Sikorsky marks passing of its founder’s son, Sergei
Sergei Sikorsky , 1925 - 2025. (Photocredit: Sikorsky Aircraft).
Sikorsky Aircraft has marked the passing of its founder’s son Sergei Sikorsky on September 18th at the age of 100.
“During his distinguished 41-year career with Sikorsky, Sergei played a significant role in the company’s growth into one of the world’s leading helicopter manufacturers and the expansion of rotary aircraft around the world,” said the manufacturer in a statement.
“The remarkable impact of the Sikorsky family spans generations, touching every current and former employee, engineer and technician, the places we live and work and the countless lives saved by the helicopter,” it added.
Rich Benton, Sikorsky vice president and general manager said: “The entire team – past and present – at Sikorsky and Lockheed Martin mourn the passing of a remarkable man, a link to the golden age of aviation who meant so much to the success of our business. Sergei will be greatly missed.”
The son of aviation pioneer Igor Sikorsky, the company’s founder and inventor of the first practical helicopter, as a boy Sergei watched his father build the famous Sikorsky flying boats and clippers for Pan American Airways and other airlines. Household guests included aviation luminaries such as the Lindbergh family, Colonel Jimmy Doolittle, Roscoe Turner and Eddie Rickenbacker.
First flight
His first flight was at the age of eight, seated on his father’s lap in the co-pilot seat of a Sikorsky S-38 amphibious aircraft. It was at that flight that persuaded him to follow a career in aviation. Sergei followed the development of the VS-300, his father’s prototype helicopter, flying in the helicopter as a passenger, with his father at the controls. This was accomplished after fitting a C-clamped a board ahead of the main rotor shaft.
“We didn’t tell the FAA about it. And that was the seat for a very light person,” he says in a video tribute posted by the manufacturer. “There’s not one single element that stands out in my mind as much as that first flight on the helicopter with the VS-300, when I realised that Dad had busted all the laws of aerodynamics.”
During World War II, Sikorsky served in the US Coast Guard assigned to the Helicopter Development Unit. “As far as I’m concerned, that was probably one of the most important parts of my life,” he said. After the war, Sergey studied at the University of Florence, Italy.
He joined United Aircraft, the parent of Sikorsky Aviation, in 1951 in international marketing and sales. He returned to the US in 1976 at the dawn of the Black Hawk era to become division vice president in Stratford, overseeing the company’s co-production programmes. Sikorsky later took on marketing and special project roles until his retirement in 1992.
Europe and East Asia
Sikorsky completed a series of assignments in Europe and East Asia and played a critical role in the introduction of the S-58 and CH-53 heavy transport helicopters into the German armed forces, according to the manufacturer.
After retirement, Sikorsky remained active with the company, serving as a goodwill ambassador at major trade shows and other events.
The aircraft hangar at Sikorsky’s Stratford, Connecticut facility was dedicated as the Sergei I. Sikorsky Flight Center in 2019. Commenting during the ceremony, Sikorsky described it as his “life’s single greatest honour”.
He also added: “I have fond memories of Sikorsky Aircraft. To all of you here in the room, to all the people that preceded me, all the people that started in the flying boat days and going on through the helicopter days, I would like to thank you for creating Sikorsky Aircraft and for making Sikorsky Aircraft what it is today.”
Meanwhile, watch the helicopter manufacturer’s video tribute here.
