The Sikorsky S-64 (CH-54) Flying Crane Helicopter

The Sikorsky S-64 (CH-54) Flying Crane Cargo and Erickson Fire-fighting Helicopter
Skycranes are designed to operate with special containers that can be carried under their spindly spines. These serve as field hospitals, command posts or 'universal military pods' (capable of transporting up to 87 combat-ready troops into the battlezone)
With helicopters becoming more and more specialized, it was perhaps inevitable that the American armed forces would request one of major suppliers to design a 'flying crane' like the Soviet Union's mighty Harke.
The Sikorsky company met this challenge by producing a smaller, though more rnanoeuvrable machine called the S-64 Skycrane. Over 100 of these odd looking helicopters have seen service with the US Army since 1964, a handful more having been bought by commercial operators.
This model was designed by Shahram Tahmasebi who is an Engineer in Iran. It took about two months to complete. Since then, as you've seen on the news, giant fires have been destroying NSW in Australia and this very helicopter is there dropping material on the fires water containers to make your S-64 a Fire Fighter!

More Information
Be sure to visit our 'Fun with Igor Sikorsky" page.

Purchase Information $4.95 The S-64 model comes in a folder with the regular sized Sky Crane (shown below) as well as the large version with a 15 inch rotor diameter

(large version shown )

What people say... .....my wife and the kids saw "Elvis the Skycrane" in action the other day down at Bulli (just down the coast at Wollongong). they were staying at a caravan park with her sister and a fire broke out on the mountains behind them. Fortunately nobody was hurt but the main highway was closed for most of the day. Regards, Michael (from Australia during the monster fires I finished your Fiddlers Green Erickson helicopter just as the fires approached my son's home in Simi Valley, California. Luckily the fire fighting ground crews and helicopters kept the fire away from his and his neighbors homes. This little display model has a lot of meaning to my family, Thank you Chip, Bob says: RE: Fiddlers Green Erickson S-64 Fire Fighting Helicopter. The cockpit section had all seams filled with gesso which was sanded and then repainted with acrylics. The entire model was sprayed with three coats of future floor wax. I located from the Internet a picture of a parked S-64 with the fire fighting hose in view. I scratch built the hose by wrapping a strip of letter paper around a brass rod. While the glue was still damp I pushed the hose off the rod down onto the work surface allowing the hose to accordion. The hose collar was made by adding a thin strip round the hose end until it built up to a believable size. The reference photo did not have a good view of the cable attach point under or near the landing gear. That was a guess on my Thin wires were used to support the main rotor blades and landing gear. As a coincidence the day I completed this model the Simi Valley, California fires were demanding the use of the Sikorsky S-64."