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

In 1912. Igor Sikorski had been appointed to head the newly-established aircraft design bureau of the Russo Baltic Waggon Factory (R.B V.Z.), a concern manufacturing railway rolling stock in factories at Riga and St Petersburg. The first aircraft to be built by R.B.V.Z. as a ‘pilot scheme’ to train the workers were in small number of Sikorski S.6s. Rapidly becoming a leading figure in Russian aviation, with his S.6 having won the highest award at the Moscow Aeronautics Exhibition and also the first prize in the 1912 military trials. Sikorski built the S.9 three-seater monoplane in 1913.
   This machine had a long tapering fuselage ol monocoque construction, with triangular tail surfaces, the wing being braced from two pylons and fitted with ailerons. The undercarriage was of the four-wheel type, and the engine, a 100 h.p. Gnome Monosoupape. was enclosed in a stream lined cowling. The pilot sat in the rear cockpit, in front of which was a larger cockpit for the two passengers, with side-by-side seating. The S.9 attained a speed ol 62 m.p.h., but due to high weight it had a very limited speed range, landing at 50 m.p.h.

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

Igor Ivanovich Sikorsky

Sikorsky S-9 (Kruglyi - Round)

  Built in the spring of 1913, the S-9, or "Round" was interesting as it represented the first monocoque fuselage constructed in Russia. The S-9 was a wire-braced, mid-wing monoplane with a circular fuselage made of pine and ash and covered with plywood. Designed as a three-seater, the S-9 had the pilot's seat located forward of the twin passenger cockpit. Completed in the spring of 1913, it turned out to be a failure. Its 100hp Gnome engine was insufficient for the overweight machine (2,200 pounds). Although a more powerful Gnome Monosoupape engine was installed, the S-9 could only attain a top speed of 62 mph. Test flights were eventually discontinued and the machine was scrapped in the fall of 1913.



Sikorsky Aircraft Data
Model: S-6B S-7 S-8 S-9 S-5A (twin float) S-5A (single float) S-10 (competition)
Year: 1912 1912 1912 1913 1912 1912 1913
Engine(s) type: 100hp Argus 70hp Gnome 50hp Gnome 100hp Gnome(1) 60hp Gnome 80hp Gnome 80hp Gnome
Length, m: 8.5 8.2 7.5 - 8 8 8
Wing Span, m: top/bottom 14.9/10.9 10 12/8 12 12/8.5 12/8.5 16.9/12
Wing Area, m2: 37.5 20 27 30 30 30 46
Wt. empty, kg: 590 449 - 690 - - 567
Wt. load, kg: 327 327 - 300 - - 444
Wt. flying, kg: 917 776 - 990 - - 1011
Wingload, kg/m2: 10.4 10.8 13 12.9 - - 22
Powerload, kg/hp: 16 10.2 8.9 7.2 - - 12.7
Speed, km/h: - - - - - - 99
Notes:
1. Gnome Monosoupape.