Sergei Sikorsky passed away on Thursday, September 18 at the age of 100 years old.  The eldest son of Igor I Sikorsky, Sergei was a witness to aviation history and devoted his retirement years to helping document his father’s legacy and the history of the Sikorsky Aircraft Company.  Most of his time and energy in recent years was spent promoting the Igor I Sikorsky Historical Archives, which he helped found in 1995.

Sergei Sikorsky started out as an apprentice in the Sikorsky factory at age 16.  Under the tutelage of the aircraft design team, he helped lay out the design of a two-seat helicopter, which eventually became the Sikorsky S-52. He continued his apprenticeship throughout high school, and after finishing, Sergei enlisted in the Coast Guard. He served in a joint U.S. Coast Guard/U.S. Navy/Royal Air Force helicopter squadron at Floyd Bennett Field under Commander Frank Erickson, a pioneer helicopter pilot. One of Sergei’s duties was to promote the helicopter’s use as a rescue vehicle, a role that required him to ride in the rescue hoist for extended lengths of time during demonstrations.

Upon leaving the Coast Guard, Sergei went to the University of Florence in Italy and graduated with a Bachelor in Fine Arts degree. He also used his time abroad to develop his talent for languages, learning fluent Russian, Italian, German, French, and Spanish, as well as some Japanese. 

In 1951, he began his career at Sikorsky in international sales and marketing, spending much of the next 24 years in Germany, France, and Japan. After he returned to the United States in 1976, he continued to help grow Sikorsky’s global helicopter business until his retirement four decades later, in 1992.

Sergei said that helping establish the Igor I Sikorsky Historical Archives was one of his proudest achievements.  He was a fountain of knowledge for the aviation research community and an invaluable resource in documenting his father’s history during the golden age of aviation.

Sergei attended most every major Igor I Sikorsky Historical Archives event and fundraiser including the opening of their new home at Sacred Heart University in October 2023. In January 2025, the Sikorsky Archives and Two Roads Brewing in Stratford, Connecticut threw a 100th birthday party for Sergei, which he attended virtually from his home in Arizona.

Our deepest condolences go out to Sergei’s wife Elena and the rest of his family.  The Sikorsky Aircraft Company and Lockheed Martin released the following video tribute to commemorate the amazing life and legacy of a true aviation legend. He will be deeply missed.