Following a 20-year restoration, a rare 1930 Sikorsky S-39 amphibian has flown again in New Hampshire.
The high-wing, single-engine S-39 was restored by Dick Jackson of Rochester, N.H. and is named "Spirit of Igor" after its designer, Igor Sikorsky. However, the plane is painted to represent "Spirit of Africa," the S-39 flown by Martin and Osa Johnson on their aerial safari through Africa in the mid-1930s.
Though it looks like some sort of earth-tone camouflage pattern, the S-39 is painted to look like a giraffe: dark brown splotches on a tan background. The Johnson's painted it that way to make it less obtrusive -- well, in Africa anyway.
"Osa's Ark," the larger, twin-engine Sikorsky S-38 that accompanied the S-39 on the Johnsons' African safari, also sported an animal-inspired paint job. Instead of a giraffe, it was painted white with black stripes like a zebra.
Once he works the bugs out in a series of test flights, Jackson plans to debut the S-39 at the annual Antique Airplane Association fly-in at Hampton Airfield in Hampton, N.H. July 4th. In September, it will fly in the reenactment of the National Air Tour being organized by antique aircraft collector Greg Herrick.
As rare as his S-39 is, Jackson won't have the only vintage Sikorsky amphibian on the tour. Waldo Anderson's zebra-striped S-38 from Arizona, restored by Born Again Restorations in Owatonna, Minn., will also be taking part in the caravan.
Though Herrick couldn't say no to having two rare Sikorsky amphibs on his tour, only one took part originally. An S-39 flown by George Meissner averaged 94.8 mph over the 4,814 mile course in 1930.
History
Following the success of the S-38, Sikorsky developed the S-39 in 1929 primarily for the sportsman-executive market. In its original form, the S-39 started out as a twin-engine aircraft powered by British Cirrus Hermes Mk. I engines.
The first flight on Dec. 24, 1929 was a success but the prototype crashed six days later when one of its engines failed. Since the idea for the S-39 was to create a smaller, more affordable sport amphibian than the S-38 anyway, Sikorsky redesigned it as a single-engine aircraft.
The new S-39, powered by a 300-hp Pratt & Whitney Wasp Jr. radial, first flew in February 1930. It performed so well that test pilot Boris Sergievsky claimed to have looped it on the maiden flight.
Despite the Depression, Sikorsky built two dozen S-39s, which sold for around $20,000 apiece. The most famous S-39 was the Johnsons' "Spirit of Africa," which flew more than 60,000 miles over that continent.
The Shape Of Things
While it was smaller than the S-38, the S-39 was still a rather large, imposing airplane. It was 31.9 feet long and its 52-foot-span wing offered 350 square feet of lifting area.
It weighed 2,678 pounds empty but could carry a useful load of 1,322 pounds, giving it a maximum gross weight of 4,000 pounds. It was usually configured to carry one pilot, plus four passengers and baggage.
With its complex array of struts, wires, pontoons and yacht-shaped fuselage, the S-39 created nearly as much drag as its Wasp Jr. radial produced thrust. As a result, it had a top speed of 119 mph, cruised at 100 and landed at 54.
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