Sikorsky HH-52 Seaguard

Sikorsky HH-52 Seaguard. . , In 1962, the U.S. Coast Guard selected a modified commercial helicopter, the Sikorsky S-62, as a replacement for its older H-19 Chickasaw and H-34 Choctaw helicopters, which were used for search-and-rescue operations. The S-62 utilized many already proven and reliable parts from these predecessors, such as rotors and gearboxes, reducing its development time and costs. The S-62, which the Coast Guard named HH-52A Seaguard, rescued over 15,000 people in its 26-year career, more than any other helicopter in the world to date., The Seaguard was the Coast Guard's first turbine-powered helicopter. It used a single General Electric T58 jet engine, or gas-turbine, which was extremely reliable. It was the first gas-turbine certified by the FAA for civilian helicopters. The underside is shaped like a boat hull and is watertight. This and the partially retractable landing gear in the two side-mounted floats, called sponsons, made the Seaguard fully amphibious. The Seaguard was also equipped with several other features unique to the search-and-rescue role, including a folding platform along the side of the fuselage and an external hydraulic winch mounted above the large side door. The aircraft was capable of deploying rescue swimmers and lifting survivors from the water or the decks of ships, even in severe weather conditions. A total of 99 aircraft of this version were built., Designer Igor Sikorsky developed large, multiengine aircraft in Russia in the early 1900s. After immigrating to the Untied States, he became a noted designer of flying boats for transoceanic flights. Later he turned his genius to vertical flight. He designed and built the first practical helicopter in the United States, which made its first flight in September 1939., This particular aircraft is painted like one stationed at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn, New York. It was donated to the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum by the U.S. Coast Guard.,

Length: 44 feet 6.5 inches (13.6 m) not including rotor blades , Rotor Diameter: 53 feet (16.2 m) , Height: 15 feet 11.8 inches (4.9 m) , Empty Weight: 5,083 pounds (2,305 kg) , Max Weight: 8,100 pounds (3,674 kg) , Top Speed: 124 miles per hour (199.6 kph) , Ceiling: 11,200 feet (3,413 m) , Crew: Two pilots and rescue crew as needed , Armament: None

, [Captions:] , A Seaguard crew practices rescue skills using an Erickson basket, named after its inventor, Cdr. Frank Erickson. During World War II, Erickson was the first U.S. Coast Guard pilot to be trained to fly helicopters, earning him the designation Coast Guard helicopter pilot number 1 in 1943. Erickson designed the first hoist and basket device, which has become standard for rescue operations around the world., The Seaguard has the ability to land in the water, thanks to its boat-shaped belly and sponsons. These features allowed the U.S. Coast Guard to carry out surface rescue operations from land or water.