Sikorsky

Sikorsky revealed the first two S-97 Raider helicopter prototypes, giving the world a glimpse of what future direct-fire-support rotorcraft may look like. The words stunning and lethal spring to mind. Based on Sikorsky’s record-setting X2 rigid-rotor coaxial demonstrator, the S-97 features next-generation technologies in a faster and smaller package than traditional helicopters, a combination that […]

Sikorsky has announced the certification of new avionics software that adds capabilities to the cockpit of the S-76D helicopter and reduces the workload for its pilots. The V400 avionics software makes flying the S-76D simple enough that the FAA has signed off on single-pilot operations for pilots flying under IFR rules with the new software. […]

Sikorsky has achieved a new milestone in the S-97 Raider program, currently in the development phase. The team at Sikorsky’s Development Flight Center in West Palm Beach, Florida, recently turned on the helicopter’s electrical power for the first time. “This is a big milestone for a development program,” said Sikorsky’s S-97 Raider program manager, Mark […]

In his most recent blog, Fantasy of Flight founder Kermit Weeks has elaborated on how he believes Howard Hughes helped arrange for him to acquire the deceased aviation legend’s Sikorsky S-43. Weeks bought the airplane from the estate of well known car collector Ron Van Kregten, the man who bought it from Hughes, and he […]

In this video posted on YouTube, Fantasy of Flight founder Kermit Weeks spoke vaguely about the “visit” from Howard Hughes that led to his latest acquisition for his Fantasy of Flight attraction in Polk City, Florida. It’s Howard Hughes’ personal transport, a 1937 Sikorsky S-43 amphibian, the only one of 53 built that could possibly […]

After a series of tantalizing Facebook posts Kermit Weeks announced yesterday that he has concluded a decade-long quest. The sole remaining flyable Sikorsky S-43 flying boat (of 53 built in the 1930s) is now his. Weeks also believes that the metaphysical spirit of the airplane’s former owner, Howard Hughes, himself, helped him acquire the aircraft. […]

The FAA has approved the type certificate for Sikorsky’s long-anticipated S-76D, opening the floodgates to a nearly half-billion-dollar order backlog from customers who have waited patiently through three years of program delays. The FAA signed the S-76D type certificate on Oct. 12, capping an intensive flight test program that originally called for certification of the […]

Sikorsky’s S-76D has moved one step closer to certification after Pratt & Whitney’s PW210S engine that powers the helicopter received Transport Canada certification. More than 8,700 hours of testing were conducted to complete the certification. But the testing will continue to finish FAA and European Aviation Safety Agency validations, which are expected within the next […]

(August 2011) It has often been said that accidents result not from one big cause, but from a lot of little ones that happen to converge in some unforeseen way. Nevertheless, many fatal accidents do arise from one simple cause: VFR pilots flying into IFR weather. This happens so regularly, and in so monotonous a […]

With the S-76D, Sikorsky has taken a classic helicopter and made it state of the art by incorporating a long list of technology improvements that designers say will keep the 35-year-old design fresh for years to come. Here’s a look at what’s new. Engines: Pratt & Whitney Canada PW210S Incorporating the latest advances in compressor […]