Vought-Sikorsky VS-300
| VS-300 | |
|---|---|
| One of the first flights of the VS-300 | |
| General information | |
| Type | Experimental helicopter |
| National origin | United States |
| Manufacturer | Vought-Sikorsky |
| Designer | |
| History | |
| First flight | 14 September 1939 |
| Developed into | Sikorsky R-4 |
The Vought-Sikorsky VS-300 (or S-46) is an American single-engine helicopter designed by Igor Sikorsky. It had a single three-blade rotor originally powered by a 75 horsepower (56 kW) engine. The first "free" flight of the VS-300 was on 13 May 1940. The VS-300 was the first successful single lifting rotor helicopter in the United States and the first successful helicopter to use a single vertical-plane tail rotor configuration for antitorque. With floats attached, it became the first practical amphibious helicopter.