19 Images

The YH-19 was the first practical single-rotor utility helicopter. The first in Sikorsky's successful S-55 series, it solved the center-of-gravity problems of earlier models by shifting the engine to the front and the passenger compartment to beneath the rotor hub. Other innovations included offset-flapping hinges and hydraulically boosted irreversible controls. Designed for the Air Force for arctic rescue, the S-55 served all U.S. military branches throughout the 1950s, especially during the Korean War and in most major military conflicts of the early Cold War. Civilian versions pioneered helicopter airline service in the United States and abroad.

This is the first S-55. From its first test flight in 1949, it served mainly at the Sikorsky factory demonstrating improvements to the series and generating flight data. Fred Clark of Orlando Helicopter Airways restored it in 1966 for commercial use. Thirty years later he returned it to its original military configuration.

Display Status

This object is on display in Commercial Aviation at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, VA.

Commercial Aviation

Object Details

Date

1949

Type

CRAFT-Rotary Wing

Manufacturer

Sikorsky Aircraft Company

Dimensions

Rotor diameter: 16.1 m (53 ft)
Length: 12.7 m (41 ft 8.5 in)
Height: 4.5 m (14 ft 8 in)
Weight, empty: 2,237 kg (4,931 lb)
Weight, gross: 3,085 kg (7,200 lb)

Inventory Number

A20060523000

Credit Line

Gift of the Nancy and Fred Clark Family.

Data Source

National Air and Space Museum

Restrictions & Rights

Open Access (CCO)
For more information, visit the Smithsonian’s Terms of Use.