Sikorsky H-34 In service: September 1954 Phased out ... This turned out to be too much to ask from the aircraft. The capsule, filling with seawater, was too heavy for the H-34's 2-ton payload.

On this day in aviation history, March 8, 1954, the Sikorsky H-34 took to the skies for the first time. Designated the S-58 ...