Sikorsky S-62

Infobox Aircraft
name= S-62 / HH-52A Seaguard


caption= A USCG HH-52A Seaguard landing on an icebreaker
type= SAR/utility helicopter
manufacturer= Sikorsky Aircraft
designer=
first flight= 1959
introduced= 1961
retired=
status=
primary user= United States Coast Guard
more users=
produced=
number built=
unit cost=
variants with their own articles=

The Sikorsky S-62 was a single turbine engine, single rotor amphibious helicopter originally developed as a commercial venture by the Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation of Stratford, Connecticut. It was used by the United States Coast Guard as the HH-52A Seaguard primarily for search and rescue, and now has been replaced by non-amphibious types such as the HH-65 Dolphin which rely on using a winch to retrieve passengers from a hover.

Design and development

A number of S-62s were bought by the US Navy Bureau of Aeronautics for the US Coast Guard for use as a search and rescue helicopter. Intitially designated HU2S-1G Seaguard, it was re-designated as the HH-52A Seaguard in 1962.

The HH-52A used a boat hulled shaped fuselage, smaller but similar to the US Navy's SH-3 (Sikorsky S-61), and was employed aboard the larger Coast Guard cutters and icebreakers. The S-62 used a single 1250 hp General Electric T58-GE-8 turboshaft engine, the same powerplant used on the larger twin-engined SH-3.

The turbine powered S-62 could carry more weight and fly faster than the H-19 (S-55). The aircraft was first conceived and designed to be amphibious so that flotation gear would not be required for over water flights, and rescues could be made by landing on the water. The fuselage is watertight for landings on water or snow. Two outrigger floats resist pitching and rolling on the water. Although the HH-52A looks very different from the Sikorsky H-19, it used many of the same components.

Variants

;S-62: Prototype. First flew on the 22nd of may 1958.;S-62A: Amphibious transport helicopter, powered by a General Electric CT58-110-1 turboshaft engine, with accommodation for up to 11 passengers. The S-62A was the first production version.;S-62B: One S-62 was fitted with the main rotor system of the S-58.;S-62C: Company designation of the HH-52A Seaguard.;HU2S-1G: Original designation of the HH-52A Seaguard. Redesignated HH-52A in 1962.;HH-52A Seaguard: Search and rescue helicopter for the United States Coast Guard. 99 built including one transferred to Iceland.

Operators

Military operators

;ISL;IND;JPN;PHI;THA;USA
* United States Coast Guard

urvivors

;USCG1355:On display at the National Museum of Naval Aviation in Pensacola, Florida;USCG1357:Dillingham Airport HI;USCG1378:At the USS Alabama Museum in Mobile AL;USCG1384:Gate guard at USCG Air Station Elizabeth City, NC;USCG1389:Delgado Community College, New Orleans LA;USCG1394:Mid-Atlantic Air Museum, Reading PA;USCG1398:In a mechanics school in Pocahantas AR;USCG1423:Cockpit section only at National Museum of Naval Aviation in Pensacola, Florida;USCG1428:On display at the New England Air Museum, Windsor Locks, CT;USCG1450:On display at the Pima Air & Space Museum

pecifications (HH-52A)

aircraft specifications
plane or copter?=copter
jet or prop?=prop

crew=3
capacity=
length main= 44 ft 7 in
length alt= 13.57 m
span main= 53 ft
span alt= 16.16 m
height main= 14 ft 2 in
height alt= 4.33 m
area main=
area alt=
empty weight main= 4,956 lb
empty weight alt= 2,248 kg
loaded weight main=
loaded weight alt=
useful load main= 3,047 lb
useful load alt= 1,382 kg
max takeoff weight main= 8,003 lb
max takeoff weight alt= 3,630 kg
engine (prop)= General Electric T58-GE-8
type of prop= turboshaft
number of props= 1
power main= 1250 shp derated to 730 shp
power alt= 500 kW
power original=
max speed main=
max speed alt=
cruise speed main= 90 kn
cruise speed alt= 167 km/h, 104 mph
range main= 401 nmi
range alt= 743 km, 461 mi
ferry range main=
ferry range alt=
ceiling main= 11,700 ft
ceiling alt= 3,570 m
climb rate main= 1,142 ft/min
climb rate alt= 5.8 m/s
loading main=
loading alt=
power/mass main=
power/mass alt=
armament=

ee also

aircontent
related=
* Sikorsky S-55
* SH-3 Sea King
* HH-3F Pelican
lists=
* List of helicopters
* List of military aircraft of the United States

References

External links

* [http://www.maam.org/airshow/hh52.htm The Last Flying Lifeboat on MAAM.org]