__NOTOC__ The Sikorsky S-31 was a 1920s

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

sesquiplane A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While a ...

designed and built by the

Sikorsky Manufacturing Corporation Sikorsky Aircraft is an American aircraft manufacturer based in Stratford, Connecticut. It was established by aviation pioneer Igor Sikorsky in 1923 and was among the first companies to manufacture helicopters for civilian and military use. Pr ...

and configured for aerial photography.

Design and development

The S-31 was a sesquiplane built for photographic work by the Fairchild Flying Corporation. It had two open cockpits and a cabin for the photographic equipment. The S-31 was powered by a

Wright Whirlwind J-4 The Wright R-790 Whirlwind was a series of nine-cylinder air-cooled radial aircraft engines built by Wright Aeronautical Corporation, with a total displacement of about and around . These engines were the earliest members of the Wright Whirlwi ...

engine and first flew in September 1925. Following participation in the New York Air Races in October 1925 it was shipped to Brazil to be used by Fairchild for aerial photographic work. At some point the S-31 had twin Lewis machine guns ring-mounted on the rear cockpit.

Specifications

References

1920s United States civil utility aircraft S-031 Sesquiplanes Single-engined tractor aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1925 {{aero-1920s-stub