The Sikorsky S-10 was a Russian military twin-float
seaplane
A seaplane is a powered fixed-wing aircraft capable of taking off and landing (alighting) on water.Gunston, "The Cambridge Aerospace Dictionary", 2009. Seaplanes are usually divided into two categories based on their technological characteri ...
that served with the
Russian Navy's
Baltic Fleet from the summer of 1913 to 1915. After
Igor Sikorsky
Igor Ivanovich Sikorsky (russian: И́горь Ива́нович Сико́рский, p=ˈiɡərʲ ɪˈvanəvitʃ sʲɪˈkorskʲɪj, a=Ru-Igor Sikorsky.ogg, tr. ''Ígor' Ivánovich Sikórskiy''; May 25, 1889 – October 26, 1972)Fortie ...
built the successful
Sikorsky S-6 for the Russian military, he tried to build another successful aircraft for them. The S-10 was a modified S-6B built by the
Russo-Baltic Carriage Factory. Approximately sixteen production versions of the S-10 were built. It had a less powerful engine and generally weaker structure than the S-6. They had either an 80 hp
Gnome Monosoupape
The ''Monosoupape'' (French for single-valve), was a rotary engine design first introduced in 1913 by Gnome Engine Company (renamed Gnome et Rhône in 1915). It used a clever arrangement of internal transfer ports and a single pushrod-operated e ...
or a 100 hp
Argus Motoren
''Argus Motoren'' was a German manufacturing firm known for their series of small inverted-V engines and the Argus As 014 pulsejet for the V-1 flying bomb.
History
Started in Berlin in 1906 as a subsidiary of Henri Jeannin's automobile busines ...
engine. Some were deployed on the world's first operational
seaplane carrier
A seaplane tender is a boat or ship that supports the operation of seaplanes. Some of these vessels, known as seaplane carriers, could not only carry seaplanes but also provided all the facilities needed for their operation; these ships are rega ...
s.
Development
Sikorsky built a special S-10 for the 1913 military aircraft competition. This particular S-10 had an 80 HP Gnome engine. The wing span was increased by 150 mm and were fitted with outer panels that could be folded for storage. The two seats were fitted side-by-side, and the
yoke
A yoke is a wooden beam sometimes used between a pair of oxen or other animals to enable them to pull together on a load when working in pairs, as oxen usually do; some yokes are fitted to individual animals. There are several types of yoke, u ...
could be switched between the pilot and co-pilot during flight.
The aircraft also took the first prize in the competition although it lacked the speed and manoeuvrability of the S-6B. Its payload of 48% of the aircraft weight was exceptional. After its wingspan had been reduced by another 3050 mm and the Gnome engine was replaced by a stronger Monosoupape engine, the S-10 served as both a reconnaissance and trainer on floats with the Baltic Fleet.
Records
Russian
Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including:
*Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...
test pilot Gleb Alekhnovich set a Russian record by flying non-stop 500 km in 4 hours 56 minutes and 12 seconds with the S-10.
Operators
;
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...
*
Russian Navy
**
Baltic Fleet
Specifications (S-X with monosoupape engine)
See also
*
Sikorsky Aircraft
References
{{Sikorsky Aircraft
1910s Russian military reconnaissance aircraft
S-010
Biplanes
S-10
Single-engined tractor aircraft
Rotary-engined aircraft
Aircraft first flown in 1913