Sikorsky S-58 sighting Friday April 23rd

[Tom_Turner]

fyi, Any interested rotor-heads, I noticed a Sikorsky S-58 over Staten Island around 11am - Noontime, heading North (more or less) - so presumably see-able in NYC & elsewhere on Friday.

Too far away to recognize any particular livery and to be sure, I have seen these before in our area, but apart from their brief stint as tour choppers in NYC, the type hasn't been a common sight for several decades, so figured I'd post it....

Tom

[Gerard]

Maybe a construction ship in transit somewhere?

[cancidas]

thanks tom! second sighting i've heard of, would love to get my hands on one myself!

[Tom_Turner]

Yeah, they're just not around much. I remember seeing one - large blue stripe along the side, land at JRB (Wall Street) back in the late 70s, and a bunch of suits got off...it was operating as a VIP - albeit perhaps for construction company execs (or perhaps not as it had no titles). I was hoping to see that one share the pier with Islanders S-62 and NY Airways S-61 at the time, but it didn't stay too long.

Saw another one departing JRA West 30th Street Heliport in I want to say the late 90s, but too far away to see the livery. Whenever it was, it did not coincide with the time of the S-58s in the sightseeing industry, or I would've written it off as one of them.

Then several, anachronistically, wound up serving as tour choppers (under New York Helicopter titles and I believe another name later or before) at some late date, and those were daily if not hourly flights in our area, but apart from that, I just don't see them. One made it into the movie Sum of All Fears disguised as NYPD.

Dwindling numbers.

Tom

[Laxgoaly]

FYI that S-58 was parked at KMGJ (Orange County Airport, NY) all day saturday... tail number N902CH its got the upgraded PT6 conversion...

[Tom_Turner]

Thanks Laxgoaly -

Found a shot of it on Jetphotos from Linden NJ..

http://www.jetphotos.net/viewphoto.php?id=6537050

[Gerard]

[quote="Tom_Turner"]
Saw another one departing JRA West 30th Street Heliport in I want to say the late 90s, but too far away to see the livery. Whenever it was, it did not coincide with the time of the S-58s in the sightseeing industry, or I would've written it off as one of them. <
Then several, anachronistically, wound up serving as tour choppers (under New York Helicopter titles and I believe another name later or before) at some late date, and those were daily if not hourly flights in our area, but apart from that, I just don't see them. One made it into the movie Sum of All Fears disguised as NYPD.<

Island/NY Helicopters flew the S-58T from the early 80s until around late 2001 for sightseeing and for the airport shuttle.
The flew the S-58 under the name of National Helicopters before the company went under from bankruptcy and the
East 34st Heliport was shutdown for awhile.
My wife and I actually flew in one from East 34st to JFK as we started our honeymoon to Hawaii. They were quite the fixture on the Manhattan skyline for years. I believe they had around 3 of those ships. The skeleton of one lies just west of
Runway 3-2 at FRG. At least one went to Midwest Helicopters in Illinois.
The S-58T was not in "The Sum Of All Fears" but in "The Peacemaker" (1997 with George Clooney & Nicole Kidman)

Aris Helicopters in Cal. flies 3/4 of them.
http://arishelicopters.com/

Midwest flies them also
http://midwesthelicopters.com/index.html

I took this pic back in Oct 2001 in the National colors
http://www.helispot.com/photo/0003384

[Laxgoaly]

It was still at KMGJ today...

[Tom_Turner]

Island/NY Helicopters flew the S-58T from the early 80s until around late 2001 for sightseeing and for the airport shuttle. The flew the S-58 under the name of National Helicopters before the company went under from bankruptcy and the East 34st Heliport was shutdown for awhile. My wife and I actually flew in one from East 34st to JFK as we started our honeymoon to Hawaii. They were quite the fixture on the Manhattan skyline for years. I believe they had around 3 of those ships. The skeleton of one lies just west of Runway 3-2 at FRG. At least one went to Midwest Helicopters in Illinois. The S-58T was not in "The Sum Of All Fears" but in "The Peacemaker" (1997 with George Clooney & Nicole Kidman)

Aris Helicopters in Cal. flies 3/4 of them.
http://arishelicopters.com/

Thanks Gerard.. yes, thats right, it was Peacemaker and not Sum of All Fears. I always wondered about the one at FRG, if it was one of the same. I know one of the skeletons lingered at the East Side for a while... was it at 60th Street?

Tom

[Cartman]

Hi ! I saw this and she comming back yesterday I've shoot her from staten island
Photos coming soon !!!

[Gerard]

[quote="Tom_Turner"][ I know one of the skeletons lingered at the East Side for a while... was it at 60th Street?

Mmmm not sure about that one.

[Laxgoaly]

...its still here @ KMGJ, nobody up here at the airport knows why its here or when its leaving

[Cartman]

The Sikorsky S-58 number 35
http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/1135/60905705.jpg
Taken from Staten Island the 04/23/10

[Matt Molnar]

Wow, that is not an S-58, but nice catch...it's a Sikorsky CH-53E Super Stallion (i think). I've never seen one in those colors. Maybe for a movie shoot?

[njgtr82]

Wow, that is not an S-58, but nice catch...it's a Sikorsky CH-53E Super Stallion (i think). I've never seen one in those colors. Maybe for a movie shoot?

It is a Super Stallion, its part of HMX-1

[Matt Molnar]

Wow, that is not an S-58, but nice catch...it's a Sikorsky CH-53E Super Stallion (i think). I've never seen one in those colors. Maybe for a movie shoot?

It is a Super Stallion, its part of HMX-1
Nice, didn't realize they had Stallions. El presidente was in town the day before that.

[njgtr82]

On my way home from work yesterday I stopped by BLM and the S-58 was just getting ready to leave

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4024/4686017674_3ca29a9053_b.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4058/4686017546_b335db1d04_b.jpg

[Tom_Turner]

Nice work Bill. They don't make em like that anymore...

Tom