Sikorsky S-9

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S-9
Sikorsky S-9 aircraft side view circa 1913.jpg
Sikorsky S-9 circa 1913
RoleExperimental Monoplane
National origin Russian Empire
Manufacturer Russian Baltic Railroad Car Works
DesignerIgor Sikorsky
First flight1913
Number built1

The Sikorsky S-9Kruglyj (Rounded One) was a Russian single engine prototype 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 machine-building enterprise of the Russian Empire

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

Igor Sikorsky Russian and American aerospace designer

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.

Contents

Design and development

The S-9 was a three-seat mid-wing monoplane with constant-chord wire-braced wings originally powered by a Gnome air-cooled rotary engine rated at 100 hp (75 kW). It was the first monocoque monoplane built in Russia and the cylindrical tapered fuselage was constructed of plywood 5 mm thick in the forward section and 3mm thick aft. Construction was completed in the spring of 1913. [1] [2]

Monoplane fixed-wing aircraft with a single main wing plane

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.

Gnome et Rhône was a major French aircraft engine manufacturer. Between 1914 and 1918 they produced 25,000 of their 9-cylinder Delta and Le Rhône 110 hp (81 kW) rotary designs, while another 75,000 were produced by various licensees. These engines powered the majority of aircraft in the first half of the war, both Allied designs as well as German examples produced by Motorenfabrik Oberursel.

Rotary engine internal combustion engine with cylinders rotating around a stationary crankshaft

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

Upon completion the S-9 was found to be substantially heavier than anticipated and the engine only delivered 80% of its rated horsepower. Initial flight tests revealed very poor performance. The engine was replaced by a 100 hp (75 kW) Gnome Monosoupape and further flights showed only a nominal increase in speed. The machine was eventually scrapped. [1] [3]

Gnome Monosoupape rotary 9-cylinder aircraft engine

The Monosoupape, was a rotary engine design first introduced in 1913 by Gnome Engine Company. It used a clever arrangement of internal transfer ports and a single pushrod-operated exhaust valve to replace a large number of moving parts found on more conventional rotary engines, and made the Monosoupape engines some of the most reliable of the era. British aircraft designer Thomas Sopwith described the Monosoupape as "one of the greatest single advances in aviation".

Specifications

Data fromRussian Aviation Museum [2]

S-9 nose detail Sikorsky S-9 aircraft circa 1913 close up.jpg
S-9 nose detail

General characteristics

  • Crew: One
  • Capacity: Two passenger
  • Upper wingspan: 39 ft 4 in (12 m)
  • Wing area: 320 sq ft (30 m2)
  • Empty weight: 1,521 lb (690 kg)
  • Gross weight: 2,183 lb (990 kg)
  • Powerplant: 1 × Gnome Monosoupape 7-cylinder air-cooled rotary piston engine, 100 hp (75 kW)
  • Propellers: 2-bladed

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 56 mph; 49 kn (90 km/h)
  • Wing loading: 6.8 lb/sq ft (33 kg/m2) max load

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References

  1. 1 2 Sikorsky, Igor (1944). The Story of the Winged-S. New York: Dodd, Mead & Company. p. 43. ISBN   9781258163556.
  2. 1 2 "S-9". ram-home.com. 4 September 1997. Retrieved 2 April 2017.
  3. "Sikorsky S-9 1911". www.aviastar.org. Retrieved 5 April 2017.