The Sikorsky S-60

helicopter A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forward, backward and laterally. These attribu ...

, a

prototype A prototype is an early sample, model, or release of a product built to test a concept or process. It is a term used in a variety of contexts, including semantics, design, electronics, and software programming. A prototype is generally used to ...

" flying crane", was derived from the S-56 in 1958. Proving to be underpowered, the development of the S-60 led to the larger, turbine-engined

Sikorsky CH-54 Tarhe The Sikorsky CH-54 Tarhe is an American twin-engine heavy-lift helicopter designed by Sikorsky Aircraft for the United States Army. It is named after Tarhe, an 18th-century chief of the Wyandot Indian tribe whose nickname was "The Crane". ...

military transport helicopter, and its civil S-64 Skycrane variant, which were already on the drawing board by the time the sole example of the S-60 crashed on 3 April 1961.

Design and development

In 1958, Sikorsky began designing the S-60 as a prototype " flying crane" helicopter. The S-60 utilized the transmission, rotor system and piston engines from the CH-37/S-56.Donald 1997, p.?Harding 1997, p. 237. The fuselage of the S-60 was a simple "pod-and-boom" design with the engines mounted in side pods and long tailwheel-style landing gear that allowed it to straddle cargoes. The crew cabin was mounted in the nose, with aft-mounted controls for the co-pilot to use during loading and unloading operations. The S-60 had an automatic stabilization system to allow it to hover precisely, using inputs from a sidestick controller. Up to of outsized cargo such as vehicles could be slung beneath the boom, while passengers and other cargo could be carried in a large interchangeable pod that attached to the fuselage.

Operational history

Sikorsky S-60 with S-58 at NAS Quonset Point 1960

The S-60 ( registered N807) first flew on March 25, 1959. The helicopter accumulated 333 hours of flight in its two-year flight career, and was evaluated by the US Navy, with demonstrations also flown for the US Army. While effective in its designed role, the helicopter proved to be underpowered. Sikorsky was already working on an enlarged, turboshaft-powered successor, the Model S-64, which was ordered into production for the US Army as the

. Igor Sikorsky was fully involved in the development of the prototype S-60, from the initial design through flight testing. It was one of the last aircraft to have this distinction. The prototype crashed in April 1961.Warbird Information Exchange
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Survivor

The wreckage of the S-60 was transferred to the

New England Air Museum The New England Air Museum (NEAM) is an American aerospace museum located adjacent to Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, Connecticut. The museum consists of three display hangars with additional storage and restoration hangars. Its co ...

in the 1970s, and is currently being restored by its new owners, the Connecticut Air and Space Center, in

Stratford, Connecticut Stratford is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It is situated on Long Island Sound at the mouth of the Housatonic River. Stratford is in the Bridgeport–Stamford–Norwalk Metropolitan Statistical Area. It was settled ...

."S-60 Prototype SkyCrane."
''cascstratford.wordpress.com.'' Retrieved: 23 November 2010.

Specifications (S-60)

References

;Notes ;Bibliography * Donald, David, ed. ''The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft.'' New York: Barnes & Noble, 1997. . * Harding, Stephen. ''U.S. Army Aircraft Since 1947: An Illustrated History.'' Atglen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 1997, First edition 1990. .

External links