Sikorsky S-41

S-41

A U.S. Navy RS-1 in the early 1930s
Role	Airliner
National origin	United States
Manufacturer	Sikorsky Aircraft
First flight	1930^[1]
Primary users	Pan Am United States Navy
Number built	7^[1]
Developed from	Sikorsky S-38

The Sikorsky S-41 was an amphibious flying boat airliner produced in the United States in the early 1930s.^[1] Essentially a scaled-up monoplane version of the Sikorsky S-38 biplane flying boat,^[1] Pan Am operated the type on routes in the Caribbean, South America, and between Boston and Halifax.^[1]

Development

The S-41 had a parasol wing configuration, with two radial engines mounted on struts between the fuselage and the wing.^[1] The cabin was completely enclosed within the all-metal hull^[1] and could seat 15 passengers.^[2]^[3]

The United States Navy purchased three examples and designated them RS-1;^[3]^[4] these were joined by two Pan Am aircraft pressed into Navy service and designated RS-5.^[5]^[6]

Variants

S-41A^[1]^[7]
S-41B^[7]
S-41C^[7]
RS-1: United States Navy designation for three S-41s for evaluation.^[8]
RS-5: Two S-41s impressed into service with the United States Navy.^[8]

Operators

United States

Accidents and incidents

On 27 August 1931, A Sikorsky S-41, NC41V of Boston-Maine Airways crash landed in while making the run between Halifax (N.S.) and Boston (MA).^[9] After clinging to the sides of a partially inflated life raft in rough seas for two hours, the 12 survivors were rescued by the F/V Nova Julia, a mackerel seiner out of Gloucester MA, captained by Capt. Leo Favaloro. There was one fatality. Seventy-year-old Edward Bamwell was assumed trapped in the wreckage as it disappeared beneath the waves just a moment after he gallantly allowed one of the three women passengers to precede him to the waiting raft. The Sikorsky had only been in service one month. Heavy fog was cited as the cause of the crash.^[10]^[11] The S-41 was repaired and reregistered as NC60V.^[12]
On 28 October 1931, Col Thomas C. Turner, Chief of the Aviation Section of the United States Marine Corps, flew as a passenger in a Sikorsky RS-1 to Port-au-Prince, Haiti.^[13]^[14] After arrival, the aircraft became stuck in the sand; when he got out to inspect it, he was struck in the head by one of its propellers.^[14]^[15] He died from his injuries two days later.^[13]^[14]^[15]

Specifications (S-41A)

Data from Munson 1982, p.212

General characteristics

Crew: Two
Capacity: 14 passengers
Length: 45 ft 2 in (13.77 m)
Wingspan: 78 ft 9 in (24.00 m)
Height: 15 ft 3 in (4.65 m)
Wing area: 729 ft² (67.8 m²)
Empty weight: 8,100 lb (3,680 kg)
Gross weight: 13,800 lb (6,270 kg)
Powerplant: 2 × Pratt & Whitney R-1860 Hornet B, 575 hp (429 kW) each

Performance

Maximum speed: 133 mph (213 km/h)
Range: 920 miles (1,500 km)
Service ceiling: 13,500^[7] ft (4,120 m)

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sikorsky S-41.

Notes

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Munson 1982, p.52
1 2 Taylor 1989, p.810
1 2 3 The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft, p.2932
↑ Grossnick 1995, 529
↑ Grossnick 1995, 542
↑ the Navy applied the designations RS-2, RS-3, and RS-4 to other models of Sikorsky flying boats; refer to Grossnick 1995, p.530 and p.542 and Andrade 1979, p. 218.
1 2 3 4 Aerofiles
1 2 Andrade 1979, p. 218
↑ http://www.logbookmag.com/databases/articles.asp?ID=91&CatID=47
↑ 28 Aug 1931 Gloucester Daily Times
↑ 26 June 1999 Hartford Courant. Obituary of Alfred Esten
↑ United States Civil Aircraft Register http://www.airhistory.org.uk/gy/reg_N32.html
1 2 Elliott & Gillespie 1975, p.14
1 2 3 Elliott 1977, p.15
1 2 New York Times 29 October 1931, p.21

Bibliography

Andrade, John (1979). U.S. Military Aircraft Designations and Serials since 1909. Hinckley, Leicestershire: Midland Counties Publications.
"Colonel T. C. Turner of Marines is Dead". New York Times: 21. 29 October 1931. Retrieved 2010-02-18. (payment required to view full article)
Elliott, John M.; Clyde W. Gillespie (May 1975). "MCAS Quantico" (PDF). Naval Aviation News: 9–15. Retrieved 2010-02-18.
Elliott, John M. (May 1977). "Early Marine Corps Aviators" (PDF). Naval Aviation News: 14–16. Retrieved 2013-12-11.
Grossnick, Roy A. (1995). United States Naval Aviation 1910–1995. Washington, D.C.: Naval Historical Center.
The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft. London: Aerospace Publishing. p. 2932.
Munson, Kenneth (1982). U.S. Commercial Aircraft. London: Jane's Publishing.
"Sikorsky". Aerofiles. 29 April 2009. Retrieved 2010-02-18.
Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions. p. 810.

Sikorsky aircraft

Fixed-wing aircraft (company designations)	S-1 S-2 S-3 S-4 S-5 S-6 S-7 S-8 S-9 S-10 S-11 S-12 S-13 S-14 S-15 S-16 S-17 S-18 S-19 S-20 S-21 S-22 S-23 S-24 S-25 S-26 S-27 S-28 S-29-A S-30 S-31 S-32 S-33 S-34 S-35 S-36 S-37 S-38 S-39 S-40 S-41 S-42 S-43 VS-44 S-45

Fixed-wing aircraft (military designations)	C-6 C-28 JRS JR2S PS RS XBLR-3 XPBS XSS XV-2

Helicopters (company designations)	VS-300 (S-46) S-47 S-48 S-49 S-51 S-52 S-53 S-54 S-55 S-56 S-57 S-58 S-59 S-60 S-61 S-61L/N S-61R S-62 S-63 S-64 S-65 S-66 S-67 S-68 S-69 S-70 S-71 S-72 S-73 S-74 S-75 S-76 S-80 S-92/H-92 S-97 S-300 S-333 S-434

Helicopters (military designations)	SH-3 HH-3E/F R-4 H-5 H-6 H-18 H-19 H-34 CH-37 XH-39 HH-52A CH-53 CH-53E CH-53K CH-54 HH-60G HH-60J MH-60R/S SH-60B/F SH-60J/K UH-60 VH-60 RAH-66 CH-124 CH-148

Experimental aircraft	Cypher Cypher II Firefly X2 XBLR-3 XV-2

USN/USMC patrol aircraft designations 1923–1962

Patrol

Boeing	XPB PB P2B P3B

Douglas	PD P2D P3D

Grumman	PF

Hall	PH P2H

General Aviation	PJ

Keystone	PK

Martin	PM P2M P3M P4M P5M P6M P7M

Naval Aircraft Factory	PN P2N P3N¹ P4N

Lockheed	PO

Sikorsky	PS P2S

Lockheed	PV P2V P3V

Consolidated	PY P2Y P3Y P4Y-1 P4Y-2 P5Y P6Y

Patrol Bomber

Boeing	PBB PB2B

North American	PBJ

Martin	PBM PB2M

Naval Aircraft Factory	PBN

Lockheed	PBO

Sikorsky	PBS

Canadian Vickers	PBV

Consolidated	PBY PB2Y PB3Y PB4Y-1 PB4Y-2

Patrol Torpedo Bomber

Hall	PTBH

¹ Not assigned

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