SIKORSKY R-4 HOVERFLY HORS CATALOGUE

Description

The Sikorsky R-4 was a single-engine, multi-role,
lightweight steel helicopter of American production, featuring a conventional
layout with a main rotor and a tail rotor on the main rotor beam. Power was
provided by a single 200 hp Warner R-550 engine. The first prototype flew in
1942, and serial production continued from 1942 to 1944. The Sikorsky R-4 was
the first mass-produced helicopter in aviation history and the first used in
combat by the USAAF.

 

The Sikorsky R-4 helicopter was based on the experimental
VS-300 helicopter, also built by Sikorsky. After undergoing road tests and
field tests, the aircraft was put into mass production. The primary application
for these aircraft was rescue operations for Allied airmen shot down over enemy
territory. The aircraft were primarily used in the Far East, particularly in
Burma. Several prototypes and production versions of the R-4 helicopter were
created. One of the most important was the YR-4B version, which had a
reinforced fuselage and a reinforced main rotor. The machines were also used by
Great Britain and Canada. They were finally withdrawn from service in 1948.