First of the big Sikorskys

Powctplanl: one 522-kW (389-hp.) Wright R – 1300-3 radial piston engine

Maximum speed: 18О knvh (112 mp. h); cruising speed 146 knvh (90 m. p.h.)

cockpit to the high-mounted rotor. With a rear cabin that could earn 10 passengers, the $-55 was an instant success, and its loinbat debut came in Korea It was Цсспсо-buill by Westland in Britain and served with tiic Koval Navy’s Jungly’ squadrons in Malaya dropping commandos into the forest French S-55*.. limit by SNCA. served in Algeria, pursuing the F. NLA into tile Atlas mountains In nuinemus wars from the African desert to tile jungles of

Vietnam S-sss carried out thousands of troop lifts and medevue (medical evacuation) missions later when tc-engfned with a turlxiprop instead of tile heavy piston engine, it gained a new lease of life and soldiered on into the 1990s.

Helicopters really came ol age alter 19li, and the type owes much to ilu work of the great Igor Sikorsky. Alter tlu – pioneering у Si Sikocskv set about building a utility machine for tin l.’S Ліг Гопе. ifckignatcxl II ІЧ rhe first of these, known to the manufacturer as the S-S5. Hew in Nownibct I94V It was p Avennl by a Pratt »4 Wltiltur) radial piston engine, similar to those in wartime fighters file ilm e shaft ran under the

Range: 680 km |360 mi.)

Service ceiling: 3940 m (13.000 ft.)

The S-55 was very similar to its Soviet counterpart, the Mi-4. Both types provided valuable new experience of operating helicopters in unusual roles and conditions.

Seertft-and-rescue S-55e hod a startxxirn-mounted wven.

COMBAT DATA

The wide «labln uajrrcivroQo war. i*ecntw! as the S-55 was l;A. Khougti Ihit negro wuqht w. rti low down EwV hnleopton: often suffered •ground rnsonanoo’ duo to Ow shape, which on occasen caused baa ftcaoonla

H-19B

the main cabm accommodated up to 10 passengers seated agaaist the wa*s taeng owanls. three со the (root and rear watfo, and two each side

five US Air Force operated the S-55 a* the H-19A and H-198 in the air-sea rescue role. Tho same version was known as tho H-19C Chickasaw In US Army service.

110 ka. li |ll? ю р» )

И-І00

210 tusk |IM n. f.k. l

No nekeopter was economical. and the early generation ot machine* used W at a great rale However, «me* they wen dwsgnnd lor slvxlrang* tasks such as coastal rescue, amphbou* assault or одлйс suppor on the battle ЛоЮ Шеи lock ot range was seen as no real handeao

Ttv. «пдігн» ot tho S-56 *»•". conselisnily uprated The i»ur H-tgriada Pten 4 Whflnoy R-1340 nutnii. out the Wight 1820 01 li r HRS-4 had Глад Bwpnwa

Tho tat rotcr was u s»nplo twobUdmi unit. Onvon try а Юпд shaft from the man transiTWaon under tho man rotor

Trip nvii’i firacfeige was of corivmhon« atumnwm orxl mognooujrn owrv

monoooduo construction, except lor the crvomo-mciybdanom «ми rotor pylon

PAYLOAD

The haheoptor* «neb entered server at the one ot Wtond Vfiir II were pushed to cany two or three passenger» as леи as a pkx So the S-55. which mad* as max)an tight in 1940. was a MtvKoeon Capable ol kiting 10 troops it was *»•>, tn* most capobio heftcoplar of И» lm*. only turpmaed by me much tagger Mr MI-4 in the eerty 1950s

In service around the world

Ш US MILITARY S-S5s: Known as the H-19 (At Force). H-19 Ch’c – ;waw (Army), H04S (Navy) and HRS-3 (Manno Corps), tho was tho fTst holicoptor to servo in largo numbers

■ EXPORT SUCCESS: The S-5Ss capability were so far і advance of any other Western helicopter that it sold widely abroad, to more than a dozen countries. Including Canada

■ ROYAL HELICOPTER: The most luxurious ol all S-Й variants, the turbine-powered Westland Whirlwinds ol Britain’s Queen’s Fight (lew until the late 1960s.

И-198 10 tiopps

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