Category:Sikorsky S-40

Sikorsky S-40 seen in Pan Am - Aufstieg und Absturz einer Luftfahrt-Ikone .

The Sikorsky S-40 was an American amphibious flying boat built by Sikorsky in the early 1930s for Pan American Airways. Sikorsky designed the S-40 in response to a request from Juan Trippe, president of PAA-Pan American Airways System, for a larger passenger-carrying airplane. The S-40 could carry 38 passengers, a significant increase over the S-38's eight passengers. Wind tunnel testing of the S-40 started in October 1928, and models of the hull were tested in April 1929. The aircraft featured a pantry with an electric refrigerator and stove as well as a smoking lounge with book-ended mahogany wood paneling. Six life rafts were carried. Despite a significant size increase over the preceding S-38, the S-40 design was a conservative iteration of the smaller aircraft; the numerous flying wires and strut braces that were used in the exterior support framework caused significant drag and prompted Charles Lindbergh, retained as a consultant for Pan American Airways, to tell Sikorsky "it would be like flying a forest through the air." Only three were built as Sikorsky began designing the more advanced and streamlined S-42 shortly after the S-40 entered service, based partly on input from Lindbergh. All three S-40s were built by the Vought-Sikorsky Aircraft Division of the United Aircraft in Stratford, Connecticut.

This page lists all films that feature the Sikorsky S-40.

See also

• Sikorsky S-40 on Wikipedia.