Sikorsky H-19B 52-7564 United States Air Force

These are 1/72 scale decals for the Sikorsky H-19B Chickasaw, serial 52-7564, assigned to the Air Force Flight Test Center (AFFTC) at Edwards Air Force Base, California — a utility and support helicopter operating at the heart of America's premier flight test facility during the golden age of experimental aviation.

The H-19 Chickasaw was the U.S. Air Force's designation for the Sikorsky S-55, one of the most successful and widely used helicopters of the early Cold War era. Like the Army's CH-34, the H-19 featured a distinctive nose-mounted piston engine — in this case a Pratt & Whitney R-1340 Wasp radial — which freed the fuselage for an unobstructed cabin capable of carrying up to ten passengers or equivalent cargo. The H-19 served with all U.S. military branches and numerous allied air forces, and saw combat service during the Korean War as one of the first helicopters used for combat search and rescue and medevac operations.

At Edwards Air Force Base, the Air Force Flight Test Center was — and remains — the USAF's primary facility for the testing and evaluation of new aircraft and systems, where virtually every major American military aircraft has been put through its paces. An H-19B assigned to the AFFTC would have served in the vital but unglamorous support role — ferrying personnel and equipment across the vast Mojave Desert test ranges, providing chase and rescue coverage for test flights, and keeping the machinery of America's most important flight test operation running day to day.

A charming utility subject set against the backdrop of Edwards' legendary flight test history. Please allow some time for decal printing and shipping.