S-42 | |
---|---|
General information | |
Type | Flying boat airliner |
National origin | United States |
Manufacturer | Sikorsky Aircraft |
Designer | |
Status | Retired, none remaining |
Primary user | Pan American Airways |
Number built | 10 |
History | |
Introduction date | 1934 |
First flight | March 29, 1934 (prototype) |
Developed from | Sikorsky S-40 |
The Sikorsky S-42 was a commercial flying boat designed and built by Sikorsky Aircraft to meet requirements for a long-range flying boat laid out by Pan American World Airways (Pan Am) in 1931. The innovative design included wing flaps, variable-pitch propellers, and a tail-carrying full-length hull. The prototype first flew on 29 March 1934, and, in the period of development and test flying that followed, quickly established ten world records for payload-to-height.[1][2] The "Flying Clipper" and the "Pan Am Clipper" were other names for the S-42.