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Serge Eugene Gluhareff (1903-1958) was an engineer who worked on several major Sikorsky aircraft models. Gluhareff was born in Russia in 1903 and went to school in Finland from 1919 to 1924, obtaining an engineering degree from the School of St. Alexis. While in Finland, Serge and his brother Michael (also an engineer) built and flew their own gliders. Serge and Michael came to the United States in 1924 and went to work for the Sikorsky Aero Engineering Corp. in Westbury, Long Island, New York as engineering draftsmen. Serge rose through the ranks becoming engineering supervisor at the Sikorsky plant in College Point, Long Island (1926-1929), then executive engineer (1934-1943) and later assistant engineering manager for research and development at the Stratford, Connecticut facility, a position he held from 1943 until he was forced to retire for health reasons in 1954. Serge had a long and close association with Igor Ivanovich Sikorsky and was the project engineer for important Sikorsky models such as the Sikorsky S-39 Sport Amphibion; Sikorsky S-40 Clipper; Sikorsky S-42 Clipper; Sikorsky VS-44; Sikorsky S-34; and the Sikorsky S-36. Serge also assisted in the development of Sikorsky's early helicopter models, including the Sikorsky VS-300. Serge obtained his pilot's license in 1928 and acted as test pilot for some early flights of the VS-300. Serge was also a member of many professional organizations including the Institute of the Aeronautical Sciences; American Helicopter Society; Society of Automotive Engineers; and the Connecticut Association of Professional Engineers.
NASM.2015.0050
Gluhareff, Serge Eugene
bulk 1920 -1986
David Gluhareff, Gift, 2015
0.45 Cubic feet ((3 boxes))
National Air and Space Museum Archives
This collection consists of approximately 0.20 cubic feet of material relating to Serge Gluhareff's career with Sikorsky Aircraft including: photographs; news clippings; correspondence; philatelic materials; immigration paperwork; and his pilot's licenses, medical certificates, and ratings. Notable figures who appear in the photographs (in addition to Serge Gluhareff) include Michael E. Gluhareff; Igor Ivanovich Sikorsky; H. Franklin Gregory; Dimitry D. "Jimmy" Viner; Reginald Alfred Charles Brie; Charles L. "Les" Morris; and Leslie Bradford Cooper. Aircraft seen in the photographs include the Sikorsky (VS-317) S-51; Sikorsky S-39 Sport Amphibion; Sikorsky (VS-316A, S-48) XR-4; Sikorsky (VS-317, S-51) XR-5; Sikorsky (VS-316A, S-48) R-4B (H-4B); Sikorsky S-43 Amphibion (Baby Clipper); Sikorsky VS-300 ; and the Sikorsky S-37 "Ville de Paris" ("Southern Star"). Also in the collection are digital image files scanned from a diary, loaned for copying by the donor, written by Serge Gluhareff's wife, Norma. These pages contain both her written recollections of Serge and his career, as well as photographs.
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests
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Serge Gluhareff Papers, Accession 2015-0050, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Sikorsky (USA) VS-300 Family
Sikorsky (VS-316A, S-48) YR-4B (YH-4B)
Lockheed WV-2Q (EC-121M) Warning Star
Sikorsky S-39A Sport Amphibion
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Photographic prints
Correspondence
Logbooks
Diaries