S-64 Skycrane

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Skycrane redirects here. For the similarly named Flying Crane, see Hughes XH-17.
S-64 Skycrane/Aircrane
Erickson S-64E, Olga
Type Aerial crane
Manufacturer Sikorsky
Erickson Air-Crane
Maiden flight 9 May 1962
Status Active
Primary user Erickson Air-Crane
Developed from CH-54 Tarhe
Image:S64-Ahorn Fire-USFS-01.jpg
S-64 dropping on the Ahorn Fire in Montana, September 2007. USFS photo

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

[edit] Development

[edit] Under Sikorsky

The Sikorksy 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 shp (3020kW) JFTD-12A 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. The Germans did not place an order but the United States Army placed an initial order for six S-64A helicopters (with the designation CH-54A Tarhe). A small number of the S-64A and S-64E variants were built by Sikorsky for the civil market.

[edit] Under Erickson

Image:Sikorsky Skycrane civil c.jpg
An Erickson Air-Crane S-64
Image:Skycrane-ar.jpg
Sikorsky S-64E, Andy's Pride, owned by Siller Bros. Inc.
Image:050208-james-hai-01.jpg
An Italian Forest Service S-64F on display at the 2005 HAI HeliExpo
Image:Ericson S64 FP202.JPG
Erickson S-64, stopping for fuel at McNary Field, Salem, Oregon

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 bushfires, and it has acquitted itself admirably in this role.

So far, 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 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 from scratch as well as remanufacturing existing CH-54's to meet the needs of the firefighting and logging industries; thus the U.S. military could re-introduce new up-engined Skycranes to meet their 20-ton Sea Basing requirements. Erickson began the tradition of giving each S-64 an individual name, the most well known being "Elvis" used in fighting fires in Australia. Other operators, such as Siller Brothers have followed suit with their Sikorsky S-64E Andy's Pride. One Erickson S-64E nicknamed "Olga" was used to lift the top section of the CN Tower into place.

[edit] Variants

[edit] Sikorsky Skycrane

S-64A 
S-64E 

[edit] Erickson Aircrane

S-64E 
S-64F 

[edit] Operators

Image:Flag of the United States.svg United States
Image:Flag of Italy.svg Italy
  • Italian Forest Service (Corpo Forestale Dello Stato) - 4 S-64F
Image:Flag of South Korea.svg South Korea

[edit] Former operators

[edit] Incidents

  • N189AC "Gypsy Lady" - crashed in Rose Valley, California late 2006. [3][4] Rebuilt and back in service.
  • N198AC "Shirley Jean" - S-64F; sold to European Air-Crane c.2006 as I-SEAD; crashed in Italy on 4-26-07.[5] Latest reports say aircraft was destroyed.[citation needed]
  • N248AC "Aurora" - named after Aurora State Airport. Home to Columbia Helicopters, former owner of aircraft [6] . Written off August 26, 2004 due to inflight breakup. [7]

[edit] Specifications (S-64E)

Image:Sikorsky-CH-54-Tarhe.png

Data from The International Directory of Civil Aircraft [8]

General characteristics

  • Crew: 2 (pilot, co-pilot), plus room for one 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

[edit] References

  1. ^ HAI Rotornews
  2. ^ Helispot photo
  3. ^ NTSB report in pdf
  4. ^ Inciweb - Helitanker Accident At Rose Valley
  5. ^ http://www.dgualdo.it/isead-report.htm Helicopters area of dgualdo.it (report excerpts in Italian)
  6. ^ Helispot photo
  7. ^ NTSB report
  8. ^ Frawley, Gerard: The International Directiory of Civil Aircraft, 2003-2004, page 195. Aerospace Publications Pty Ltd, 2003. ISBN 1-875671-58-7

[edit] External links

[edit] Related content

Image:Commons-logo.svg
Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
CH-54 Tarhe (Skycrane)

Related development

Comparable aircraft

Designation sequence

Related lists

See also

v • d • e
Sikorsky Aircraft

Airplanes: S-29-A · S-38 · S-39 · S-40 · S-42 · S-43 · VS-44

Helicopters (Company designations): VS-300 · S-47 · S-48 · S-49 · S-51 · S-52 · S-53 · S-54 · S-55 · S-56 · S-58 · S-59 · S-60 · S-61 · S-61L/N · S-61R · S-62 · S-64 · S-65 · S-67 · S-69 · S-70 · S-72 · S-75 · S-76 · S-80 · S-92/H-92

Helicopters (Military designations): SH-3 · HH-3E/F · R-4 · H-5 · H-18 · H-19 · H-34 · CH-37 · XH-39 · HH-52A · CH-53 · CH-53E · CH-53K · CH-54 · HH-60G · HH-60J · MH-60 · SH-60 · UH-60 · VH-60 · RAH-66 · CH-124 · CH-148

Experimental aircraft designations: X2 · Cypher · Cypher II

v • d • e
Lists relating to aviation
GeneralTimeline of aviation · Aircraft · Aircraft manufacturers · Aircraft engines · Aircraft engine manufacturers · Airports · Airlines
MilitaryAir forces · Aircraft weapons · Missiles · Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) · Experimental aircraft
Notable incidents and accidentsMilitary aviation · Airliners · General aviation · Famous aviation-related deaths
RecordsFlight airspeed record · Flight distance record · Flight altitude record · Flight endurance record · Most produced aircraft


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