The New England Air Museum in Windsor Locks, Conn., is home to dozens of aircraft spanning all eras of aviation history. Among the Grumman, Bell, Stearman and Douglas aircraft, to name a few, the museum also houses a Sikorsky S-39B. The story of the rare amphibious flying boat, known as Jungle Gym, stretches back decades and includes both triumph and disaster before the museum restored it to its former glory.
Built in 1930, the S-39 was a single-engine version of its successful twin-engine S-38 predecessor. The S-39 is an odd-looking assemblage of parts: a nautical fuselage slung
