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WHATS UP?
The Sikorsky model S-64 first flew in the early 1960s. Used by the US Ar-
my under the designation CH-54 for heavy lift operations, the helicopter
could carry a removable pod for transporting troops or use as a mobile hos-
pital, command post or barracks. The CH-54 was also used to carry heavy
and/or outsized loads such as artillery pieces and armored vehicles, and to
recover downed aircraft. Retired from military service by 1993, surplus
CH-54s are now used by civilian operators for logging and heavy lift
operations such as placing large air conditioning units on buildings or
placing power transmission towers, as well as fighting forest fires. Si-
korsky built 105 CH-54s plus 7 civilian S-64s. The Erickson Compa-
ny in Oregon bought the manufacturing rights in 1992 and continues to
build the S-64 today.
Photo and research by John Vogel
June 2021 Page 28
