Igor I. Sikorsky’s S-38 was the first commercial success for the small and struggling company in America. In May 1928 the Sikorsky Manufacturing Corporation’s College Point, Queens, New York factory started production of this aircraft and completed the first S-38 in July. The aircraft was a large twin engine plane capable of carrying a crew of two plus eight or nine passengers with baggage. It sold completely equipped for $55,000.

In an early brochure Sikorsky spelled Amphibian with an “o” as a trade mark. The S-38 could takeoff from either land or water, climb at 1,000 feet per minute fully loaded, cruise at 110 miles per hour with a maximum speed of 130 miles per hour, and could fly on one engine. No other contemporary amphibian had comparable performance characteristics. Within eight weeks after publication of the official performance data the first series of ten aircraft were sold. Sales to the government, air lines operators and private individuals intensified causing the corporation to reorganize creating the Sikorsky Aviation Corporation in October 3, 1928. The S-38’s were operated around the globe pioneering executive travel and establishing many of the first air mail and passenger air routes.

It was estimated that S-38’s flew over 25,000,000 miles or approximately one thousand times around the World. On July 30, 1929 the Sikorsky Aviation Corporation was acquired by the United Aircraft and Transport Corporation, Inc.