title: Sikorsky S-34
text: # Sikorsky S-34
  
  The Sikorsky S-34 was a 1920s American six-seat sesquiplane, designed and built by the Sikorsky Manufacturing Corporation. Only one was built, but the design led to the successful Sikorsky S-38.
  
  ## Design and development
  
  The S-34 was a sesquiplane amphibian with a boat hull, being powered by two tractor 200 hp (149 kW) Wright Whirlwind J-4 engines. It had a boom-mounted twin-rudder tail unit and room inside the hull for five passengers. During a test flight in November 1927, one engine failed and the S-34 crashed and sank. Igor Sikorksy and the others on board escaped without injury but the S-34 was destroyed. It was the first Sikorsky aircraft with a boat hull and would lead to a family of similar flying boats and amphibians.
  
  ## Specifications
  
  Data from
  
  General characteristics
  
  * Crew: one
  * Capacity: five
  * Length: 34 ft 0 in (10.36 m)
  * Wingspan: 56 ft 0 in (17.07 m)
  * Height: 10 ft 7 in (3.23 m)
  * Wing area: 396 sq ft (36.79 $m^2)$
  * Empty weight: 2,900 lb (1,315 kg)
  * Gross weight: 4,500 lb (2,041 kg)
  * Powerplant: 2 × Wright Whirlwind J-4 , 200 hp (149 kW) each
  
  Performance
  
  * Maximum speed: 45 mph (72.4 km/h, 39 kn)
  * Range: 360 mi (579 km, 310 nmi)
  * Endurance: 3 hours 0 minutes
  * Service ceiling: 15,000 ft (4,572 m)
  