The Sikorsky S-76D is a very impressive aircraft for VIPs who make frequent use of their helicopter and want an aircraft that is made to the highest specification.
The quiet operation and executive configuration make this a luxurious and hard working helicopter.
Sikorsky is the brand is based in Connecticut and is the maker of the aircraft bearing the famed Marine One call sign, flown by the U.S. Marines to transport the President of the United States, as well as the famed Black Hawk (and, with Boeing, its much-anticipated potential replacement, the 287-mph SB>1 Defiant), among others
It was founded in 1923 by Russo-Ukrainian immigrant and engineer Igor Sikorsky, widely credited with building the world’s first practical helicopter in 1939—though he worked on a prototype rotor system as early as 1909.
The Sikorsky S-76 is of conventional configuration, with a four-bladed fully articulated main rotor and a four-bladed anti-torque rotor on the port side of the tailboom. Two turboshaft engines are located above the passenger cabin. In the prototypes and initial production aircraft, these engines were Allison 250-C30s, a new version of the popular Allison 250 engine developed specially for the S-76, with a single-stage centrifugal compressor instead of the multi-stage axial/centrifugal compressor of earlier models of the engine, rated at 650 shp (480 kW) for takeoff. These engines are connected to the main rotor by the main gearbox, a three-stage unit with a bull gear as its final stage rather than the planetary gear used by previous generations of Sikorsky helicopters. This arrangement has 30% fewer parts and lower costs than a more conventional design.
The main rotor hub has a single piece aluminum hub with elastomeric bearings designed not to require lubrication or any other kind of maintenance throughout its design life. The main rotor blades have titanium spars and incorporate a ten degree twist to give an even loading when hovering, while they use a non-symmetrical airfoil section with a drooped leading edge. The rotor tips are tapered and swept back.
Flight controls are servo-assisted, with a Stability Augmentation System fitted. A retractable nosewheel undercarriage is fitted, which gives the S-76A a 6 knots (6.9 mph; 11 km/h) increase in cruising speed; emergency flotation gear can be fitted using helium-filled bags to increase buoyancy in the event of a forced landing on water.
The VIP version of the Sikorsky S-76D is one of the most expensive and well-appointed helicopters in the world. “For more than four decades, corporate executives and heads of state have recognized the Sikorsky S-76 helicopter as the standard of excellence for personal transportation,” says Audrey Brady, Sikorsky’s VP of Commercial Systems and Services.
From a maintenance perspective, Sikorsky quality and their spares network mean the aircraft will have maximum availability.
