#1830

Sikorsky S-64 Skycrane

🇺🇸 United States ·first flew 1962· aerial crane

🚁 helicopter 2× turboshaft ✓ still flying

10 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences

1. N179AC-Elvis-739: Regular Daddy· CC BY-SA 3.0
2. CN Tower40 construction skycrane March 1975 01c: WikiPedant· CC BY-SA 4.0
3. Ericson S64 FP202: Trashbag at English Wikipedia· Public domain
4. S64 Skycrane: AlxG95· CC BY-SA 4.0
5. Sikorsky S 64 CH 54A Skycrane im Hubschraubermuseum Bueckeburg: Cornu1907· CC BY-SA 3.0
6. Sikorsky S-64A (c-n 64-003) 2015-04-29 Andre Gerwing Collection ID 015735: André Gerwing· CC BY-SA 4.0
7. Sikorsky Skycrane carrying house bw: Wikimedia Commons· Public domain
8. SikorskyS64MiniatureDM: Tungsten· CC0
9. Skycrane lands at Essendon: RyanZ225 PC· CC BY-SA 4.0
10. Sydney Erickson Air Crane Sikorsky S-64F Skycrane 01: MDRX· CC BY-SA 4.0

what is it?

The Sikorsky S-64 Skycrane is an American twin-engine heavy-lift helicopter. It is the civilian version of the United States Army's Sikorsky CH-54 Tarhe heavy lifter. Since 1992, the type certificate has been owned by Erickson Inc.

How to recognise it: 2 turboshaft engines · 22 m main rotor

base stats

speed 213 km/htop speed
range 370 kmwithout refuelling
size 19.1 tmax take-off weight
built 100made 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 64 years ago, in 1962.
Top speed is 1.6× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
Rotor of 22 m: about 5 cars parked nose to tail.
Fully loaded it can weigh as much as 3 African elephants (~6 t each).

turboshaft: A turbine that turns a shaft, usually a helicopter rotor.

spec sheet

first flight: 1962-05-09
status: still flying
number built: 100
role: aerial crane
origin: 🇺🇸 United States
makers: Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation
engines: 2× Pratt & Whitney JFTD12-4A (T73-P-1)
crew: 3
length: 21.4 m
rotor diameter: 22 m
height: 5.7 m
max take-off weight: 19.1 t
top speed: 213 km/h
cruise speed: 213 km/h
range: 370 km

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

family

Sources: Wikidata Q1091524, Wikipedia: Sikorsky S-64 Skycrane (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.