It was Sikorsky's first widely produced amphibious flying boat, serving successfully for Pan American Airways and the United States military.

Some notable private owners include: During the 1990s two reproduction S-38s were built by the late Buzz Kaplan's “Born Again Restorations,” of Owatonna, Minnesota.

As of August 2017[update] the plane is suspended from the ceiling of Fortaleza Hall in the S. C. Johnson & Son company headquarters in Racine, Wisconsin .

As of August 2017[update] it is owned by Kermit Weeks and located at the Fantasy of Flight Museum in Polk City, Florida, bearing the Osa's Ark paint scheme.

[15][16] Data from Aerofiles : Sikorsky,[21] American flying boats and amphibious aircraft : an illustrated history[22]General characteristics Performance