When most people hear the name Sikorsky they think of helicopters, but 75 years ago Igor Sikorsky designed one of the most reliable and thus successful planes of the era. Having worked on airplanes for 11 years now, I assume that the engines are not going to quit while we are flying. Airplane engines in the 20's needed constant maintenance to keep going and were woefully underpowered. Airfields were few and far in between. The S-38 was a twin engine flying boat. Having two engines was a rarity at that point in aviation history. It gave passengers a sense of security. Being able to land on the water opened up new markets where there were no airfields and gave the added peace of mind of being able to land in the water in case of emergency. These qualities made it the perfect choice for the Hawaiian Islands.
This is how passengers arrived in Kona.
It was a very ungainly looking aircraft. It looked like a Frankenstein cut and paste combination of a canoe with wings and an engine attached. Boarding the aircraft was accomplished through the roof. There was room for 8 passengers.
Howard Hughes owned an S-38 and can be seen in the movie The Aviator.
Pan Am used and S-38 for its Caribean flying.
The first flight with Inter-Island Air was from Honolulu to Hilo with two stops on neighbor islands on November 11, 1929.
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