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Post by dalecaruso on Mar 8, 2007 17:26:54 GMT -5
If I am not mistaken both the Sikorsky S-38 and S-39 were of all wood construction ... meaning the major parts ... hulls and such. Am I correct?
Dale
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Post by windrunner on Mar 9, 2007 12:31:11 GMT -5
I guess you are right there; wings and tail-rudders of canvas. Not sure about the hull, tho.
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Post by Bookman on Mar 22, 2007 11:23:05 GMT -5
Here's the dope on the S-38/-39 construction design of the hulls (fuselage):
"...ten passengers and a crew of two could be accommodated in the short, single-step hull formed from a wooden frame covered with aluminum-alloy sheets. Before passage through the hump speed, large quantities of spray passed through the propellers and covered the windshield, effectively blinding the pilots. Although the aircraft was built for a number of years and various fixes were attempted, the spray problem on the S-38 was never effectively solved. Wings of the aircraft consisted of a metal structure covered with fabric."
"...about 120 examples of the S-38 were constructed, and its configuration served as a basis for the single-engine S-39 and the large four engine S-40 flying boat operated by Pan American Airways. The S-41 was a further refinement of the twin-engine S-38, but the high-drag configuration of this series of aircraft was abandoned in favor of arrangements of higher aerodynamic efficiency in subsequent Sikorsky flying boats and amphibians."
Source Quest for Performance: The Evolution of Modern Aircraft by Laurence K. Loftin. published by NASA, 1985.
Hope this helped.
KB
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