Rare and wonderful. Incredible to see this ancient craft both airworthy and "lakeworthy." Hope it continues flying past the century mark and beyond ...
Damn thats a beautiful aircraft!!! Old when i was a kid building models 45 years ago. Many thanks to the folks keeping these planes alive, im assuming this means Kermit Weeks. Remember that sound! Big round engines are unforgettable!!!
This is an extremely great piece of Seaplane flying aviation history! My father used to go down on the Duwamish waterway in Seattle and watch Boeing build 314 Clippers. They were called China Clippers! Sooo cool. Thank you for sharing your fantastic restoration and awesome video. Mike in Tacoma
What an elegant aircraft! A 100 year old aviation masterpiece that would not look out of place in the Bauhaus museum. The first one rolled of the production line in three month's in 1928, but it took three year's to build the replica !
This s-38 is a full scale replica its now under restoration in the Usa its now owned by Kermit Weeks in Florida. when completed the s-38 will be residing in his Fantisy of Flight museum alongside his Sikorsky S-39 Spirit of Igor.
My absolutely favorite airplane - of all time! - is the late 1020s two-engine bi-plane AMPHIBIAN Sikorsky S-38 (or even it's one-engine sibling, the S-39). ... It was referred to as the 'Flying Yacht', and it could leisurely stay aloft at the incredibly slow stall speed in the low 60s MPH! ... I would so much have loved to leisurely fly it, island hopping, throughout the Caribbean, fish from its long flat-top nose - even barbeque on it! - while getting a tan on its lower wing! .. And, while a slow Jazzy torch song wails away from the phonograph, or the radio! .. Aaaaaaaaah! .. (There are still two or three in flying condition!)
I love seaplanes and this is too fun to see. I did see an S-34 ( I believe ) in Minnesota many yrs ago. It was near a hangar off the hiway up to Minneapolis. I should have turned off to check it out. Thank you for this video.
Pan Am pilots referred to it as a collection of airplane parts flying in formation. The Igor was taking the prototype up for a press demo when an engine quit during takeoff. He took off anyway and flew his demo. All duly impressed. A Pan Am pilot was ribbing other pilots because someone had forgot to lower the wheel for a land landing. Not long after guess who slides one in onto the runway, flipped onto it's back. Onlookers were astonished to see the gear lowering up. Pilot claimed it was down all the time.
Also known as the Vierwaldstaettersee. It takes a huge amount of paperwork to even put a boat in the water; how do you get permission for a flying boat? And how can you be sure not to hit small craft or swimmers when landing or taking off?
It's painted to resemble one used by Martin and Osa Johnson while filming wildlife in Africa in the 1930s. They also used an S-39 painted like a Giraffe.
7urdy1 there is a museum with many of there artifacts from their travels in Chanute Kansas, have been to it a few times as I live a short distance away from it.
