H.Nowarra, G.Duval Russian Civil and Military Aircraft 1884-1969

Meanwhile, Sikorski had not been idle, and in 1911 he built the S.5 biplane in two versions, landplane and seaplane. The fuselages of these were long and streamlined, a characteristic of designs from this source. The seaplane, fitted with twin floats, had its fuselage extended even further to offset instability caused by the floats and although no record remains of its performance, it may be noted as the first example of a Russian marine aeroplane. The S.5 landplane had a speed of 66 m.p.h. and a ceiling of 1,500 ft. Both machines were powered by the 50 h.p. Argus.

A.Durkota, T.Darcey, V.Kulikov The Imperial Russian Air Service (Flying Machines)

Igor Ivanovich Sikorsky

Sikorsky S-5

  Designed concurrently with the S-4, the S-5 was completed in April 1911, and quickly dominated Sikorsky's attention. On May 17, Sikorsky made what he called his first "real flight," lasting four minutes during which he took off, completed a circuit of the airfield, and landed where he had started. Sikorsky would simply state, "The two and a half years of hard work had finally resulted in success."
  The S-5 utilized a control wheel instead of a control handle, and for the first time a Sikorsky aircraft had a second seat added. By June 14, Sikorsky was confident enough to carry passengers. On August 18, 1911, Sikorsky received his F.A.I. Pilots License (number 64) on the S-5 and established four all-Russian records; altitude of 1,640 feet, distance of 52.8 miles, duration of 52 minutes, and a ground speed of 77.6 mph. In September, he was invited to participate in the Army maneuvers in Fasova, some 35 miles from Kiev. The 35 mile trip in the S-5 marked Sikorsky's first cross-country flight. The performance of the S-5 was so impressive that it led to Sikorsky's first meeting with Czar Nicholas II, who was attending the exercise.
  In October Sikorsky earned his first money with a series of exhibition flights at a country fair at the town of Beleya Tzerkov, near Kiev. On his last flight the 50 h.p. Argus engine quit immediately after takeoff. His low altitude (150 feet) did not allow any maneuvering, and Sikorsky was forced to make an emergency landing. The S-5 was demolished and Sikorsky was badly bruised.
  Upon examining the engine to determine why it stopped, the body of a mosquito was found lodged in the carburetor jet, effectively choking off the fuel to the engine. It was this crash that started Igor Sikorsky thinking of a multi-engined aircraft capable of continuing flight after the failure of an engine.



Sikorsky Aircraft Data
Model: S-1 S-2 S-3 S-4 S-5 S-6 S-6A
Year: 1910 1910 1910 1910 1911 1911 1912
Engine(s) type: 15hp Anzani 25hp Anzani 35hp Anzani 50hp Anzani 50hp Argus 100hp Argus 100hp Argus
Length, m: 8 8 8 8 8.5 8.8 9.2
Wing Span; m: top/bottom 8 8 8 8 12/9 11.8 14.5/11.7
Wing Area, m2: 24 24 24 24 33 35.4 39
Wt. empty, kg: 180 190 220 260 320 650 650
Wt. fuel/oil, kg: 10 10 20 30 40 60 60
Wt. load, kg: 70 70 90 100 120 340 450
Wt. flying, kg: 250 260 310 360 440 990 1100
Wingload, kg/m2: 10.4 10.8 13 12.9 13.3 24 23
Powerload, kg/hp: 16 10.2 8.9 7.2 8.8 8.5 9