Sikorsky H-5#Surviving aircraft

{{Short description|1943 multi-role helicopter by Sikorsky}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2019}}

{{Infobox aircraft

|name= R-5 / H-5

|image= File:Sikorsky HO3S-1 of HU-1 takes off from USS New Jersey (BB-62) off Korea on 14 April 1953 (cropped).jpg

|caption= A Sikorsky HO3S-1 of Helicopter Utility Squadron 1 (HU-1) takes off from USS New Jersey

|type= Helicopter

|manufacturer= Sikorsky Aircraft

|designer=

|first_flight= {{Start date|1943|8|18|df=y}}

|introduction= February 1945

|retired= 1957

|status=

|primary_user= United States Air Force

|more_users= {{Plainlist|

}}

|produced= 1944–1951

|number_built= over 300

|unit cost=

|developed_from = Sikorsky R-4

|variants = Westland WS-51 Dragonfly

}}

The Sikorsky H-5 (initially designated R-5{{efn|R-5 until 1948 when use of R for "rotary-wing" was replaced by H for "helicopter" under the designation system}} and also known by company designations S-48, S-51 and VS-327Fitzsimons, Bernard, (general editor). Illustrated Encyclopedia of 20th Century Weapons and Warfare (London: Phoebus, 1978), Volume 20, p.2173, "R-5, Sikorsky".) is a helicopter built by Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation.

It was used by the United States Air Force, and its predecessor, the United States Army Air Forces, as well as the United States Navy and United States Coast Guard (with the designations HO2S and HO3S). It was also used by the United States Post Office Department.[http://blog.modernmechanix.com/2007/01/28/what-happens-when-you-mail-a-letter/?Qwd=./PopularScience/12-1951/when_mail_letter&Qif=when_mail_letter_5.jpg&Qiv=thumbs&Qis=XL#qdig "What Happens When You Mail a Letter."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120205001230/http://blog.modernmechanix.com/2007/01/28/what-happens-when-you-mail-a-letter/?Qwd=.%2FPopularScience%2F12-1951%2Fwhen_mail_letter&Qif=when_mail_letter_5.jpg&Qiv=thumbs&Qis=XL#qdig |date=5 February 2012 }} Popular Science, December 1951. The civilian version, under the designation S-51, was the first helicopter to be operated commercially, commencing in 1946.

In December 1946, an agreement was signed between the British company Westland Aircraft and Sikorsky to produce a British version of the H-5, to be manufactured under license in Britain as the Westland-Sikorsky WS-51 Dragonfly. By the time production ceased in 1951, more than 300 examples of all types of the H-5 had been built.

Design and development

File:Sikorsky H-5 Post-World War II.jpg

The H-5 was originally built by Sikorsky as its model S-48,{{cite web |url= http://www.sikorskyarchives.com/S-48(R-5).php |title = S-48/R-5 Helicopter |publisher= sikorskyarchives.com |year= 2012 |access-date= 26 July 2016}} designated as the R-5 by the United States Army Air Forces. It was designed to provide a helicopter having greater useful load, endurance, speed, and service ceiling than the Sikorsky R-4. The R-5 differed from the R-4 by having an increased rotor diameter and a new, longer fuselage for two persons in tandem, though it retained the R-4's tailwheel-type landing gear. Larger than the R-4 or the later R-6, the R-5 was fitted with a more powerful Wasp Junior 450-hp radial engine, and quickly proved itself the most successful of the three types.Rawlins 1976, p. 2. The first XR-5 of four ordered made its initial flight on 18 August 1943. In March 1944, the Army Air Forces ordered 26 YR-5As for service testing, and in February 1945, the first YR-5A was delivered. This order was followed by a production contract for 100 R-5s, outfitted with racks for two litters (stretchers), but only 34 were actually delivered. Of these, fourteen were the R-5A, basically identical with the YR-5A. The remaining twenty were built as the three-place R-5D, which had a widened cabin with a two-place rear bench seat and a small nosewheel added to the landing gear, and could be optionally fitted with a rescue hoist and an auxiliary external fuel tank. Five of the service-test YR-5As were later converted into dual-control YR-5Es. The United States Navy evaluated three R-5As as the HO2S-1.

Sikorsky soon developed a modified version of the R-5, the S-51, featuring a greater rotor diameter, greater carrying capacity and gross weight, and a redesigned tricycle landing gear configuration; this first flew on 16 February 1946. With room for three passengers plus pilot, the S-51 was initially intended to appeal to civilian as well as military operators, and was the first helicopter to be sold to a commercial user.Rawlins 1976, pp. 2–3. Eleven S-51s were ordered by the USAF and designated the R-5F, while 92 went to the Navy as the HO3S-1, commonly referred to as the 'Horse'.

In Britain, Westland Aircraft began production in 1946 of the Westland-Sikorsky S-51 Dragonfly for the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force, all of which were powered by a 500 hp Alvis Leonides engine. This gave an improved top speed of 103 mph and a service ceiling of 14,000 ft. In total, 133 Westland-Sikorsky Dragonfly helicopters were built. A considerably modified version was also developed by Westland as the Westland Widgeon, but the type was never adopted for service.{{citation needed|date = February 2012}}

File:SAAF-Sikorsky S51-001.jpg

The U.S. Navy ordered four S-51s "off-the-shelf" from Sikorsky in late 1946 for use in the Antarctic and Operation Highjump, placing them into naval inventory as the HO3S-1.Rawlins 1976, p. 4. Carried aboard the seaplane tender {{USS|Pine Island|AV-12|6}}, on Christmas Day 1946 an HO3S-1 of VX-3 piloted by Lieutenant Commander Walter M. Sessums became the first helicopter to fly in the Antarctic. Having proved its capabilities, the initial naval HO3S-1 order was followed by subsequent purchases of an additional 42 aircraft in 1948.Rawlins 1976, pp. 2, 19. The Navy equipped several warship classes with HO3S-1 utility helos, including aircraft carriers, seaplane tenders, icebreakers, {{sclass|Des Moines|cruiser}}s, and {{sclass|Iowa|battleship}}s. By February 1948, the Marine Corps had equipped HMX-1, its first regular Marine Helicopter Transport Squadron, with six HO3S-1 aircraft. With a passenger load of only three lightly dressed persons, the HO3S-1s were primarily operated in the utility role by the marines; for the transport role, an additional nine tandem-rotor Piasecki-built HRP-1 helicopters were later added to the squadron.Rawlins 1976, p. 20. Eventually, the U.S. Navy would acquire a total of 88 HO3S-1 (S-51) helicopters.{{citation needed|date = February 2012}}

Thirty-nine additional specialized rescue helicopters were built, as the H-5G, in 1948, while 16 were fitted with pontoons as the H-5H amphibian in 1949.

Several H-5Hs were converted in 1949 to a unique medical-evacuation role, with casualty stretchers loaded sideways through blister-hatches on the side of the fuselage. The back stretcher station was located just forward of the tail boom and the main stretcher station was located behind the crew cabin. The forward stretcher station could accommodate two casualties, who were accessible to the medic in flight, while the back stretcher station handled only one, not accessible to the medic during the flight. Very little information is known about the operational use of this modification by the USAF, this being abandoned shortly after tests in 1950.[https://books.google.com/books?id=ANkDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA105 "Litter Blisters."] Popular Mechanics, February 1950, p. 105.

The R-5 had been designated under the United States Army Air Forces system, a series starting with R-1 and proceeding up to about R-16. In 1947 with the start of the United States Air Force, there was a new system, and many aircraft, but not all, were redesignated. The R-5 became the H-5. The United States Army broke off with its own designation system in the 1950s, resulting in new designations for its helicopter projects.Polmar and Kennedy 1981, p. 227. In 1962 under the new tri-service system (see 1962 United States Tri-Service aircraft designation system), many navy and army aircraft were given the low numbers. Under the 1962 system, the low H numbers were given to new aircraft. For example, H-5 was given to the OH-5, a prototype design which never entered Army service.{{citation needed|date = February 2012}}

Operational history

File:HO3S-1 Korean War.jpg (1950–1953).]]

During its service life, the H-5/HO3S-1 was used for utility, rescue, and mercy missions throughout the world, including flights during Operation Highjump in the Antarctic. While the extra power of the H-5 made it significantly more useful than its R-4 and R-6 cousins, the H-5/HO3S-1 suffered, like most early small tandem-seat single-rotor machines, from center of gravity problems. As a matter of routine, the helicopter was equipped with two iron-bar weights – each in a canvas case – one of {{convert|25|lb|abbr=on}} & one of {{convert|50|lb|abbr=on}}. Flying with no passengers, both weights were placed forward alongside the pilot. With three passengers, both weights were normally placed in the baggage compartment. However, in conditions of high ambient temperatures, which reduced lift due to the lowered air density, all weights were jettisoned. If the weights could not be recovered later, pilots on future missions were forced to utilize rocks or other improvised weights next to the pilot after offloading three passengers, or else travel at a very slow {{convert|25|kn}}.{{cite web |url=https://www.usna.com/SSLPage.aspx?pid=656 |title=Helo Operations |last=Close |first=Robert A. (Cmdr) |website=U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association & Foundation |access-date=October 25, 2019 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120214182049/https://www.usna.com/SSLPage.aspx?pid=656 |archive-date=February 14, 2012}}

The H-5/HO3S-1 gained its greatest fame during the Korean War when it was called upon repeatedly to rescue United Nations pilots shot down behind enemy lines and to evacuate wounded personnel from frontline areas. It was eventually replaced in most roles by the H-19 Chickasaw.{{citation needed|date = February 2012}} In 1957, the last H-5 and HO3S-1 helicopters were retired from active U.S. military service.{{citation needed|date = February 2012}}

The S-51 was the first helicopter ever to be delivered to a commercial operator; on July 29, 1946, the first of three aircraft was handed over to the president of Helicopter Air Transport (HAT) at Sikorsky's plant in Bridgeport, Connecticut. HAT paid a discounted price of $48,500 per aircraft and operated them from Camden Central Airport, Camden, in New Jersey,{{cite web |title=New Jersey: Camden area |url=https://www.airfieldsfreeman.com/NJ/Airfields_NJ_Camden.htm#camdencentral |website=Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields |access-date=28 March 2020}} carrying passengers, freight and mail to other local airports. Initially operating on a temporary license, the S-51 gained full Civil Aeronautics Authority (CAA) certification for commercial operation on April 17, 1947.{{cite web |url=https://www.verticalmag.com/features/the-first-operator-helicopter-air-transport/ |title=The first operator: Helicopter Air Transport |last=Petite |first=Bob |date= November 16, 2018 |website=www.verticalmag.com |publisher=MHM Publishing |access-date=October 21, 2019 }} In the United Kingdom, the first scheduled daily helicopter service started in June 1950 between Liverpool and Cardiff using S-51s operated by British European Airways (BEA).{{cite web |url=https://personalpages.manchester.ac.uk/staff/m.dodge/Dreaming-of-Helicopter-Travel-in-the-1950s_Historic-Society_paper.pdf |title=Dreams of helicopter travel in the 1950s and Liverpool's undeveloped plans for a city centre heliport |last1=Dodge |first1=Martin |last2=Brook |first2=Richard |date=2014 |website=personalpages.manchester.ac.uk |publisher=Manchester University |access-date=October 21, 2019 }} (p. 9)

Variants

Data from:Aerofiles : Sikorsky{{cite web |last1=Eckland |first1=K.O. |title=american airplanes: Sikorskyes : Sikorsky |url=http://aerofiles.com/_sik.html |website=aerofiles.com |access-date=5 April 2019 |date=10 November 2008}}

=Sikorsky model numbers=

File:Helicopter air mail, 1947.jpg S-51 inaugurating helicopter air-mail service, 1947]]

;S-48

:Company designation of the R-5/H-5.

;S-51

:Civil four-seat transport version; four purchased for inventory for U.S. Navy

=USAAF/USAF designations=

File:Sikorsky R-5D 3962 (2076012183).jpg

;XR-5

:Prototype based on the VS-327 with two seats and tailwheel landing gear, powered by a {{cvt|450|hp}} Pratt & Whitney R-985-AN-5 Wasp Junior; five built in 1943 (43-28236 to 43-28239, 43-47954).

;YR-5 / YR-5A

:As the XR-5 with minor modifications; 26 built in 1943, (43-46600 to 43-46625), including two to the United States Navy as HO2S-1s.

;R-5A

:Production rescue model with provision for two external stretchers; 34 built (43-46626 to 43-46659), later re-designated H-5A.

;R-5B

:Modified R-5A, not built

;YR-5C

:Modified R-5A, not built

;YR-5D / R-5D

:Modified R-5As with nosewheel landing gear, rescue hoist, later re-designated H-5D; twenty-one conversions in 1944 (43-46606, 43-46640 to 43-46659).

;YR-5E

:Modified YR-5As with dual controls in 1947, later re-designated YH-5E; five conversions from YR-5A (43-46611 to 43-46615).

;R-5F

:Civil model S-51 four-seaters bought in 1947 powered by {{cvt|450|hp}} Pratt & Whitney R-985-AN-5, later re-designated H-5F; 11 built 1948 (47-480 to 47-490).

;H-5G

:Four-seater as H-5F with rescue equipment; 39 built 1948 (48-524 to 49-562).

;H-5H

:As for H-5G, with updated equipment and combination wheel and pontoon gear; 16 built 1949 (49-1996 to 49-2100).

=US Navy designations=

File:USMC HO3S-1 helicopter.jpg, South Korea]]

;HO2S-1

:Two YR-5As to the United States Navy later passed to the United States Coast Guard, order for 34 cancelled

;HO3S-1

:Four-seat version for the USN similar to the H-5F; 92 built in 1945 (Bureau Numbers 57995 to 57998, 122508 to 122529, 122709 to 122728, 123118 to 123143, 124334 to 124353)

;HO3S-1G

:HO3S-1 for the United States Coast Guard; 9 HO3S-1 transferred from the USN (1230 to 1238)

;HO3S-2

:Was a naval version of the H-5H, not built

;XHO3S-3

:One HO3S-1 modified in 1950 with a redesigned rotor

=Thai designations=

;H.1A

:({{langx|th|ฮ.๑ก}}) Royal Thai Armed Forces designation for the YH-5A.{{Cite web |title=Thai Military Aircraft Designations |url=https://designation-systems.net/non-us/thailand.html |access-date=2025-03-20 |website=designation-systems.net}}

Operators

File:Sikorsky YH-5A USAF.jpg in Dayton, Ohio]]

;{{Flag|Argentina}}

  • Argentine Coast Guard{{cite news|url=http://www.helis.com/database/org/ar_argentine_coast_guard/Pictorial|title=Prefectura Naval Argentina|work=Helis.com}}
  • Argentine Navy{{cite web|url= http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1967/1967%20-%201255.html |title= World Helicopter Market |page=57|work=Flight International |date=13 July 1967 |access-date=18 October 2014}}

;{{Flag|Australia}}

  • Royal Australian Air Force{{cite web|url=http://www.airforce.gov.au/raafmuseum/exhibitions/b_scenes/air_store/dragonfly.htm |title=Sikorsky S-51 Dragonfly |publisher=gov.au |access-date=18 October 2014}}

;{{flag|Canada|1921}}

  • Royal Canadian Air Force{{cite web|url= http://www.canadianwings.com/Aircraft/aircraftDetail.php?H-5-178 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20141021173602/http://www.canadianwings.com/Aircraft/aircraftDetail.php?H-5-178 |url-status= usurped |archive-date= 21 October 2014 |title= Sikorksy H-5 |publisher= canadianwings.com |access-date=18 October 2014}}
  • 103 Search and Rescue Squadron

;{{ROC}}

  • Republic of China Air Force{{citation|url= http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1967/1967%20-%201258.html|title= World Helicopter Market|page= 60|work=Flight International |date=13 July 1967 |access-date=18 October 2014}}

;{{FRA}}

  • Naval Air Arm{{cite web|url= http://www.ffaa.net/helicopters/s-51/s-51_fr.htm |title= HÉLICOPTÈRE DE SAUVETAGE ET LAISON |publisher= ffaa.net |access-date=18 October 2014}}

;{{NED}}

  • Marineluchtvaartdienst{{cite web|url= http://www.vlaggeschipsmaldeel5.nl/html/sikorsky_s-51_aan_boord.html |title= sikorsky s-51 aan boord |access-date= 7 August 2016}}

;{{flag|South Africa|1928}}

  • South African Air Force{{cite web|url= http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1967/1967%20-%201262.html|title= World Helicopter Market |page=64|work=Flight International |date=13 July 1967 |access-date=18 October 2014}}

;{{Flag|United Kingdom}}

;{{Flag|United States}}

  • Helicopter Air Transport
  • Los Angeles Airways{{citation |url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1960/1960%20-%200504.html |title= Los Angeles Airways Inc—LAA |work=Flight |page=504|date= 8 April 1960| access-date=18 October 2014}}
  • United States Air Force{{cite web |url= http://www.sikorskyarchives.com/S-51.php |title = S-51/HO3S-1/H-5F, G, H Helicopter |publisher= sikorskyarchives.com |year= 2011 |access-date= 18 October 2014}}
  • United States Coast Guard{{cite web|url=http://www.uscg.mil/history/articles/CGAviation.pdf |title=History of Coast Guard Aviation |publisher= uscg.mil |access-date=18 October 2014}}

File:USCG S-51.jpg HO3S-1s come in to land]]

Surviving aircraft

File:Sikorsky S-51 (H-5A) Executive Transport (2834541621).jpg]]

  • 43-46607/H1k-1/96 – YR-5A on display at the Royal Thai Air Force Museum, Don Muang Airport, Bangkok, Thailand[http://www.rtaf.mi.th/museum/BLDG5-2.HTM "Building 5: Helicopters and last propeller fighter."] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606061937/http://www.rtaf.mi.th/museum/BLDG5-2.HTM |date=6 June 2011 }} Royal Thai Air Force Museum. Retrieved: 11 January 2011.
  • 43-46620 – A YH-5A is on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson AFB near Dayton, Ohio. The aircraft is one of 26 ordered in 1944. It was obtained from Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, in March 1955.United States Air Force Museum 1975, p. 54.
  • 43-46645 – H-5D on display at the United States Army Aviation Museum at Fort Novosel, Alabama.{{cite web|title=Rotary Wing|url=http://www.armyaviationmuseum.org/index.php/museum/aircraft-collection/16-aircraft-collection/65-rotary-wing|website=United States Army Aviation Museum|publisher=Army Aviation Museum Foundation, Inc.|access-date=25 May 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161105031344/http://www.armyaviationmuseum.org/index.php/museum/aircraft-collection/16-aircraft-collection/65-rotary-wing|archive-date=5 November 2016}}
  • 43-47954 – An XR-5 is in storage with the National Air and Space Museum.{{cite web|title=Sikorsky XR-5|url=http://airandspace.si.edu/collections/artifact.cfm?object=nasm_A19600308000|website=Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum|access-date=25 May 2016|archive-date=24 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160624004844/http://airandspace.si.edu/collections/artifact.cfm?object=nasm_A19600308000|url-status=dead}}
  • 47-0484 – Carolinas Aviation Museum, Charlotte, North Carolina. Painted as bureau number 125136.{{Cn|date=September 2024}}
  • 48-0548 – H-5G on display at the Pima Air & Space Museum adjacent to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Arizona.{{cite web|title=DRAGONFLY|url=http://pimaair.org/aircraft-by-name/item/sikorsky-h-5g-dragonfly|website=Pima Air & Space Museum|publisher=Pimaair.org|access-date=25 May 2016|archive-date=30 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160630081324/http://www.pimaair.org/aircraft-by-name/item/sikorsky-h-5g-dragonfly|url-status=dead}}
  • 48-0558 – H-5G on display at the United States Army Aviation Museum at Fort Novosel, Alabama.
  • 49-2007 – War Memorial of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea.{{Cn|date=September 2024}}
  • 122515 – HO3S-1 under restoration aboard the USS Midway Museum, San Diego, California.{{cite web|url=http://www.joebaugher.com/navy_serials/thirdseries13.html|title=US Navy and US Marine Corps BuNos}} This airframe was at one point repaired using the tail boom from BuNo 124345. However, this tail boom was removed and replaced with the tail boom of a 3rd S-51.{{Cn|date=September 2024}}
  • USCG 1232 – HO3S-1G on display at the Pima Air & Space Museum adjacent to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Arizona. On loan from the United States Coast Guard.{{cite web|title=DRAGONFLY|url=http://pimaair.org/aircraft-by-name/item/sikorsky-ho3s-1-dragonfly|website=Pima Air & Space Museum|publisher=Pimaair.org|access-date=25 May 2016}}
  • USCG 1233 – HO3S-1G at Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum, McMinnville, Oregon.[http://www.evergreenmuseum.org/the-museum/aircraft-exhibits/helicopters/ "Helicopters."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120629203314/http://www.evergreenmuseum.org/the-museum/aircraft-exhibits/helicopters/ |date=29 June 2012 }} Evergreen Aircraft & Space Museum. Retrieved: 27 October 2012.
  • USCG 1235 – HO3S-1G at the National Museum of Naval Aviation in Pensacola, Florida{{cite web|title=HO3S|url=http://www.navalaviationmuseum.org/attractions/aircraft-exhibits/item/?item=ho3s|website=National Naval Aviation Museum|publisher=Naval Aviation Museum Foundation|access-date=25 May 2016}}
  • RCAF 9601 – A Dragonfly is on display at the National Air Force Museum of Canada in Trenton, Ontario.{{cite web|title=Dragonfly|url=http://airforcemuseum.ca/en/aircraft-2/dragonfly|website=National Air Force Museum of Canada|access-date=25 May 2016}}
  • RCAF 9602 – H-5A (S-51) on display at the New England Air Museum, Bradley International Airport, Windsor Locks, Connecticut{{cite web|title=Sikorsky S-51 (H-5A) 'Executive Transport'|url=http://neam.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=883|website=New England Air Museum|access-date=25 May 2016}}
  • RCAF 9603 – American Helicopter Museum & Education Center, West Chester, Pennsylvania{{cite web|title=Sikorsky S-51 / R-5|url=http://americanhelicopter.museum/aircraft/sikorsky-s-51-r-5|website=American Helicopter Museum & Education Center|access-date=25 May 2016}}
  • RCAF 9607 – An H-5 is on display at the Aero Space Museum of Calgary in Calgary, Alberta.{{cite web|title=SIKORSKY S-51 DRAGONFLY (H-5)|url=http://www.asmac.ab.ca/exhibits/sikorsky-s-51-dragonfly-h-5|website=Aero Space Museum of Calgary|publisher=The Aero Space Museum Association of Calgary|access-date=25 May 2016}}
  • JRV-11503/WA/H/97 An S-51 Mk-1B is on display at the Air Museum at Nikola Tesla Airport, Belgrade, Serbia{{cite web|title=SIKORSKY S-51 DRAGONFLY |url=http://www.muzejvazduhoplovstva.org.rs/eksponati.php?jez=eng&id=53|website=muzej vazduhoplovstva beograd

|access-date=3 November 2018}}

  • RAAF A80-374 – A S-51 that served with the Royal Australian Air Force from 1951 to 1964, in the collection of the RAAF Museum, Point Cook, Victoria, Australia.{{Cite web |url=https://www.airforce.gov.au/sites/default/files/minisite/static/7522/RAAFmuseum/research/aircraft/series2/A80.htm |title=A80 Sikorsky S-51 |publisher=RAAF Museum|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220329072236/https://www.airforce.gov.au/sites/default/files/minisite/static/7522/RAAFmuseum/research/aircraft/series2/A80.htm |archive-date=2022-03-29}}

Specifications

{{multiple image

|total_width = 500

| image1 = Sikorsky R-5.svg

| alt1 = 3-view line drawing of the Sikorsky R-5

| caption1 = 3-view line drawing of the Sikorsky R-5

| image2 = Sikorsky H-5H 3-view line drawing.png

| alt2 = 3-view line drawing of the Sikorsky H-5H

| caption2 = 3-view line drawing of the Sikorsky H-5H

}}

{{Aircraft specs

|ref=United States Military Aircraft since 1909Swanborough and Bowers 1963, p. 431.

|prime units?=imp

|crew=1 or 2

|capacity=two stretchers in external panniers

|length ft=57

|length in=1

|height ft=13

|height in=0

|empty weight lb=3780

|gross weight lb=4825

|max takeoff weight lb=

|fuel capacity=

|more general=

|eng1 number=1

|eng1 name=Pratt & Whitney R-985 Wasp Junior

|eng1 type=9-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine

|eng1 hp=450

|rot number=1

|rot dia ft=48

|rot dia in=0

|rot area sqft=1810

|rot area note=

|max speed mph=106

|max speed note=

|cruise speed mph=

|cruise speed note=

|stall speed mph=

|stall speed note=

|never exceed speed mph=

|never exceed speed note=

|range miles=360

|range note=

|combat range miles=

|combat range note=

|ferry range miles=

|ferry range note=

|endurance=

|ceiling ft=14400

|ceiling note=

|g limits=

|roll rate=

|climb rate ftmin=

|climb rate note=

|time to altitude={{cvt|10000|ft}} in 15 minutes

|disk loading note=

|fuel consumption lb/mi=

|power/mass=

|thrust/weight=

|more performance=

}}

References

=Notes=

{{notelist}}

{{Reflist}}

=Bibliography=

  • Bridgman, Leonard. Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1951–52. London: Sampson Low, Marston & Company, Ltd, 1951.
  • {{cite journal |last1=Elliott|first1=Bryn|title=On the Beat: The First 60 Years of Britain's Air Police |journal=Air Enthusiast |date=January–February 1999 |issue=79 |pages=68–75 |issn=0143-5450}}
  • Fitzsimons, Bernard, ed. Illustrated Encyclopedia of 20th Century Weapons and Warfare, Vol.20. London: Phoebus, 1978. {{ISBN|978-0-83936-175-6}}.
  • Polmar, Norman and Floyd D. Kennedy Jr. Military Helicopters of the World: Military Rotary-wing Aircraft Since 1917. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1981. {{ISBN|0-87021-383-0}}.
  • Rawlins, Eugene W., Lt. Col. Marines and Helicopters 1946–1962. Washington, D.C.: History and Museums Division, U.S. Marine Corps, 1976.
  • Swanborough, F.G. and Peter M. Bowers. United States Military Aircraft since 1909. London: Putnam, 1963.
  • United States Air Force Museum Guidebook. Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio: Air Force Museum Foundation, 1975.