One of the two remaining Sikorsky S-38s, N28V flying boats at "Flying Legends" air show 2012 painted as "Osa's Ark"
The Sikorsky S-38 was an American twin-engined 8-seat amphibious aircraft. It was sometimes called "The Explorer's Air Yacht" and was Sikorsky's first widely produced amphibious flying boat which in addition to serving successfully for Pan American Airways and the Army, also had numerous private owners who received notoriety for their exploits The S-38 was developed from the Sikorsky S-34 and S-36. The S-38 first flew on May 25, 1928. The United States Navy ordered two aircraft (designated XPS-2) and Pan American Airways were an early customer. A total of 101 aircraft were built, manufactured originally by the Sikorsky Manufacturing Corporation of Long Island, New York, and by the Sikorsky Aviation Corporation in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Sikorsky was acquired by United Aircraft and Transport Corporation (now United Technologies Corporation) in mid-production. One of the two remaining S-38s, N28V (seen here) appears in the movie The Aviator (2004), a story loosely based on the life of Howard Hughes. Hughes owned an S-38 during his lifetime. N28V is not a real survivor but rather a reproduction, built in the early 2000s. As of September 2010 N28V bears the Osa's Ark paint scheme. N28V is now owned by Kermit Weeks and is usually based at the Fantasy of Flight Museum in Polk City, Florida.
Size: 5000px × 3750px
Location: Duxford Cambridgeshire UK
Photo credit: © Niall Ferguson / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: -38s, 1930s, aircraft, amphibious, ark, aviator, boat, flying, howard, hughes, n28v, osa, replica, sikorsky
