{"id":58618,"date":"2025-02-03T21:59:25","date_gmt":"2025-02-03T20:59:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/?p=58618"},"modified":"2026-02-03T03:17:56","modified_gmt":"2026-02-03T02:17:56","slug":"one-of-its-pilots-shows-the-s-55-the-first-helicopter-of-the-spanish-air-force","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/2025\/02\/03\/one-of-its-pilots-shows-the-s-55-the-first-helicopter-of-the-spanish-air-force\/","title":{"rendered":"One of its pilots shows the S-55, the first helicopter of the Spanish Air Force"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Madrid Pacts of 1953 meant the arrival of a large amount of material from the United States to Spain.<\/p>\n

Banja Luka, NATO's first air combat and the retaliation against a Spanish aircraft<\/a><\/rel>
\nThe testimony of a CASA 2111 Pedro pilot, the last bomber manufactured in Spain<\/a><\/rel><\/p>\n

In the aeronautical field, the first military helicopter used by the Spanish Armed Forces, the Bell 47 Sioux<\/strong>, arrived in Spain in 1954, of which the Navy received 14 units. The last ones were withdrawn from service in 1987. The first helicopter of the Air Force arrived in May 1955: the Sikorsky S-55 Chickasaw<\/strong>, initially designated as the Z-1 in Spain and later as the H-19, coinciding with the military number assigned to it in the United States.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
The Westland Whirlwind Z.1B-22, on display in Hangar 4 of the Cuatro Vientos Air Museum (Photo: Andrea<\/a>).<\/div>\n

According to the Air Museum<\/a>, the first 11 Chickasaws that arrived in Spain were of the H-19B version<\/strong>. In 1958, another 17 Chickasaws of the H-19B and H-19D4 versions arrived. Finally, in 1963 the Air Force received 4 Westland Whirlwind<\/strong>, the version of the S-55 manufactured under license in that country, which had a more powerful engine than the American model (700 HP compared to the 620 HP of the H-19). The Air Force thus completed a fleet of 32 Chickasaws<\/strong>, which carried out rescue, anti-submarine warfare, transport and liaison missions until 1970, when they were replaced by the Agusta Bell 205.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
One of the H-19s of the 2nd Squadron of the Spanish Navy, the Z.1-10 002-3 (Photo: Armada Espa\u00f1ola).<\/div>\n

In addition, the 2nd Squadron of the Navy operated 9 Sikorsky H-19s between 1957 and 1978<\/strong> in anti-submarine warfare and transport missions, being the last helicopters of this type to serve in Spain.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
The Westland Whirlwind Z.1B-22 on display at the Cuatro Vientos Air Museum preserves the equipment used for rescue missions (Photo: Museo del Aire y del Espacio).<\/div>\n

Currently, the Cuatro Vientos Air Museum in Madrid preserves a Westland Whirlwind<\/a>, the Z.1B-22, an aircraft received on January 18, 1963<\/strong> and which served in the 57 Squadron, based in Getafe, passing in 1965 to the 803 Squadron of Cuatro Vientos. After its decommissioning on April 13, 1970, the helicopter was delivered to the Museum on April 29, 1971<\/strong>, being restored in 1988 by Restauraci\u00f3n de Aviones Cl\u00e1sicos. The Association of Friends of the Air Museum<\/a> has published today a video in which Colonel of Aviation (R) Adolfo Rold\u00e1n Vill\u00e9n, veteran pilot of these helicopters, talks to us about them<\/strong> (the video is in Spanish, you can activate automatic subtitles in English in the bottom bar of the player):<\/p>\n