Sikorsky H-34 restoration in France

Not many of you will have heard of a place called Saint-Michel-en-l'Herm. It is a small village in the Vendée department in the Pays de la Loire region in western France. In this tiny village interesting things are going on concerning a Sikorsky H-34 Choctaw.

Members of the “Un Siko en Vol” (“A flying Sikorsky”) association are restoring Sud Aviation built H-34A serial SA55 (c/n SA55) with code 68-OA to airworthiness. This helicopter was flown by the Armée de l'Air (AdlA, French Air Force) and saw action during the War in Algeria.

France purchased an initial batch of 134 H-34 helicopters. These were shipped in kit-form from the United States and locally assembled by Sud-Aviation. Later, a further 166 were domestically manufactured by Sud-Aviation, which were flown by said AdlA, but also by the Marine Nationale (French Navy).

In anticipation of a first flight (which can still take some time) the helicopter, has already been registered in the historic register as F-AYOA. Since 4 November 2023, the project and its volunteers have found a new hangar with more space for their intriguing project.

Bonne chance mes amis! (We all wish you success!)

Photo: Assoc. “Un Siko en Vol”