Sikorsky S-48

Sikorsky S-48
YR-5A
Type:	Light helicopter
Design country:	United States
Manufacturer:	Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation
First flight:	August 18, 1943
Number of pieces:	65

R-5A in action as a rescue helicopter in Alaska, circa 1946 with the 10th Air Rescue Squadron

The Sikorsky S-48 (initial manufacturer designation VS-327) was a helicopter developed in the 1940s and used in the military by the US manufacturer Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation . The two-seater S-48 was further developed into the four-seater S-51 , which was given a nose wheel landing gear for the first time.

history

The S-48 received the military designation R-5 and flew for the first time on August 18, 1943. On October 12, 1943, the prototype (XR-5) suffered a low hover accident after the tail rotor blades came off. Despite a subsequent overturning and destruction of the main rotor, the machine was able to be repaired within a short time and test operations were resumed. By January 16, 1944, she had accumulated 8 1/4 flight hours. The US Army Air Force's R-5 designation was changed to H-5 through a new designation system in 1948 .

A total of 65 S-48s were built.

variants

after Andrade, 1979

• XR-5: 5 prototypes
• XR-5A: 2 XR-5s that received special equipment according to the requirements of the Royal Air Force .
• YR-5A (from 1948 YH-5A): only minor changes compared to the XR-5. 26 built, 2 of which went to the US Navy as HO2S-1 .
• R-5A (H-5A): Standard version, equipped for rescue operations with externally attached beds. 34 built, 66 other commissioned machines canceled.
• R-5B: modification of R-5A that was not carried out
• YR-5C: project not implemented
• R-5D (H-5D): 20 R-5A and one YR-5A, which received a nose wheel landing gear, a rescue winch, a device for an additional passenger and external tanks.
• YR-5E (YH-5E): 5 YR-5A that have been converted with double control.
• for the variants R-5F, R-5G and R-5H see Sikorsky S-51

Preserved specimens

YH-5A in the USAF Museum

H-5A in the Royal Thai Air Force Museum

• YH-5A (USAAF serial number 43-46620) is on display in the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson AFB .
• YR-5A in the Royal Thai Air Force Museum , Don Mueang Airport , Bangkok, Thailand

Technical specifications

Parameter	Data
crew	2, with the pilot sitting in the back
Rotor diameter	14.63 m
Tail rotor diameter	2.53 m
Empty mass	1700 kg
Maximum flight mass	2440 kg
Top speed	145 km / h
Marching speed	about 130 km / h
Summit height	4300 m
Rate of climb	4 m / s
Range	370 km
Engine	1 × Pratt & Whitney Wasp Junior with 450 PS (330 kW)

See also

• List of helicopter types

literature

• Ryszard Witkowski: Allied Rotorcraft of the WW2 Period , Stratus sc, 2010, ISBN 978-83-89450-97-5 , p. 38

Web links

Commons : Sikorsky R-5  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• S-48 / R-5 at www.sikorskyarchives.com (accessed February 14, 2015)

Individual evidence

1. ^ John M. Andrade: US Military Aircraft Designations and Serials since 1909 , Midland Counties Publ., 1979, ISBN 0-904597-22-9 , p. 161