Rotorcraft · ICAO S55P

Sikorsky HRS

The Sikorsky S-55 was a breakthrough transport helicopter because its piston engine was mounted in the nose, leaving a large cabin behind the cockpit. Earlier helicopters often put the engine near the centre of gravity, severely restricting usable cabin space. In US military service it was known as the H-19 Chickasaw and served in Korea and Vietnam. Its long nose and high cabin became a defining silhouette of 1950s helicopter design.

Sikorsky HRS, example photo from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: U.S. Department of Defense · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Did you know?

In US military service the Sikorsky S-55 was called the H-19 Chickasaw, its nose-mounted engine freeing a large cabin behind the cockpit.

Specifications

Length14.3 m (47 ft)
Height4.1 m (13 ft)
Rotor diameter16.2 m (53 ft)
Maximum passengers10
Persons on board12
Crew3
Maximum take-off weight3.2 t
Range380 NM (704 km)
Maximum speed105 kt (194 km/h)
Service ceiling14,000 ft (4,267 m)
Optimum ceiling8,000 ft (2,438 m)
Rate of climb700 ft/min (3.6 m/s)
Engines1x Wright R-1300
Units built1,281

Curated by CatchFlights from manufacturer documents, ICAO Doc 8643 and reference works; values are left out where no source could confirm them. Sources are listed on our credits page.

In CatchFlights

In CatchFlights the Sikorsky HRS starts as a Legendary catch. The tier is an editorial judgement of how special a sighting of this type is. The more often you catch it, the closer it moves to Common for you. The first catch of a legendary type pays a bonus of its own.

A catch counts for the manufacturer Sikorsky, the HRS family and the model in your collection, and the daily Type Rating quiz asks about the types of each family.

Catch it yourself.CatchFlights shows the aircraft flying near you on a radar, so a type like this one is only a catch away when it passes overhead. Explore CatchFlights.

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