More than 20+ Sikorsky S-55s and S-58s are used for cherry drying in the Okanogan River Valley area near Brewster, of Washington. This S-55B was first delivered to Chicago Helicopter Airways in Sep. 1956 as N875 and operated scheduled passenger flights until replaced by larger S-58s. Later N875W. Exported to Canada 1980, C-GSWL had 7 owners (MF Air Service, South-West Heli., Silver Pine, G O Island Hopper, Far West Heli, Spica Energy & Keith Franklin) before sold in May 2006 to Golden Wings Avn/Dave Smith. One of 10 S-55s seen at Smith's Monse Heliport, 4 mi NE of Anderson Field, Brewster, WA

Photo dated 1953 by the source but helicopter listed as lost in take-off accident at Chodo Island, South Korea on 18 September 1952. Photo from: Melvin Horwitz / Central Connecticut State University

Seen at the 1954 National Airshow, this was the first of 10 delivered to the US Navy.

A four fold increase in the production of cherries in Washington State between 1999 and 2017 (26.5 million 20-pound boxes) is behind a major increase in the number of helicopters under contract to area growers to fan rainwater off maturing fruit to prevent splitting between May and August. This includes a remarkable fleet of about 15 Sikorsky S-55s operated by Golden Wings Aviation's Dave Smith (in 2016) and nine S-58s operated by VI 1 LLC based at Anderson Field in Brewster, WA and the nearby Monse heliport. This S-55 (ex 54-1422) and 14 others were re-registered to Sierra Aeronautics LLC of KY in 2021.

Imported from the US in 1980 and here about to be transferred from Southwest Helicopters to locally based Silver Pine Air Services. In 2006 it was exported as N855TC and current in 2021, one of the last still to be piston powered.

Ex USAF 56-4279

Ground instructional airframe, ex-824 NAS. Roaded in from HMS Daedalus, Lee-on-Solent with the Navy Recruitment Unit. Moving to Fleetlands, it then became the gate guardian at RNAY Almondbank from January 1978 to early 1984. It re-located to the North-East Aircraft Museum, Sunderland in September 1984. Moved to RAF MIllom Museum in October 1996 until 2010. It was then sold and transported in January 2012 through Belgium to Greece. Reported to be in a private yard near Athens in September 2019.

The US Army Aviation Museum is well worth visiting. Some of the a/c are in diorama-like settings such as the UH-19D is here.

The Israeli Air Force acquired two Sikorsky S-55s in October 1952 from the United States which were flown by 103 Squadron. This aircraft is believed to be IAF Serial No. 02 (msn 55-992) which later joined the collection of the IAF Museum at Hatzerim AFB and received new paint.

Fate of 138511 is not known. Photo from: RNZAF/Air Force Museum of New Zealand

Flying over RNZAF Wigram. It was from the icebreaker USS Glacier. 144256 was finally withdrawn from use in 1967. Photo from: RNZAF/Air Force Museum of New Zealand

Early big business helicopter hovering over The Point, at the confluence of the Allegheny River and the Monongahela River. The Manchester Bridge was blown up in 1970. Before buying North American Aviation in 1967, Rockwell only made industrial valves, gas and water meters, power tools and two-stroke engines. N405A to P&W Canada as CF-HNG in 1954. Photo by: Paul Slantis / Historic Pittsburgh

Ex 55-3184 and N73893. Still current on register at time of upload