Sikorsky S-55 - Acquisition Visit? - Part 2 

I think I met the seller once on a ramp..when he was rigging up the humongous saw blade to his helicopter. He was so nice and willing to tell what and where he was up to. Thanks for sharing Kermit

I saw the blue and orange machine in person yesterday. It was on a semi truck at a gas station in Beatty Nevada.

What's that old saying--now I know what a dog feels like watching TV. I know absolutely nothing about helicopters, but I watched every second of this video! More power to ya Kermit. Should be a very cool project!

Even though I don't have a pilot's license, money, or space, this video is making me want one of these.

Hes a good sport, Full of information and willing to share on camera

Cool walk around.. Love to see these machines going..

Too funny. Nice sitting back and watching you spend dough at the airport vs me doing it.

Get those blades checked buddy. Good work.

Congratulations Mr. Weeks on a nice score, buy one get one free! Looking forward to a whole new series on the "55" being restored to flight.

Nice heli! Love to see you fly it. Keep upp the good work restoring old nice planes and helis

Go for it-Living the dream-love the old Sikorsky's-used to live near Island Helicopters in Garden City,NY. who operated two Sikorsky's.

The Marines loved their h-34s overseas. Those big radials would stop a lot of rounds, even .51s and still get them back home. Hell for stout.

More!More! Thanks for sharing!

I once had a guy ask me, "You know how to make a million in the helicopter business ?" I said no how? "He said start with two million." Thank god for dreamers. It kept me flying helicopters since 1970. Good luck with your business. I wish you the best.

Kermit Weeks=the real "Worlds Most Interesting Man"

I've seen a few of the Westland Whirlwind's here used as attractions in pub gardens, here in the uk. Never realised where the engines were housed. Very interesting.

Mr. Weeks, With these new acquistions, I'm wondering if you need help working on these machine's.. Haha. I'm getting my A&P Certificate in just under a year! I'd love the opportunity to come work for you. Keep up the great work!!

If i understand, the 5 prop setup and the turbine was going to be taken off the tour chopper. I would leave it as a QT.

Another great video.. and your last line made me laugh.. “just what I need, more frikking projects” :)

So cool, thanks Kermit!!! You don't see stuff like this on youtube! So good. Please make more (if finances allow :))

Kermit, there is an old military training film on RU-vid for introducing army students to a older variant of this airframe. Search h19 . Filmed at fort Rucker Al. I'm a technical inspector there.

Two for the price of one - you could pass up the deal, but that just wouldn't be right... Besides, the cool factor is immense.

on the plus side kermie, this project can be up and going a lot faster then the others. on that engine mount, i would imagine that that engine only needs a mount to hold the engine and its torque. its the gear box and the rotors that deal with the flight stresses. any plans on taking the sight seeing bird out away from your field to events or fairs in florida for rides?

It would be AWESOME to see a 'fantasy' hanger-map/poster in plan-view of say one giant hanger with ALL of Kermit's birds on it, including things like the Lancaster, Fertile Myrtle the B-29, the Sabres and the Mozzie, and other craft not often seen. You could perhaps line-dot birds to indicate they are unassembled (eg. saw another PBY hull up there once), solid-line complete birds, grey-line projects. What a wall-poster it would make Kermit. I'd line up to get a signed copy. (and then again for the next year's updated version) :)

What an exciting project this is going to be,now Kermit you have enough S-55 airframes,engines,rotors and gearboxes plus other useful spares to keep at least one helicopter flying for the future,you loaded the last S-55 successfully so these should not present any transport issues regarding the height for transit,these really are part of rotary wing history and well worth saving,well done and thank you for the in depth purchase video it gives a very interesting insight into how negotiations are carried out to get hold of these old birds.

Kermit if you do get the ex turbine s-55 and the other operational besides ride operations would you visit area schools with the helicopters so kids can look and learn about them. i seen a video of one a Sikorsky UH-34D or s-58 visiting St Cathrene school. as the helicopters you can land anywhere. the blue one you said is for parts its the ex turbine and the other s-55 you got at Golden Hill that be for rides around Fantisy of flight.

What makes me really jealous is you squeezed in a week in Little Cottonwood Canyon

Another awesome video Kermit. Now when's that Boomerang gonna be flying?????

I think that there was a series with 3 investigators who had also a similar helicopter.

Totally coooooool Kermit, me too, can't resist buy on get one, however only in the grocery store. I love helicopters, especially the old Sikorskies, although I have basic knowledge as to how they work, flown in many Bell Rangers, and Bell 47s however me trying to fly one would end up being a disaster. The hand grip on the cyclic pretty much the same you find on an F-4 Phantom. But for the life of me I can't wrap my head around the up front engine housing, blades over head, and how the drive train works to that angle. Nevertheless great pickup on two of em Kermit, and as that old saying goes airplanes want to fly, helicopters want to kill us well ill stick to the airplanes I guess. ..lol

mr. weeks, these videos are goooood gooood good!

wow .... amazing !

I would love to see that turbine one flying again and then restoring the Radial one would be sweet!

damn to get one of those 90 frames for the price of scrap id do that in a heartbeat if i had transportation for something that big.

When I first started watching these Kermit was showing us his B-24. Does he still have it?

Unless there is another in the same paint, it was that 'rainbow' Sikorsky with which I had a near hit. It was around 1999, climbing out of KBFL, I looked down only for the briefest moment. When I looked up I saw this whirlybird, the rainbow, ascending into my path. We saw each other at the same time, he dove away, I climbed hard to the right. So what was this woppitychopper doing at 3000?

it´s a very interesting design, you should also get something like a Kamov KA 26

I'll follow with interest

Came for the information. Stayed for the wind-noise. Sort it out Kermit!

That's the most exciting and astounding thing I've seen on RU-vid yet! Watch a guy buy heli's 2 4 1..... :O Y'r bonkers man.

i was going to say but was earlier this year when you aquired the two airframes is to get the rotor transmission fairings off the white helicopter before he scrapped it. if possible the tail rotor drive shaft fairing as well. that could transfer to your other s-55 as i seen in the video on it it has the early military fairings if they can go on the blue machine before you place it on static display. but probally need to get an engine and controls for the pilot before placing it on static display. be great if you find another P&W 1340 or wright 1300 as the exhaust pipe comes out the left clamshell door. for authenticity i would find out what part of the military this served and paint it accordingly for static display. as the s-55 H-19 chickasaw be more effective to operate for passengers as the S-58 Choctaw its a bigger machine for passengers it would carry more but cost more per seat to operate. as the S-58 of h-34 UH-34 choctaw is Sikorsky's last piston engined helicopter with a wright r-1820-84 radial engine has 1525 hp. but some are still in civilian use. but as he said the rainbow machine has all of the radios not sure in the other s-55 you have a while back as may need them if you fly close to orlando airspace to communicate with air traffic control. when you get the projects going will you have any videos on the s-55s or are they on the backburner for now.

Another episode please .... "S55's arrive at FOF"

Should I feel bad about knowing what is involved in a 'sudden stoppage'?

Good on ya, Kermit! Once again, your work is cut out for you!

That's probably the best BOGOF (Buy One & Get One Free) sale I've ever seen!!

Do you still have S-55 N111VA?

So did I just see this flying about 4 days ago over Polk City?

WOW! Two helicopters! lol XD

This was wonderful. The business / negotiations side...and a genuine, honest guy selling...I'd buy someone's ex-wife from him.

+KermitWeeksBlogVideos *Aware of any attempt to upgrade a Sikorsky S-55* with a Pratt & Whitney R-1535, or an S-58 with a Pratt & Whitney R-1830? All other factors being equal, fourteen-cylinders would impose oftener but lesser shock loads on the transmission, compared to the stock nine-cylinders both models. Time 23:20 A modern S-55 restomod for Pratt & Whitney radial power can use some up-to-date gauges from, among other suppliers, Sigma-Tek® (viz., 1U149-016-7 attitude gyro, 1U262-011-1 heading gyro, 1U378-105 oil press/oil temp/cyl temp, 1U432 dual fuel level) and United Instruments (viz., 5934PA-3BD-A.652 ALT, 7160-C.43 IVS, 8000-B.445 knotmeter, 6331-H.52 MAP/fuel press, 9551B-N.541 yaw rate).

Half a dozen farmers and a couple cases of beer and you'd have those things "home" in a week.

If I had the money I'd get the Martin B-26 back in the air and the P-35 project finished, but that's me.

It was a buy one get one free deal being as the early blue s-55 has corrosion as these H-19 chickasaws along with the 3rd one will atleast have a future as its three S-55s you got now. as i believe the blue one should be on Static display with the corrosion its got. as yoyr plan was flying the other 1953 s-55 you got along with this ex turbine powered one. be nice to see helicopters fly at fantisy of flight down the road. as the S-55 has more range than its bigger brother the s-58 Choctaw not sure if you are going to aquire any more helicopters in the future like the Piasecki h-25 Hup Retriever and other early helicopters like the sikorsky s-51 hoverfly

How did you get the bickname 'Kermit' ? Wonder why you don't get an F-86 Sabre? They hae always been a favourite of mine.. They aren't big like modern jets, and they are much easier to fly, in fact, some pilots had been known to remark "It flys itself!" . it doesnt need a huge amount of overhead like support gear (bar the start/fart cart) and engines last for a long time, doesnt need intricate care and have a plethora of unserviceable assemblies and electronics like more modern jets either. In fact they are more like world war II aircraft to take care of. I'd love to see one flying at FoF.

Hello Kermit how do you work or budget must cost a fortune so I awesome you way rich

This aviation addict has DEEP pockets!!!

www.historichelicopters.com/ this may be of interest to you these guys operate a Whirlwind in SAR colours but have also just returned a Wessex to flying status (currently undergoing flight testing I believe) and have also just acquired a couple of Sea Kings.

OOPS sorry the sreamin MIMI was a s-58.

knew he was in RNO by the wind :-))

One of the best known helicopters known to man great work horses

I know nothing about helicopters or airplanes in general for that matter but I'd be leery of the transmission that's been used for "tuning" rotor blades.

If you restore it will you repaint it in Vietnam colors?

Reminded me of mark Knopfler somehow

Visite Campos Dos Goytacazes RJ Brasil

Класс! Но в Ми-4 кабина вроде попросторнее будет.

the Sikorsky S-55 Military H-19 better known as the Chickasaw of this type is a radial engine powered helicopter the straight tail versions are powered by a Pratt and Whitney R-1340 wasp 9 cylinder radial engine as the sloped or drooped tail versions specified for the marines and navy operations are powered by an 800 HP Wright Cyclone 7 R-1300 7 cylinder radial engine. as it was later in Vietnam Supplainted by the Sikorsky S-58 H-34 Choctaw Sikorsky's last piston engine powered helicopter powered by a Wright Cyclone 9 R-1820 9 cylinder engine. S-55 meaning its the company number Sikorsky assigned them. Sikorsky then was part of United Aircraft Corp now United Technologies as 2015 Sikorsky is sold and now owned by Lockheed Martin.

Thought I heard a C-130 somewhere

The Training company I work for has a Westland built HAR Mk9 for sale. Its ex Royal Navy and has the Gnome gas turbine.

Enough parts for 1000 years... This is beyond nuts in every conceivable dimension. How on earth will you store this much stuff!?

i guess he didn’t buy them? they were still there last week

Walk away! Money pit

death traps

"buy one get one free!" As long as you're not buying those tire ads 'buy three (overpriced) tires, get one (factory blemished) free!' So does this now make you an owner of three S-55s?

I guess he snookered ol kermie and was stoked to unload those antiques even if he broke even, probably flew directly to Hawaii for a big party.

Very good Biden order

Astonished you are getting such an amazing low time airframe just out of overhaul thrown in. Deal of the century!! That turbine unit/airframe would be perfect for logging here in New Zealand.