The Sikorsky S-8 ''Malyutka'' (baby) was a small Russian single engine aircraft built by the
Russian Baltic Railroad Car Works shortly 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 ...
became chief engineer of the aircraft manufacturing division in 1912.
Design and development
The S-8 was a two bay
biplane trainer powered by a
Gnome air-cooled
rotary engine
The rotary engine is an early type of internal combustion engine, usually designed with an odd number of cylinders per row in a radial configuration. The engine's crankshaft remained stationary in operation, while the entire crankcase and its ...
with the main wings and landing gear of similar design to the
S-6-A. Completed early in the summer of 1912, the aircraft featured a side by side seating arrangement with controls that could be moved between the instructor and student. For improved downward visibility the lower wing had no fabric covering between the
wing root
The wing root is the part of the wing on a fixed-wing aircraft or winged-spaceship that is closest to the fuselage
The fuselage (; from the French ''fuselé'' "spindle-shaped") is an aircraft's main body section. It holds crew, passengers, o ...
and first
rib.
[
]
Operational history
On the evening of 17 September 1912, Sikorsky piloted the S-8 on a ninety minute night flight from the Korpusnoi Aerodrome near Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
. He landed with help of fires set at the airfield.
Specifications
References
{{Sikorsky Aircraft
S-8
Biplanes
Aircraft first flown in 1912
Rotary-engined aircraft