This Day in Aviation History

February 16th, 1946
First flight of the Sikorsky H-5.

The Sikorsky H-5, (aka R-5, S-51, HO2S-1, HO3S-1) (R-5 until 1948; company designation VS-327) was a helicopter built by Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation, formerly used by the United States Air Force, and its predecessor, the United States Army Air Forces, as well as the United States Navy and United States Coast Guard (with the designations HO2S and HO3S). It was also used by the United States Post Office Department. In December 1946, an agreement was signed between the British company Westland Aircraft and Sikorsky to produce a British version of the H-5 or S-51, to be manufactured under license in Britain as the Westland-Sikorsky WS-51 Dragonfly. By the time production ceased in 1951, more than 300 examples of all types of the S-51/H-5 had been built….

Source:
Wikipedia, Sikorsky H-5:   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sikorsky_H-5

YouTube, A United States Air Rescue Sikorsky H-5 helicopter lifts off and lands back at Al…HD Stock Footage:  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTqsq2O1AIU

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