Sikorsky H-19

For other uses of "H19" see H19 (disambiguation).

The Sikorsky H-19, (also known as the S-55) was a multi-purpose helicopter used by the United States Army. It was also license-built by Westland Aircraft as the Westland Whirlwind in the United Kingdom. United States Navy and Coast Guard models were designated HO4S, while those of the U.S. Marine Corps were HRS.

Design and development

The H-19's first flight was on November 10, 1949 and it entered operations in 1950. Over 1,000 of the helicopters were manufactured by Sikorsky for the United States. An additional 550 were manufactured by licensees of the helicopter including Westland Aircraft, Sud-Est in France and Mitsubishi in Japan.

The helicopter was widely exported, used by many other nations, including Greece, Israel, Chile, South Africa, Denmark and Turkey.

Operational history

UH-19B at the Milestones of Flight Museum, Fox Field, Lancaster, California. This helicopter had been operated by T&G Aviation of Chandler, Arizona, under contract to the USFS hauling firefighters and performing bucket water drops. In 1989 it was part of an exchange program where historic aircraft were provided to museums in exchange for surplus Air Force C-130s.

A Sikorsky S-55B in service with Golden West Helicopters, St. Albert, Alberta, 1985

Sikorsky UH-19 at the Canadian Museum of Flight 1988.The aircraft is painted as it would have looked while working on the construction of the Mid-Canada Line

UH-19B, USAF Museum

The H-19 underwent live service tests during the Korean War beginning in 1951 as an unarmed transport helicopter. Undergoing tests such as medical evacuation, tactical control and front-line cargo support, the helicopter succeeded admirably in surpassing the capabilities of the H-5 Dragonfly which had been used throughout the Korean conflict by the Army.

In 1956, the French Air Force experimented with arming the H-19 Chickasaw aka Sikorsky S-55, then being superseded in service by the more capable Piasecki H-21 and Sikorsky H-34 helicopters. The H-19 was originally fitted with a 20-mm cannon, two rocket launchers, plus a 20-mm cannon, two 12.7-mm machine guns, and a 7.5-mm light machine gun firing from the cabin windows, but this load proved far too heavy, and even lightly-armed H-19 gunships fitted with flexible machine guns for self-defense proved underpowered.

The H-19 was also used in the early days of the Vietnam War before being supplanted by the Sikorsky H-34 Choctaw, which was based on the H-19.

Variants

YH-19

Five early production S-55s for evaluation.

H-19A

USAF version of the YH-19 powered by a 600hp R-1340-57 engine, redeisgnated UH-19A in 1962, 50 built.

SH-19A

H-19As modified for Air-Sea Rescue, redesignated HH-19A in 1962.

H-19B

H-19A with a more powerful 700hp R-1300-3 engine, redesignated UH-19B in 1962, 264 built.

SH-19B

H-19Bs modified for Air-Sea Rescue, redesignated HH-19B in 1962.

H-19C

US Army version of the H-19A, redesignated UH-19C in 1962, 72 built.

H-19D

US Army version of the H-19B, redesignated UH-19D in 1962, 301 built.

HO4S-1

US Navy version of the H-19A, 10 built.

H04S-2

Project for rescue version for the United States Coast Guard, not built.

H04S-3

Re-engined US Navy & Canadian version with 700hp R-1300-3 engine, redesignated UH-19F (American variant) H04S-3 (Canadian variant) in 1962, 79 built.

HO4S-3G

United States Coast Guard version of the HO4S-3, redesignated HH-19G in 1962, 30 built.

HRS-1

United States Marine Corps version of the HO4S for eight troops, 60 built.

HRS-2

HRS-1 with equipment changes, 101 built.

HRS-3

HRS-2 with a 700hp R-1300-3 engine, became CH-19E in 1962, 105 built and conversions from HRS-2.

HRS-4

Project for HRS-3 with a 1025hp R-1820 radial engine, not built.

UH-19A

H-19A redesignated in 1962.

HH-19A

SH-19A redesignated in 1962.

UH-19B

H-19B redesignated in 1962.

HH-19B

SH-19B redesignated in 1962.

CH-19E

HRS-3 redesignated in 1962.

UH-19F

HO4S-3 redesignated in 1962.

HH-19G

HO4S-3G redesignated in 1962

S-55

Commercial version with 600hp R-1340 engine.

S-55A

Commercial version with 800hp R-1300-3 engine.

S-55C

S-55A with a 600hp R-1340 engine.

S-55T

Modified aircraft with a 650shp Garrett-AIRResearch TSE331-3U-303 turboshaft and updated equipment.

OHA-S-55 Heli-Camper

Commercial conversions carried out by Orlando Helicopters.

OHA-S-55 Nite-Writer

Commercial conversion. Aerial advertising helicopter, fitted with a 12.2-m x (40-ft x 8-ft) array of computer-controlled lights.

OHA-S-55 Bearcat

Commercial conversion. Agricultural helicopter.

OHA-S-55 Heavy Lift

Commercial conversion. Flying crane helicopter.

QS-55 Aggressors

Commercial conversion. S-55 helicopters converted into flying targets.

OHA-AT-55 Defender

Commercial conversion. Armed military helicopter.

Whirlwind HAR21

HRS-2 for Royal Navy, ten delivered.

Whirlwind HAS22

H04S-3 for Royal Navy, 15 delivered.

Later marks of Whirlwind were built under licence.

Operators

Αργεντινή  Αυστρία  Βέλγιο Καναδάς ! 1921  Χιλή  Ταϊβάν  Κολομβία  Δανία  Δομινικανή Δημοκρατία Γαλλία  Γερμανία

Ελλάδα ! old  Γουατεμάλα  Αϊτή  Ονδούρα Ισραήλ Ιταλία  Ιαπωνία  Κουβέιτ Ολλανδία  Νικαράγουα  Πακιστάν

Φιλιππίνες  Πορτογαλία  Νότια Κορέα Νότιο Βιετνάμ ! Νότιο Βιετνάμ Spanish State  Ταϊλάνδη  Ηνωμένο Βασίλειο  ΗΠΑ  Ουρουγουάη  Βενεζουέλα

Specifications (H-19)

H-19 at National Museum of the United States Air Force, showing unusual mounting of engine

UH-19B rotor head

External links

• GlobalSecuity: H-19 Chickasaw

References

• Duke, R.A., Helicopter Operations in Algeria [Trans. French], Dept. of the Army (1959)
• France, Operations Research Group, Report of the Operations Research Mission on H-21 Helicopter Dept. of the Army (1957)
• Riley, David, French Helicopter Operations in Algeria, Marine Corps Gazette, February 1958, pp. 21-26.
• Shrader, Charles R., The First Helicopter War: Logistics and Mobility in Algeria, 1954-1962, Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers (1999)
• Spenser, Jay P., Whirlybirds: A History of the U.S. Helicopter Pioneers, Seattle, WA: University of Washington Press (1998)