Summary
The Sikorsky S-12 was a Russian single engine trainer 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.
| S-12 | |
|---|---|
| |
| Sikorsky S-12 circa 1913 | |
| Role | Trainer |
| National origin | Russian Empire |
| Manufacturer | Russian Baltic Railroad Car Works |
| Designer | Igor Sikorsky |
| First flight | 1913 |
| Number built | 12 |
| Developed from | S-11 |
Design and development edit
The S-12 was a single seat mid-wing monoplane with wire-braced wings and powered by a Gnome Lambda air-cooled rotary engine rated at 80 hp (60 kW). It was smaller and lighter than the S-11 on which it was based, and was specifically designed to be highly maneuverable.[1][2]
Operational history edit
The S-12 was the most successful monoplane Sikorsky designed during his time in Russia and twelve examples were produced. In September 1913 an S-12 became the first Russian aircraft to perform an inside loop at the Kolomyazhskiy hippodrome north of St. Petersburg. Later an S-12 set an altitude record of 3,680 metres (12,070 ft). During World War I and the Russian Revolution S-12s served with the Russian Air Force and some were still in service until 1922.
Specifications edit
Data from Russian Aviation Museum[2]
General characteristics
- Crew: One
- Wing area: 212 sq ft (19.7 m2)
- Empty weight: 924 lb (419 kg)
- Gross weight: 1,501 lb (681 kg)
- Powerplant: 1 × Gnome Lambda 7-cylinder air-cooled rotary piston engine, 80 hp (60 kW)
- Propellers: 2-bladed
Performance
- Service ceiling: 12,070 ft (3,680 m)
- Wing loading: 7.1 lb/sq ft (34.5 kg/m2) max load
References edit
- ^ Finne, K.N. (1987). Igor Sikorsky: The Russian Years. translated and adapted by Von Hardesty; Carl J. Bobrow and Von Hardesty, eds. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. p. 33. ISBN 0-87474-274-9.
- ^ a b "S-12". ram-home.com. 4 September 1997. Archived from the original on 5 March 2008. Retrieved 24 April 2017.