Sikorsky H-19/S-55 "Whirlwind"
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Museum Condition: Static Display Only/Under Restoration
Sikorsky H-19/S-55 "Whirlwind" helicopter body in our maintenance hangar.
The Sikorsky H-19, (also known as the S-55) was a multi-purpose helicopter used by the United States Army. It was also license-built by Westland Aircraft as the Westland Whirlwind in the United Kingdom. United States Navy and Coast Guard models were designated HO4S, while those of the U.S. Marine Corps were HRS.
The H-19's first flight was on November 10, 1949 and it entered operations in 1950. Over 1,000 of the helicopters were manufactured by Sikorsky for the United States. An additional 550 were manufactured by licensees of the helicopter including Westland Aircraft, Sud-Est in France and Mitsubishi in Japan.
The helicopter was widely exported, used by many other nations, including Greece, Israel, Chile, South Africa, Denmark and Turkey.
The H-19 underwent live service tests during the Korean War beginning in 1951 as an unarmed transport helicopter. Undergoing tests such as medical evacuation, tactical control and front-line cargo support, the helicopter succeeded admirably in surpassing the capabilities of the H-5 Dragonfly which had been used throughout the Korean conflict by the Army.
In 1956, the French Air Force experimented with arming the H-19 Chickasaw aka Sikorsky S-55, then being superseded in service by the more capable Piasecki H-21 and Sikorsky H-34 helicopters. The H-19 was originally fitted with a 20-mm cannon, two rocket launchers, plus a 20-mm cannon, two 12.7-mm machine guns, and a 7.5-mm light machine gun firing from the cabin windows, but this load proved far too heavy, and even lightly-armed H-19 gunships fitted with flexible machine guns for self-defense proved underpowered.
The H-19 was also used in the early days of the Vietnam War before being supplanted by the Sikorsky H-34 Choctaw, which was based on the H-19.
| Type |
Utility Helicopter |
| Manufacturer |
Sikorsky |
| Maiden Flight |
10 November 1949 |
| Introduced |
1950 |
| Theatre of War |
Korean War
Vietnam War |
| Number Produced |
389 |
| Status |
Retired 31 August 1955 |
| Crew |
2 |
| Rotor Diameter |
53 ft 0 in |
| Length |
62 ft 7 in |
| Height |
13 ft 4 in |
| Empty Weight |
4,795 lbs |
| Max Takeoff Weight |
7,900 lbs |
| Power Plant |
(1) Pratt & Whitney R-1340-57 radial air-cooled |
| Horsepower |
600 hp |
| Maximum Speed |
88 knots (101 mph) |
| Service Ceiling |
10,500 ft |
| Rate of Climb |
700 ft/min |
| Range |
352 nm (405 mi) |
Guns/Rockets |
Depending on usage, could be fitted with machine guns and/or rockets |
| Capacity |
(10) Fully equipped troops or
(8) Stretchers
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