Sikorsky S-12

S-12
	Sikorsky S-12 circa 1913
Role	Trainer
National origin	Russian Empire
Manufacturer	Russian Baltic Railroad Car Works
Designer	Igor Sikorsky
First flight	1913
Number built	12
Developed from	S-11

Last updated February 22, 2019

The Sikorsky S-12 was a Russian single engine trainer aircraft completed in the spring of 1913 by the Russian Baltic Railroad Car Works while Igor Sikorsky was the chief engineer of the aircraft manufacturing division.

Russo-Balt was one of the first Russian companies that produced vehicles and aircraft between 1909 and 1923.

Igor Ivanovich Sikorsky, was a Russian-American aviation pioneer in both helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft. His first success came with the S-2, the second aircraft of his design and construction. His fifth airplane, the S-5, won him national recognition as well as F.A.I. license number 64. His S-6-A received the highest award at the 1912 Moscow Aviation Exhibition, and in the fall of that year the aircraft won for its young designer, builder and pilot first prize in the military competition at Saint Petersburg.

Design and development

The S-12 was a single seat mid-wing monoplane with wire-braced wings and powered by a Gnome Lambda air-cooled rotary engine rated at 80 hp (60 kW). It was smaller and lighter than the S-11 on which it was based, and was specifically designed to be highly maneuverable.^[1]^[2]

A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with a single main wing plane, in contrast to a biplane or other multiplane, each of which has multiple planes.

The Gnome 7 Lambda was a French designed, seven-cylinder, air-cooled rotary aero engine that was produced under license in Britain and Germany. Powering several World War I era aircraft types it was claimed to produce 80 horsepower (60 kW) from its capacity of 12 litres although recorded figures are lower.

The rotary engine is an early type of internal combustion engine, usually designed with an odd number of cylinders per row in a radial configuration, in which the crankshaft remained stationary in operation, with the entire crankcase and its attached cylinders rotating around it as a unit. Its main application was in aviation, although it also saw use before its primary aviation role, in a few early motorcycles and automobiles.

Operational history

The S-12 was the most successful monoplane Sikorsky designed during his time in Russia and twelve examples were produced. In September 1913 an S-12 became the first Russian aircraft to perform an inside loop at the Kolomyazhskiy hippodrome north of St. Petersburg. Later an S-12 set an altitude record of 3,680 metres (12,070 ft). During World War I and the Russian Revolution S-12s served with the Russian Air Force and some were still in service until 1922.^[3]

The hippodrome was an ancient Grecian stadium for horse racing and chariot racing. The name is derived from the Greek words hippos and dromos. The term is used in the modern French language and some others, with the meaning of "horse racecourse". Hence, some present-day horse racing tracks also include the word hippodrome in their names, such as the Hippodrome de Vincennes and the Central Moscow Hippodrome.

The Russian Revolution was a pair of revolutions in Russia in 1917 which dismantled the Tsarist autocracy and led to the rise of the Soviet Union. The Russian Empire collapsed with the abdication of Emperor Nicholas II and the old regime was replaced by a provisional government during the first revolution of February 1917. Alongside it arose grassroots community assemblies which contended for authority. In the second revolution that October, the Provisional Government was toppled and all power was given to the Soviets.

Specifications

Data fromRussian Aviation Museum^[2]

General characteristics

Crew: One
Wing area: 212 sq ft (19.7 m²)
Empty weight: 924 lb (419 kg)
Gross weight: 1,501 lb (681 kg)
Powerplant: 1 × Gnome Lambda 7-cylinder air-cooled rotary piston engine, 80 hp (60 kW)
Propellers: 2-bladed

Performance

Service ceiling: 12,070 ft (3,680 m)
Wing loading: 7.1 lb/sq ft (34.5 kg/m²) max load

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References

↑ Finne, K.N. (1987). Igor Sikorsky: The Russian Years. translated and adapted by Von Hardesty; Carl J. Bobrow and Von Hardesty, eds. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. p. 33. ISBN 0-87474-274-9.
1 2 "S-12". ram-home.com. 4 September 1997. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
↑ "Sikorsky S-12 1913". www.aviastar.org. Retrieved 23 April 2017.

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[igo-1] Finne, K.N. (1987). Igor Sikorsky: The Russian Years. translated and adapted by Von Hardesty; Carl J. Bobrow and Von Hardesty, eds. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. p. 33. ISBN 0-87474-274-9.

[ram-2] 1 2 "S-12". ram-home.com. 4 September 1997. Retrieved 24 April 2017.

[avi-3] "Sikorsky S-12 1913". www.aviastar.org. Retrieved 23 April 2017.

v t e Sikorsky aircraft
Fixed-wing aircraft (company designations)	S-1 S-2 S-3 S-4 S-5 S-6 S-7 S-8 S-9 S-10 S-11 S-12 S-13 S-14 S-15 S-16 S-17 S-18 S-19 S-20 S-21 S-22 S-23 S-24 S-25 S-26 S-27 S-28 S-29-A S-30 S-31 S-32 S-33 S-34 S-35 S-36 S-37 S-38 S-39 S-40 S-41 S-42 S-43 VS-44 S-45
Fixed-wing aircraft (military designations)	C-6 C-28 JRS JR2S PS RS XBLR-3 XPBS XSS XV-2
Helicopters (company designations)	VS-300 (S-46) S-47 S-48 S-49 S-50 S-51 S-52 S-53 S-54 S-55 S-56 S-57 S-58 S-59 S-60 S-61 S-61L/N S-61R S-62 S-63 S-64 S-65 S-66 S-67 S-68 S-69 S-70 S-71 S-72 S-74 S-75 S-76 S-80 S-92 S-97 S-300 S-333 S-434
Helicopters (military designations)	SH-3 HH-3E/F R-4 H-5 H-6 H-18 H-19 H-34 CH-37 XH-39 HH-52A CH-53 CH-53E CH-53K CH-54 HLH HH-60G HH-60J MH-60R/S SH-60B/F SH-60J/K UH-60 VH-60 RAH-66 H-92 CH-124 CH-148
Experimental aircraft	Cypher Cypher II Firefly X2 XBLR-3 XV-2