Sikorsky XH-39

Infobox Aircraft
name= Sikorsky S-59


caption= Sikorsky S-59
type=Helicopter
manufacturer=Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation
designer=
first flight=
introduced= not produced
retired=
status=
primary user=
more users=
produced=
number built= 1 [Polmar, Norman, and Kennedy, Floyd D., Jr. "Military Helicopters of the World" (Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1981), p.288.]
unit cost=
developed from =
variants with their own articles = H-18

The Sikorsky XH-39 (manufacturer designation S-59), developed by Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation in 1954, was the U.S. Army’s first turbine-powered helicopter. It was fast and innovative, but ultimately rejected by the U.S. Army, in favor of the Bell UH-1.

It was a four seat helicopter that used a 400hp (298 kW) XT51-T-3 (Artouse II) turbine engine. It was developed from the previous Sikorsky model, the H-18 (company model S-52), and had the same layout. It differed in using retractable tricycle landing gear, [Polmar and Kennedy, p.288.] modified tail rotor, and four-blade main rotor. [Polmar and Kennedy, p.288.]

On August 26, 1954, the S-59 set a world helicopter speed record of 155.9 mph (251 km/h). The same year, it set a world helicopter altitude record of 24500 ft (7474 m).

pecifications (H-39 )

aircraft specifications
plane or copter?=copter
jet or prop?=prop

ref=U.S. Army Aircraft Since 1947 Harding 1990, p.233.]
crew=Four

length main= 41 ft 0 in
length alt= 12.50 m
span main= 35 ft 0 in
span alt= 10.67 m
height main= 9 ft 7 in
height alt= 2.92 m
area main= 962 ft²
area alt= 89.4 m²
airfoil=
empty weight main= 2,105 lb
empty weight alt= 957 kg
loaded weight main= 3,361 lb
loaded weight alt= 1,528 kg
useful load main=
useful load alt=
max takeoff weight main=
max takeoff weight alt=
more general=

engine (prop)=Turbomeca XT51-T-3 Artouste
type of prop=turboshaft
number of props=
power main= 400 shp
power alt= 298 kW
power original=
max speed main= 136 knots
max speed alt= 156 mph, 251 km/h
max speed more=
cruise speed main= 120 knots
cruise speed alt= 138 mph, 222 km/h
cruise speed more=
never exceed speed main=
never exceed speed alt=
stall speed main=
stall speed alt=
range main= 243 NM
range alt= 280 mi, 451 km
range more=
ferry range main=
ferry range alt=
ferry range more=
ceiling main= 17,900 ft
ceiling alt= 5,460 m
celing more=
climb rate main=
climb rate alt=
climb rate more=
loading main= 3.49 lb/ft²
loading alt= 17.1 kg/m²
thrust/weight=
power/mass main= 0.12 hp/lb
power/mass alt= 0.20 kW/kg
more performance=

References

Notes

Bibliography

* Harding, Stephen. "U.S. Army Aircraft Since 1947". Shrewsbury, England: Airlife, 1990. ISBN 1-85310-102-8.
*Polmar, Norman, and Kennedy, Floyd D., Jr. "Military Helicopters of the World". Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1981. ISBN 0-870321-383-0.
* [http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/aircraft/h-39.htm "Sikorsky Model XH-39 (S-59)." at Global Security] (accessed 12 May 2008)