Sergei I. Sikorsky, the son of helicopter pioneer Igor who would go on to forge his own distinguished lifelong career in aviation, has died at the age of 100.
Sergei was born in New York City in 1925, but grew up in Connecticut, where he watched his father build his famous flying boats. His childhood memories were framed by his father’s work and passion for aviation. He was able to recall visits to the Sikorsky home from the Charles Lindbergh family, U.S. Air Force Gen. “Jimmie” Doolittle, Roscoe Turner, ace pilot Captain Eddie Rickenbacker, and many legendary figures from the early days of aviation.
Sergei took his first flight at the age of eight (in the copilot seat of a twin-engine S-38 amphibian) and then watched his father develop the first successful Sikorsky helicopter, the VS-300. He even flew in the machine as a passenger, with his father at the controls.
During the Second World War, Sergei joined the U.S. Coast Guard, where he was assigned to the Helicopter Development Unit at Floyd Bennett Field, Brooklyn. There, he took part in the development of early rescue hoists.
After the war, he completed a fine arts degree at the University of Florence, during which he learned Italian, Germany and French. He would put these skills to use when he finished his degree.
He joined Sikorsky in 1951 in an international marketing and sales role, which took him on a series of foreign assignments in Europe and Asia, and concluded with the co-production of the Sikorsky CH-53G transport helicopter for the German Armed Forces. He then returned to the U.S. in 1976, at the dawn of the Black Hawk era. As division vice president in Stratford, he oversaw Sikorsky’s co-production programs.
Sergei later took on marketing and special project roles with the company, retiring in 1992. He still remained active with Sikorsky, though, serving as a goodwill ambassador at major trade shows and other events where he would sign autographs and speak about his family’s legacy.
“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,” said Rich Benton, Sikorsky vice president and general manager. “Sergei will be greatly missed.”
In 2019, Sikorsky renamed its military hangar in Stratford the Sergei I. Sikorsky Flight Center in honor of Sergei’s many achievements. He called it his life’s “single greatest honor.”
“I have fond memories of Sikorsky Aircraft – starting in the hangar with the VS300 and watching the company build bigger and better and always at the tip of technology,” said Sergei during the dedication ceremony. “All of this would not be possible without the skill and the dedication… of every single person that has worked here at Sikorsky Aircraft.”
