Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Type 1 helicopters: Sikorsky S-61



The Sikorsky S-61 is the civilian version of the SH-3 sea king. The first operator of the S-61 was Los Angeles Airways, using them for passenger service starting on March 1, 1962. Passenger capacity is up to 30 passengers depending on the variant (there are six variants).

Some nice pictures and a video of the S-61 may be found here

Specifications for the S-61 (Frawley, Gerard: The International Directiory of Civil Aircraft, 2003-2004, page 194. Aerospace Publications Pty Ltd, 2003 cited by http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sikorsky_S-61)

Typical Specifications (exact specifications depend on the variant)
Crew: 2 pilots
Capacity: up to 30 passengers
Length: 58 ft 11 in (17.96 m)
Rotor diameter: 62 ft (18.9 m)
Height: 17 ft 6 in (5.32 m)
Disc area: 3,019 ft² (280.6 m²)
Empty weight: 12,336 lb (5,595 kg)
Loaded weight: lb (kg)
Maximum takeoff weight: 19,000 lb (8,620 kg)
Powerplant: 2× General Electric CT58-140 turboshafts, 1,500 shp (1,120 kW) each

Performance
Maximum speed:166 mph (267 km/h)
Cruise speed: 120 kn (222 km/h)
Range: 450 NM (833 km)
Service ceiling: 12,500 ft.
Rate of climb: 1,310-2,220 ft/min (400-670 m/min)

Croman Corporation has S-61's with 1,000 gallon fixed tanks used for firefighting operations. Croman has a page with pictures and videos of their firefighting S-61's.

No comments: