Sikorsky S-39 (oz6170)

About this Plan

Sikorsky S39. Scale flying boat model. RCM model # pl-1098.

Quote: "Whether you're at the lake or at the field, this great looking, smooth flying amphibian is sure to draw a crowd.

I have had a soft spot for the Sikorsky S-39 ever since reading about and seeing the pictures of Osa and Martin Johnsons' Spirit of Africa. Their S-39 was flown all over Africa and Burma in the middle thirties and their adventures made very exciting reading.

The S-39 was developed from the larger twin engine S-38 to land at smaller fields with lower operating costs which was important during the great depression. The first production model was made in April 1930 with a price of $21,500. Of the twenty S-39 production models that were made there were three in existence at last report. Several were lost during sea rescues in World War II as was the Johnson's.

I decided against a copy of the Johnsons' plane after looking at all of the giraffe spots; that's a little more work than I wanted to put into it. I'm a firm believer in the KISS philosophy. The Varney Air Ferry color scheme was an attractive blue and white and a whole lot easier.

The NC-55V was sold to Varney Speed Lines Inc, San Francisco Bay Airport in 1932. It was used as an air taxi under the Varney Air Ferry name until it was sold in 1934. Varney Air Ferries flew several of the S-39s around San Francisco Bay and Chicago's Lake Michigan ferrying passengers.

The drawings I used are from the June 1988 issue of Fine Scale Modeler. I later learned these drawings have some discrepancies. Since this is a 'stand way way off' scale model, it didn't matter to me and the essence of the S-39 is still there.

The plane takes a four channel radio with five servos. I have used K&B .61s in both of mine - maybe a little overpowered but it gets off the water very well.

It certainly doesn't hurt to have a vehicle that can transport the plane assembled. It could take more than thirty minutes to assemble at the field or lake, that is time I would rather spend flying. It's a good thing my friend Ron has a van.

Since I had a Goldberg Anniversary Cub wing kit available and it's a very good wing design, I decided to scale the rest of the plane to match. This gives the plane a span of 76-1/2 in and an overall length of 49 in.

The S-39 is a relatively easy airplane to build, everything is very straightforward and no super building skills are required. Although it flies as easily as a trainer with no bad habits, I would highly recommend a person have some scratch-building experience before tackling the construction.

Since this is not a beginner's project we won't go into complete step by step instructions. Just the more important steps will be covered in enough detail to make it easier and hopefully avoid mistakes. Before starting construction I highly recommend you read the instructions, study the plans, and look at the construction photos until everything is clearly understood..."

Supplementary file notes

Article pages, text and pics.

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