Sikorsky JRS-1 – Снимки и видео

Източник: Sikorsky JRS-1 в Уикипедия

Sikorsky JRS-1 е двумоторна летяща лодка-амфибия, която служи във ВМС на САЩ и други оператори през 30-те и 40-те години на миналия век. Това беше по-малка версия на Sikorsky S-42 "Clipper", която беше използвана от Pan American Airways за презокеански полети. JRS-1 има екипаж от двама души и може да превозва до 25 пътници или товари. Той имаше размах на крилата от 26,2 метра (86 фута) и дължина от 15,8 метра (51 фута 11 инча). Той се задвижва от два радиални двигателя Pratt & Whitney R-1690, всеки от които произвежда 559,3 киловата (750 конски сили).
The JRS-1 was designed by Igor Sikorsky, a pioneer of aviation and helicopter development. He also piloted the JRS-1 when it set an altitude record for amphibious aircraft on April 14, 1936, reaching 8,520 meters (27,950 feet) over Stamford, Connecticut. The JRS-1 was known as the “Baby Clipper” in airline service, and was used by Pan American for flights to Cuba and within Latin America. Other civilian operators included Hawaiian Airlines, Norwegian Airline Det Norske Luftfartselskap, Panair do Brasil, French company Aéromaritime, and private owners such as William Kissam Vanderbilt II and Howard Hughes.
The U.S. Navy purchased 17 JRS-1s between 1937 and 1939, two of which served with the U.S. Marine Corps. The JRS-1s were used for transport and patrol missions, and some were equipped with depth charges and machine guns for anti-submarine warfare. One of the most notable JRS-1s was the one that survived the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. It was one of the few aircraft that managed to take off during the attack, and later participated in the search for the Japanese fleet. It is now preserved at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum as the only aircraft in the national collection that was stationed at Pearl Harbor on that fateful day.
The JRS-1 was a versatile and reliable aircraft that demonstrated Sikorsky’s engineering skills and vision. It was one of the last flying boats to be produced by Sikorsky before he focused on developing helicopters. The JRS-1 was also one of the last examples of the golden age of flying boats, when they were seen as the future of air travel across oceans and continents.