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Sikorsky S-43

🇺🇸 United States ·first flew 1935· flying boat airliner

🛫 airliner 2× piston retired
10 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
  1. 1. Sikorsky JRS-1 (S-43) on exhibit in the main hall of the Smithsonian's Udvar-Hazy Center: Aaron headly· CC BY-SA 4.0
  2. 2. Sikorsky S-43 (Baby Clipper) at the Pima Air and Space Museum: Serge Yatunin· CC BY-SA 4.0
  3. 3. 1061 Sikorsky S-43 U.S. Marines (8737876749): Aeroprints.com· CC BY-SA 3.0
  4. 4. China National Aviation Corporation - CNAC Sikorsky S-43 (JRS) NC16930: SFO Museum, Original Photographer Unknown· Public domain
  5. 5. CNAC Sikorsky S-43W NC16929: The Julius A. Barr Photograph Album/The Museum of Flight· Public domain
  6. 6. Inter-Islands Airways Sikorsky S-43 in Molokai: National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution· Public domain
  7. 7. Sikorsky S-43 NC-16925 (5996028804): Bill Larkins· CC BY-SA 2.0
  8. 8. Sikorsky S-43 NC16934 (5731722506): Bill Larkins· CC BY-SA 2.0
  9. 9. Sikorsky S-43W PK-AFU (4932787467): Bill Larkins· CC BY-SA 2.0
  10. 10. Two S-43s Oakland November 1947 (4932787529): Bill Larkins· CC BY-SA 2.0
Read about it on Wikipedia ↗
Sikorsky S-43, photo 1 of 10
1/10 Aaron headly· CC BY-SA 4.0

what is it?

The Sikorsky S-43 (sometimes referred to as the Baby Clipper) is a 1930s American twin-engine amphibious flying boat monoplane produced by Sikorsky Aircraft.

How to recognise it: 2 piston engines with propellers · 26.2 m wingspan

base stats

  • speed 286 km/htop speed
  • seats 11passengers
  • size 8,845 kgmax take-off weight
  • built 53made in total

Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).

fun facts

  • First flew 91 years ago, in 1935.
  • Top speed is 2.2× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
  • Wingspan of 26.2 m: about 6 cars parked nose to tail.

piston: A car-like piston engine turning a propeller: simple and cheap, the classic small plane.

spec sheet

first flight
1935
introduced
1934
status
retired
number built
53
role
flying boat airliner
origin
🇺🇸 United States
makers
Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation
engines
2× Pratt & Whitney R-1690-52 Hornet
passengers
11
length
15.6 m
wingspan
26.2 m
height
5.4 m
max take-off weight
8,845 kg
top speed
286 km/h
cruise speed
267 km/h
range
—
ceiling
5,791 m

Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.

Sources: Wikidata Q2556074, Wikipedia: Sikorsky S-43 (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.

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