The Queen of the Sky: The Story of the Sikorsky VS-44A Flying Boat

  • December 2001
  • 56mins

  • Documentary
  • Directed by

    Bob Ellsworth,

    Bill Rhodes,

    Starring

    Maureen O'Hara,

    Sergei Sikorsky Jr.,

    Built in the United States in the early 1940s by Sikorsky Aircraft, the VS-44 was a large four-engine flying boat designed primarily for the transatlantic passenger market, with a capacity of 40+ passengers. Three units were produced: Excalibur, Exeter - and Excambian, "The Queen of the Sky" to its final owners Charlie Blair and his wife, actress Maureen O'Hara. The film explores aviation pioneer Igor Sikorsky and the eleven-year restoration of Excambian by volunteers at Sikorsky's Stratford plant.