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

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 It was from the icebreaker USS Glacier. 144256 was finally withdrawn from use in 1967.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

'Hunting for uranium, copper, lead and other metals is made easier and quicker with a new electromagnetic detector developed by Newmont Mining Corp. and engineered by Philadelphia's Aero Service Corp. The detector consists of two coils mounted on fore and aft booms on a Sikorsky helicopter. The front coil transmits a tuned electrical signal as it flies over the survey area. The metals cause disturbances in the signal, which are picked up by the rear coil. The aircraft covers more terrain in a day than foot-slogging ground crews do in months.' Photo from: Temple University Libraries

Difficult to read, the reg looks more like N739A than N738A and, while the latter was an S-55, it does not seem to have served with LA Airways. The 1950s LAX tower is seen and, together with the tail of Convair 880 N826TW which shows in the original photo, probably dates the photo in mid-1961 before the modern airport west of Sepulveda Boulevard opened. N739A was returned to Sikorsky in 1963 and sold to the Argentine navy. Photo from: Greg Gayden

Delivered to the USAF in 1954.

Withdrawn from use in January 1966 and in open storage at the museum.

Transferred to Argentine Air Force as H-3.