Sikorsky S-64 Skycrane
<templatestyles src="Module:Hatnote/styles.css"></templatestyles>
<templatestyles src="Module:Hatnote/styles.css"></templatestyles>
| S-64 Skycrane / Aircrane | |
|---|---|
| 300px | |
| Erickson S-64E, Elvis | |
| Role | Aerial crane |
| Manufacturer | Sikorsky Aircraft Erickson Air-Crane |
| Designer | Igor Sikorsky |
| First flight | 9 May 1962 |
| Status | Active |
| Primary user | Erickson Air-Crane |
| Number built | about 110[citation needed] |
| Developed from | CH-54 Tarhe |
The Sikorsky S-64 Skycrane is an American twin-engine heavy-lift helicopter. It is the civil version of the United States Army's CH-54 Tarhe. The S-64 Aircrane is the current production version, manufactured by the Erickson Air-Crane company.
Contents
Development
Under Sikorsky
The Sikorsky S-64 was designed as an enlarged version of the prototype flying crane helicopter, the Sikorsky S-60. The S-64 had a six-blade main rotor and was powered by two 4,050 shaft horsepower (3,020 kW) Pratt & Whitney JFTD12A turboshaft engines. The prototype S-64 first flew on 9 May 1962 and was followed by two further examples for evaluation by the German armed forces.[1] The Germans did not place an order, but the United States Army placed an initial order for six S-64A helicopters (with the designation YCH-54A Tarhe). Seven S-64E variants were built by Sikorsky for the civil market.
Under Erickson
Originally a Sikorsky Aircraft product, the type certificate and manufacturing rights were purchased from them by Erickson Air-Crane in 1992.
Since that time, Erickson Air-Crane has become the manufacturer and world's largest operator of S-64 Aircranes and has made over 1,350 changes to the airframe, instrumentation, and payload capabilities of the helicopter. The Aircrane can be fitted with a 2,650-gallon (~10,000 litre) fixed retardant tank to assist in the control of bush fires, and it has proved itself admirably in this role.
S-64 Aircranes have been sold to the Italian and Korean Forest Services for fire suppression and emergency response duties. Those in the Erickson Air-Crane fleet are leased worldwide to organizations, companies, and Federal Government agencies for either short-term or longer term use in fire suppression, civil protection, heavy lift construction, and timber harvesting.
Erickson is manufacturing new S-64s, as well as remanufacturing existing CH-54s. Erickson gives each of its S-64s an individual name, the best-known being "Elvis", used in fighting fires in Australia alongside "The Incredible Hulk" and "Isabelle". Other operators, such as Siller Brothers, have followed with their Sikorsky S-64E, Andy's Pride. The Erickson S-64E nicknamed "Olga" was used to lift the top section of the CN Tower into place in Toronto, Canada.
Variants
Sikorsky Skycrane
- S-64
- Twin-engined heavy-lift helicopter, 3 built.
- S-64A
- Six test and evaluation helicopters for the US Army.
- S-64B
- Civil version of CH-54A, 7 built.
Erickson Aircrane
- S-64E
- Upgraded & certified CH-54A helicopters, plus one new build aircraft.
- S-64F
- Upgraded & certified CH-54B helicopters. Powered by two Pratt & Whitney JFTD12-5A engines.
Operators
- Columbia Helicopters[5]
- Erickson Air-Crane[6]
- Evergreen Helicopters, Inc.[7]
- Helicopter Transport Services[8]
- Los Angeles City Fire Department (contracted by Erickson Air-Crane)[9][10]
- Los Angeles County Fire Department (contracted by Erickson Air-Crane)[11]
- San Diego Gas and Electric (contracted by Erickson Air-Crane)[12]
- Siller Helicopters[13]
Incidents
- N189AC "Gypsy Lady" – crashed in Ojai, California on October 1, 2006. While operating for the USFS The Erickson S-64 snagged a dip tank and the helicopter rolled over and crashed.[14]
- N198AC "Shirley Jean" – S-64F; sold to European Air-Crane c.2006 as I-SEAD; crashed in Italy on 2007-04-26.[15] Aircraft was destroyed in a post-crash fire.[16]
- N248AC "Aurora" – S-64E; named after Aurora State Airport. Home to Columbia Helicopters, former owner of aircraft.[5] Crashed on 26 August 2004 in Corsica, killing its Canadian pilot and French co-pilot. The Air-Crane was chartered by the interior ministry to fight fires on the French Mediterranean island of Corsica. It had been fighting a fire and it went down near the village of Ventiseri as it was trying to return to a nearby military base because of a technical problem due to inflight breakup.[17][18]
Specifications (S-64E)
Data from The International Directory of Civil Aircraft[19]
General characteristics
- Crew: 3 (pilot, co-pilot), plus one engineer or rear-facing observer
- Capacity: up to 5 total persons
- Payload: 20,000 lb (9,072 kg)
- Length: 70 ft 3 in (21.41 m (fuselage))
- Rotor diameter: 72 ft 0 in (21.95 m)
- Height: 18 ft 7 in (5.67 m)
- Disc area: 4070 ft² (378.1 m²)
- Empty weight: 19,234 lb (8,724 kg)
- Max. takeoff weight: 42,000 lb (19,050 kg)
- Powerplant: 2 × Pratt & Whitney JFTD12-4A (T73-P-1) turboshaft engines, 4,500 shp (3,555 kW) each
Performance
- Maximum speed: 109 knots (126 mph, 203 km/h)
- Cruise speed: 91 knots (105 mph, 169 km/h)
- Range: 200 nmi (230 mi, 370 km) max fuel and reserves
- Rate of climb: 1,330 ft/min (6.75 m/s)
See also
- Related development
- Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era
- Related lists
- List of surviving Sikorsky CH-54s
- List of active military aircraft of the United States
- List of helicopters
- List of military aircraft of the United States
References
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Helicopters area of dgualdo.it (report excerpts in Italian)[dead link]
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.[dead link]
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.[dead link]
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.[dead link]
- ↑ Frawley, Gerard: The International Directiory of Civil Aircraft, 2003–2004, page 195. Aerospace Publications Pty Ltd, 2003. ISBN 1-875671-58-7
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sikorsky S-64 Skycrane. |
| External image | |
|---|---|
 Line drawing of Skycrane |
- Articles with dead external links from December 2010
- Articles with dead external links from February 2012
- Use dmy dates from May 2013
- Pages with broken file links
- Articles with unsourced statements from January 2014
- Commons category link is defined as the pagename
- United States helicopters 1960–1969
- Sikorsky aircraft
- Twin-turbine helicopters
