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#Onthisday in 1928, the Sikorsky S-38 took off on its first flight. Developed based upon Sikorsky’s previous amphibious aircraft, the S-34 and S-36, the S-38 was Sikorsky’s first commercial success and first widely produced seaplane. The twin engine plane had a crew of two and could seat ten passengers and their luggage. It had a cruising speed of 110 miles per hour and a maximum speed of 124 miles per hour. The S-38 amphibian could land or takeoff from the water as well as the land and was considered a highly versatile state of the art aircraft at that time. One hundred and one of the S-38 were built. The amphibious Sikorsky S-38 in both the S-38A and S-38B versions, affectionally called the “Flying Duck,” became the mainstay of Pan American Airways’s fleet, laying the foundations of the Caribbean and Central American networks in 1929 and 1930. The airline went on to acquire thirty-eight of the versatile aircraft, the last of which was retired in 1940. This image was posted on May 25, 2022.

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This post mentions the following things involved with the SFO Museum collection:

Pan American Airways. It is related to Pan American World Airways (the company) .