by Jamie F. Dodson
Flying Boats - Sikorsky S-43
S-43 "Baby Clipper" Amphibious Utility Aircraft
Navy nomenclature: JRS-1 - Army nomenclature: OA-8
The Sikorsky S-43 was a twin engine amphibious aircraft manufactured in United States during the 1930s by the American firm Sikorsky Aircraft.
The S-43 was used primarily by Pan American World Airways for flights to Cuba and within Latin America. Two were also flown by Reeve Aleutian Airways in Alaska and three were used by Inter-Island Airways of Hawaii, the predecessor to modern-day Hawaiian Airlines, to ferry Pan-Am Clipper passengers and local residents from Honolulu to the other islands. One aircraft was purchased by Norwegian airline Det Norske Luftfartselskap. Panair do Brasil operated seven aircraft.
Five aircraft were acquired by the U.S. Army Air Corps in 1937 under the designation OA-8 and were used for transport of freight and passengers. 17 aircraft were procured by the U.S. Navy between 1937 and 1939 as the JRS-1, two of which served the U.S. Marine Corps. One JRS survived in service at the end of 1941.
Two aircraft went to private owners: Harold Vanderbilt and Howard Hughes (pictured above). Hughes' S-43 remains the last example of this aircraft type flying
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S-43 Color Drawing Photo courtesy Hawaii Aviation |
John Rogers Airport, Oahu - now Honolulu International (HNL) Photo courtesy Hawaii Aviation |
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| Click on Blueprints for Sikorsky S-43 Specs |
S-43s & S-38s John Rogers Airport, Oahu - now Honolulu International (HNL) Photo courtesy Hawaii Aviation |
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| Launching an S-43 |
Preflight November, 1936 Photo courtesy Hawaii Aviation |
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Copyright 2007-2011. Jamie Dodson. All rights reserved.
Created....... March17, 2007
Updated.......Oct 28, 2011