Contents

Sikorsky S-39

S-39
Sikorsky S-39 of the Civil Air Patrol, 1942
Role	Flying boat Type of aircraft
National origin	United States
Manufacturer	Sikorsky Aircraft
First flight	24 December 1929; 94 years ago (1929-12-24)
Number built	21

The Sikorsky S-39 is an American light amphibious aircraft produced by Sikorsky Aircraft during the early 1930s. The S-39 was a smaller, single-engine version of the S-38.^[1]

Operational history[edit]

Spirit of Africa[edit]

Filmmakers Martin and Osa Johnson used a giraffe-patterned S-39 Spirit of Africa, with companion zebra-striped S-38 Osa's Ark, to explore Africa extensively, making safari movies and books.^[2]

Military usage[edit]

One example of the S-39 was acquired by the United States Army Air Corps in 1932, given the designation Y1C-28. It was evaluated for use in coastal patrol and light transport roles; in 1934 it was redesignated C-28 and assigned as a liaison aircraft to the United States Military Academy.^[3]

At least one S-39 saw service with the Civil Air Patrol Coastal Patrol from 1942 to 1943. This was part of a fleet of civilian aircraft flown by volunteers along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts, searching for both German submarines and for allied ships in distress. Seaplanes such as the S-39 were sometimes used for search and rescue if another aircraft crashed or went missing.^[4] A surviving CAP S-39, previously based at Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, is currently on display at the New England Air Museum.

Yacht[edit]

Edward A. Deeds had the yacht Lotosland designed to incorporate aircraft capability. After loss of the planned aircraft on first loading Deeds ordered an S-39-A replacement the next day. The aircraft was intended to allow Deeds to quickly travel from his yacht to business and events ashore.^[5][6][7]

Variants[edit]

S-39-A

4-seat version^[8]

S-39-B

Improved 5-seat version of the S-39-A^[8]

S-39-C

Converted from S-39-B^[9]

C-28

One example of the S-39 acquired by the United States Army Air Corps

Surviving aircraft[edit]

• 904 – S-39-B on static display at the New England Air MuseuminWindsor Locks, Connecticut.^[1]
• Composite – S-39-C airworthy with at Fantasy of FlightinPolk City, Florida.^[10][11] It was recovered from Alaska in 1965 and incorporated parts of five S-39s. It was restored by Dick Jackson and first flew in 2003.^[9][12]
• 920 – S-39-C under restoration with Frederick W. Patterson III of American Canyon, California. This is the last S-39 produced and was originally owned by Shell Eastern, the original name of the Shell Oil Company.^{[13][failed verification]}

Specifications (S-39A)[edit]

Data from Aerofiles : Sikorsky,^[14] American flying boats and amphibious aircraft : an illustrated history^[15]

General characteristics

• Crew: 1 or 2
• Capacity: 4 or 5 pax / 1,145–1,300 lb (519–590 kg) payload
• Length: 31 ft 11 in (9.73 m)
• Wingspan: 52 ft 0 in (15.85 m)
• Wing area: 320 sq ft (30 m²)
• Airfoil: Sikorsky GS-1 ^[16]
• Empty weight: 2,678 lb (1,215 kg)
• Gross weight: 4,000 lb (1,814 kg)
• Powerplant: 1 × Pratt & Whitney R-985 Wasp Junior 9-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine, 300 hp (220 kW)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 115 mph (185 km/h, 100 kn)
• Cruise speed: 97 mph (156 km/h, 84 kn)
• Stall speed: 54 mph (87 km/h, 47 kn)
• Range: 375 mi (604 km, 326 nmi)

References[edit]

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sikorsky S-39.

• Photos of the Sikorsky S-39
• Photos and story of the restored S-39 "Spirit of Igor"