phil; Dan Hagedorn (2004). Air Arsenal North America: Purchases & Lend-lease, Aircraft for the Allies 1938-1945. Midland Publishing. ISBN 1857801636. Cite uses deprecated parameters (help)
Sharpe, Michael (2000). Biplanes, Triplanes, and Seaplanes. London: Friedman/Fairfax Books. ISBN 1-58663-300-7.

External links

Media related to Sikorsky VS-44 at Wikimedia Commons
Video slideshow of Sikorsky VS-44 Flying Boats

USN/USMC utility aircraft designations 1935–1955

Utility

Fokker	JA

Noorduyn	JA

Beechcraft	JB

Curtiss-Wright	JC

Douglas	JD

Bellanca	JE

Grumman	JF J2F J3F J4F

Stearman-Hammond	JH

Fairchild	JK J2K

Columbia	JL

Martin	JM

Lockheed	JO

Fairchild	JQ J2Q

Ford	JR

Waco	JW J2W

Utility transport

Beechcraft	JRB

Cessna	JRC

Grumman	JRF JR2F

Nash-Kelvinator	JRK

Martin	JRM JR2M

Sikorsky	JRS JR2S

v t e Sikorsky Aircraft

Fixed-wing aircraft	S-1 S-2 S-3 S-4 S-5 S-6 S-7 S-8 S-9 S-10 S-11 S-12 S-13 S-14 S-15 S-16 S-17 S-18 S-19 S-20 S-21 S-22 S-23 S-24 S-25 S-26 S-27 S-28 S-29-A S-30 S-31 S-32 S-33 S-34 S-35 S-36 S-37 S-38 S-39 S-40 S-41 S-42 S-43 VS-44 S-45

Helicopters (Company designations)	VS-300 (S-46) S-47 S-48 S-49 S-51 S-52 S-53 S-54 S-55 S-56 S-57 S-58 S-59 S-60 S-61 S-61L/N S-61R S-62 S-63 S-64 S-65 S-66 S-67 S-68 S-69 S-70 S-71 S-72 S-73 S-74 S-75 S-76 S-80 S-92/H-92 S-97 S-300 S-333 S-434

Helicopters (Military designations)	SH-3 HH-3E/F R-4 H-5 H-6 H-18 H-19 H-34 CH-37 XH-39 HH-52A CH-53 CH-53E CH-53K CH-54 HH-60G HH-60J MH-60R/S SH-60B/F SH-60J/K UH-60 VH-60 RAH-66 CH-124 CH-148

Experimental aircraft	Cypher Cypher II Firefly X2 XBLR-3 XV-2

v t e Lists relating to aviation

General	Aircraft manufacturers Aircraft engines manufacturers Gliders Airlines defunct Airports Civil authorities Museums Registration prefixes Rotorcraft manufacturers Timeline

Military	Air forces Weapons Experimental Missiles Unmanned

Accidents/incidents	Commercial airliners by location Fatalities by death toll General aviation Military

Records	Airspeed Altitude Distance Endurance Firsts Large Most-produced aircraft Most-produced rotorcraft

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike; additional terms may apply for the media files.