Cessna’s Golden Age (The Golden Age of Aviation Series)

74 Pages·2008·53.738 MB·English

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FAIRCHILD's GOLDEN AGE
by
Alan Abel Acknowledgements
THE GOLDEN AGE OF AVIATION SERIES
Through more than 25 years in aviation research and publishing, we have acquired various
historical aviation collections and have added these to our historical aviation archives, which my
family has been collecting for more than 60 years. One such collection was the Paul Matt
archives, which included research material, three-view drawings, copyrights, airplane
FirstPrinting photographs, newspaper and magazine articles of the era, etc.
© Copyright 2008, Alan Abel
From these sources, as well as additional research, this book was produced.
Printed in the United States ofAmerica. All rights reserved. No part ofthis book may be reproduced or trans
There are many individuals (some, sadly, deceased), too numerous to mention here, who either
mitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any infor
provided inspiration and ideas for articles and books, including this one, or who have
mation storage or retrieval system, except by a reviewer who may quote briefpassages in a review to be printed in a
contributed specific information and details for Fairchild's Golden Age. I am particularly grateful
magazine, newspaperornewsletter, withoutpermission in writingfrom the publisher. The publishertakes no respon
sibility for use ofmaterials in, nor for the factual accuracy ofany portion of, this book. for the generous sharing of ideas and information from the following:
George H. Clapp, Herbert M. Harkcom, Theron K. Rinehart and Ken Molson for information and
ISBN: 978-1-891118-55-2 details of FC-1, FC-2 and FC-2W.
Joe Juptner for information gleaned from his U.S. CivilAircraft Series.
Published by
Wind Canyon 800h Steve Roth for information regarding the Fairchild 22.
P.O. Box 511
Brawley, CA 92227 We have used many photographs from our collection of photos. When we have been able to
1-800-952-7007 identify the originator of the photo, we have given credit next to the photo. Where we were
e-mail: [email protected] unable to locate a photo of a particular Fairchild model from our archives, I am grateful to Alan
www.windcanyonbooks.com Renga of the San Diego Aerospace Museum for helping us procure such photos.
Lastly, I wish to thank my mother and aviation historian Drina Welch Abel for her superb
Layout/Design: Janis Durelle Bartlett
assistance in helping to organize the research material used in producing this book.
CoverDesign: Wind Canyon Book!: ©2008
Front cover photos are courtesy of Alan Abel
Other photo credits are noted by each photo where possible.
Wind Canyon Book!: offers other book titles. It also offers software applications work related to book publish
ing, including converting titles to multimedia CD-ROMs, DVDs and other computer formats. For further informa
tion, including details regarding the submission ofmanuscripts, contact the above address.
,
I
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter Page
The Early Years of
1 The Early Years of Sherman Fairchild 1
Sherman Fairchild
2 Fairchild Cabin Airplane FC-1 4
3 Fairchild FC-2 12
4 Progress in Aerial Surveying and
S
herman transferred to the
Aerial Photography 26 Mil I s University ofAri
Fairchild zona because his
5 Fairchild 71 30 was bornApril 7, 1896 doctors believed
in the small town of the climate might
6 Military Use of the Fairchild Airplanes 33
Oneonta, in upstate help his bouts
NewYork. He was the with tuberculosis.
7 Fairchild 21 38
only child of George While attending
8 Fairchild 41 & Fairchild 42 40 Winthrop Fairchild. the University of
George was a remark Arizona, Sherman
9 Kreider-Reisner 43 able man in his own spent his time in
right. George started aeriaI photogra
10 Fairchild 22 50 his business careeras a phy classes as well as
printer's devil. Later, courses in machine
11 Fairchild XC-31 Cargo Carrier 57 he financed the man shop.
ufacture of one of the At the end ofthe
12 Fairchild 45, Fairchild's "Sedan of the Air" 60 earliest rotary news World War I he went
paper printing presses to New York City
13 Fairchild 91 Amphibian 63
in the United States. and enrolled in the
For l2 years George School of Engi
14 Fairchild 24 67
Fairchild served as a neering at Columbia
15 Fairchild M-62 Cornell, PT-19, PT-23 & PT-26 82 Republican Congress University. Due to
man in the U.S. House poor health and his
16 The Duramold Process and the Fairchild 46 91 of Representatives. desire to go into
George was also a business, however,
17 The Fairchild Duramold Aircraft: 93 businessman who built be graduated from
time clocks and adding none of these Uni
AT-13, AT-14 & AT-21 machines. His com versities. Sherman
pany and two others found his interest
18 World War II 98 merged and became naturally gravitating
International Business toward cameras.
19 Post World War II Fairchild Notes 99
Machines at Endicott, With his father's en
New York. George couragement and fi
20 Fairchild C-82 & Fairchild C-119 100
was one of the foun nancial backing, be
21 Fairchild M-129 (XNQ-1 or T-31) 117 ders and first president left Columbia and
and chail111an ofIBM. started a company to
22 Fairchild C-123 121 George Fairchild build aerial cameras.
encouraged Sherman's He developed a
23 Fairchild F-27 125 curiosity. The young method of synchro
Shennan Fairchild Sherman M. Fairchild nizing the shutterofa
24 Post 1950 Developments at Fairchild 132 soon became a mechan- camera and a flash of
ical tinkerer with a factory full of machines and artificial light for indoor photography.
25 Fairchild Diversification 136 equipment to tempt an inventive mind. From an early His first test of this automatic photography came
age, Fairchild developed the habit oftaking things apart wben he talked a Boston boxing promoter into letting
26 The Life and Death of Sherman Fairchild 138
to find out bow they worked and how they could work him take photos of a fight. He had demonstrated the
better. After a public school education, in 1915 apparatus with a modest amount of flash powder
Sherman enrolled in Harvard University but soon beforehand and things went well. By fight time, at the
Boston arena, he had the camera at ringside and poured each. Fairchild took the money. Soon the Army appeal. Mostpilotsstill preferred tofeel theairpressure one photo mission to come to the conclusion that such
the magnesium powder onto the flashgun pan. With ordered 20 more and in succeeding years the Fairchild on their faces, and such a plane, suitable as it would be an antiquated plane was not suitable for the job,
utmost confidence he waited until the main event, K-3 Camera became standard U.S. Air Corps issue. It for aerial photo work, did not warrant large investments especially during Canada's winter months. Within a
hoping to catch one of the contestants delivering a would also become standard equipment of the U.S. by the industry. short time, Fairchild's business proved to be of great
punch. The moment came and Fairchild pressed the Navy. In 1921 the Army Air Corps used Fairchild's value for aerial timber surveys. Business began to
release. Then, thunder, lightning and a puff of smoke Since the military could only use a few such cameras to record battleship bombing tests. In 1922, improve in 1923 and was supplemented with another
filled the arena. Both boxers were blinded and the fight cameras it soon became apparent that Fairchild's new with survey contracts from the Canadian government, airplane, an Oriole, both rented from the Curtiss Flying
was stopped. Sparks smoldered on the canvas and the brainchild had a very limited market. To remedy this he Fairchild Aerial Surveys Ltd. of Canada was formed Service. Itwasdecided to lookfor and purchaseaircraft
crowd went wild. Sherman later reflected, "I knew turned to developing the art ofaerial map making and and a Standard J-l was sent to do thejob. It only took that were better suited for the tasks.
nothing really serious had happened so Itook advantage emphasized its application for civilian usage.
of the confusion to leave the building." In his next The U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey Department
experiment he said he burned most of his hair and first accomplished aerial mapping in the U.S. in the late
eyelashes. 1800s from captive balloons. These photos were a
In 1917, during World War I, Fairchild had different matter than trying to get them from a moving
attempted to join the military. Because ofpoor health aircraft. Each photo had to overlap the one taken
Sherman was not accepted into military service. With previouslyand laterwascuttomatch andformed a large
aerial photography providing such an asset in Europe mosaic.
during World War I for reconnaissance, Fairchild's On a mapping mission in an airplane the pilot had
interests turned to the aerial camera. to maintainaconstantaltitudeand avery straightcourse
Determined to help with the war effort, he and his while at the same time keeping the wings level for each
father went to Washington to see ifhis experience with photo exposed. The photographer had no less of a
cameras might be useful. Shernlan volunteered his problem. Iftheaircraftwas"crabbing" into acrosswind
services to the U.S. Signal Corps as a civilian expert in to keep a straight course, then the camera had to be
photography. It was then that he first encountered an angled correspondingly. As early Fairchild pilot
aerial camera and the problem of image distortion in Richard (Dick) Depew put it, "The pilot'sjob was very
aerial photography. At the time, the military had aerial simple. Just like walking a tightrope, he had to fly a
cameras that produced poor quality images because the wayward World War I biplane in a three dimensional
shutterspeed could notkeep pacewith the motion ofthe straight line. All he was concerned with was keeping
airplane. the plane level, keeping it exactly above an imaginary
After making improvements to the standard straight line drawn on the ground and not deviate a whit
camera models then in use by the U.S. Army and Navy, from a constant altitude. Ifhe started his run at 14,000
late in 19.18, at age 22, Fairchild tried unsuccessfully to feet, he mustend at 14,000feet, and theplane musthave
sell his camera to the government. proceeded between the two at 14,000 feet." Since the
He spent the better part of the next two years airplanes had open cockpits, faces and hands suffered
devising a solution to the major problem of shutter frostbite, making the already arduous task that much
speed. Fairchild developed a design ofhis own. This more difficult.
1920 camera was made oflightweight metal. This was The experience of dealing with the government
an improvement over the wooden cameras. It also was leaves a lasting impression on Fairchild. He determines
thefirst successful large, high-speed between-the-lenses that in the future, whenever he undertakes any
shutter that was a major breakthrough in aerial development, he will have first established a business
photographic technology. The between-the-Iens shutter organization behind it. Accordingly, the Fairchild
exposed the film frame all at once as the camera Aerial Camera Corporation was formed on February 9,
mounted in the airplane moved tlu'ough the air, thus 1920 to manufacture and market Fairchild's aerial
eliminating the image distortion that had previously cameras. Sherman was 24. .Soon he also obtained
prevented accurate aerial mapping. It was far in mapping contracts and aerial surveying assignments.
advance ofany other aerial camera then on the market. With these early mapping contracts, and with no prior
Sherman received much encouragement from Dr. experience, little money was made for the company. In
Herbert Ives, who, at the time, was director ofelectro fact, the first contract to map the city ofNewark, New
optical research for Bell Telephone Laboratories. Jersey for $7,000 cost the company nearly $30,000.
After making continuing improvements, he tried Most of these early efforts were accomplished by
again to sell his camera to the governn1ent. This time Depewand aphotographer in aStandardJ-l oraCurtiss
Col. Billy Mitchell became interested and tests were Oriole. The Standard J-I with itsflat sides was betterto
conducted at McCook Field. When Billy Mitchell saw line up ground targets, while the Oriole, although faster,
it, he eagerly ordered it used to record his famous its round sides made it harder to spot the target and to
battleship bombing tests. The U.S. Army Air Corps operate the camera. Both airplanes were inefficient for
thought highly ofthe cameras but they did not have the the tasks and difficult to work from. By the time the
funds when Fairchild asked $2,000 a piece in lots of planes had climbed to 10,000 to 14,000 feet, very little
twenty. Although the Army did not accept his camera fuel remained to carry out the mission. At this time
until the war had ended, it bought two for training. there were no production cabin aircraftsuitable for such
Captain A.B. Nesbit, purchasing officer, offered $1,800 demanding work mainly because of the limited sales
2 3
Chapter 2 '"
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1925 Quebec,
was a step forward in photo map making. They were offthe pilot's downward vision and made it difficult for
The abovephotosrepresent apartialarea mapthat wasphotographedbyFairchildAerialSurveys, Inc. On therightphoto open cockpit though, so the crew was still exposed to a photographer to get oblique shots. The planes had
notehowfence linesandnaturalgroundlines aidin markingpropertyparcels. On the leftphotonote waterbodies, theelements. Huff-Daland latermoved to Pennsylvania little stability, afforded the crew very little protection
marshesandhigherlands, whichgive importantfactors in engineeringwork. and became the better-known Keystone Aircraft from the elements and were subject to frequent
Corporation, buiIders ofthe famous Keystone Bombers. mechanical breakdowns.
Thefirst aircraft purchased by FairchildAerial ofthe aerial mapping industry. Fairchild'scameras soon In 1925 astronomers reported thata total eclipse of While at Grand' Mere, Quebec, Canada, one very
Camera Corporation was a Fokker became the world's standard. . the s'un was soon to occur. Newspapers wanted to get cold day, Sherman witnessed the landingofone ofthese
"Express." This was a two-seater, and the In 1924 Fairchild Aerial Surveys, Inc. was formcd, photographs of this solar phenomenon from the aircraft and the crew's discomfort. After withstanding
type Anthony Fokker had managed to get several separating it from the Fairchild Aerial Camera Corp. beginning to the end. Two pilot-photographer teams the cold as long as he could, Fairchild asked the crew to
and Fairchild bought several new Huff-Daland "Petrel" took flight from Roosevelt Field in their Fokker and meet him at his hotel room later.
trainloads out of Germany after the end of WWI.
Several of these were shipped to the U.S. and rebuilt biplanes. These aircraft were powered with a Wright E Huff-Daland airplanes equipped with Fairchild cameras At this meeting, Fairchild suggested building a
into 3-place planes. The pilots flew from the front seat 4, a 190-hp water-cooled engine. They were modified to get the first aerial shots ofa total eclipse ofthe sun. new aircraft for survey work. The discomfort offlying
while the passengers were enclosed in a small cabin for aerial photography by moving the pilot's position a At 14,000 freezing feet, they shot every phase of the in an open cockpit plane at mapping heights had as
built over the rear seat. Typical ofmost WWI aircraft, bit forward and the photographer's seat further aft, eclipse. It was a singular honor and distinction, as the much to do with Fairchild deciding to design his own
the Fokkerhad no firewall between theengineand pilot. providing more room for the large Fairchild camera professional photos were ofvery good quality. But, it airplane than any other consideration. From this
On high altitude photo missions, this helped keep both between them. The pilot's cockpit was also fitted with might be said that this is where the story ofthe Fairchild continuing experience, it became clear that if a
the pilotand photographer warm, butwas a definite fire a glass floor section forward to help better track the airplanes begins. satisfactory airplane was to be found, it would havc to
hazard. photo run. Dick Depew and E.P. Lott, the first ofthe flying be specially designed for the job. The Fairchild
The Huff-Daland was built in Ogdensburg, New photographers, were Fairchild's most persistent organization first sought out an aircraft manufacturer to
Fairchild took his camera aloft to take many
York, which was fairly close to both the U.S. and hecklers. They would come down from a mapping build such a plane to their specifications. Several
photographs that were pieced together to produce an
amazing aerial map ofManhattan Island, including all Canadian operations for service. The Wright engine mission crying the futility of trying to do a good job agreed, but at such high cost that Shennan Fairchild
five boroughs of the City of New York. This project was, by comparison, a fairly reliable powerplant. The with the planes they had to fly. Biplanes were certainly decided to hire an aeronautical engineer and to design
was completed in 1924, and this was the true beginning "Petrel" had increased range and stability, and generally not designed for aerial photography. Lower wings shut and build a new aircraft under the Fairchild name.
5
4
In early 1925, Sherman formed the Fairchild monoplane with flaps and fully practical folding wings. originally envisioned. It was realized that it would be the design were tested and retested by conducting wind
Airplane Manufacturing Corp. to develop a plane The wings were designed to fold back parallel, with the economically unsound to build a few airplanes solely tunnel tests of the new design. The results were
specifically for mapping flights. Immediately, Norman fuselage, in order to conserve hangar space and to for the use of the aerial survey and photographic carefully recorded and checked. Not many aircraft at
McQueen was hired and provided a drafting board in facilitate transportation of the airplane by squeezing services. It was decided then and there that the new this time had the benefit of this thoroughness in the
the Fairchild office, which was then located at 270 W. more airplanes into an allotted space so that it could be aircraft was to be an all-purpose airplane, one with long design phase. Later it would also be Professor KJemin
38th St. in New York City, in the heart ofthe garment loaded aboard ships or flatcars for shipment to areas range and easy flying qualities that would suita number who would advise on takeoff, landing, and climb test
district. Much input from Shennan Fairchild, pilots where photo mapping was to take place. Many ofuses. Fairchild decided to market the craftas well as flights.
Dick Depew and E.P. Lott, photographers R. Smith, L. publicity photos of the time show Fairchilds being build specialized models for the aerial survey Actual construction ofthe FC-I began in thefall of
McSpaden, and O.A. Russell and pilotKen Saunders of towed with their wings folded, as though that was the operations. 1925 while design operations were still in progress. As
the Canadian group were incorporated into the design. purpose ofthe feature. While it was a convenience, it A factory was needed and space in the old with most prototype aircraft, details worked out on the
The consensus was that the new plane had to have was not the primaly reason. Anotheradvantage became Lawrence Sperry Aircraft plant at Farmingdale, Long drawing boardwereoften superseded bychangesduring
these characteristics: apparentin thefield. Thefolded wings meantthat in the Island,NewYorkwasavailable. This was where Sperry actual construction. However, the time spent in
xcellent vision forward and downward for the Arctic the aircraftcould be put undercoverwith a small had built the "Messenger" biplanes and had them flown researching the initial design certainly paid high
pilot. snow fence and tarpaulin. off the pasture adjacent to the plant. Fairchild dividends. Many ofthe innovations worked out on the
Unobstructed vision outward and downward for The folding of the wings were accomplished operations were moved into the facility and work was FC-l became standard practice on later aircraft.
the photographer. without removing ordismantlinganyofthe parts, and in started on what was to become a long line ofaircraft to During the development period, Sherman met a
Hands-off inherent stability to afford a steady this position the wing struts remained intact, thus bear the Fairchild name. This aircraft carried the young engineer, Harold Caminez, of the Camine
camera platform. serving to brace the entire assembly. The wing was of designation, FC-l, which stood for Fairchild Cabin No. Engine Company. Harold Caminez had been the
Light, responsive control, particularly when wood construction with faired, tubularsteel wing struts. 1. civilian head oftheAircraftEngine Design Department
shooting low altitude oblique shots where bumpy air The nose was kept very narrow, but at the pilot's McQueen, being somewhat ofan itinerate, left the for the Engineering Division of the U.S. Army Air
was usually prevalent. seat, the cabin began to bulge and give more room company at this time and Fred Weymouth, who had Corps at McCook Field, Dayton, Ohio.
..
Ability to get into and out of small fields, since inside. The fuselage was of standard welded steel
operation out ofcow pastures was not unusual because tubing and fabric covered. The cabin area reflected a -------- -." -
many areas under mapping had no airports in the comfortable, easily accessible camera platform. '1-- r-~i- '':----- --I --...1--
I
vicinity. Maximum visibility was provided for the pilot by
Afast rate ofclimb and a high ceiling. squeezing in the fuselage between the wing leading
A long cruising range so as to take advantage of edge and the engine firewall. A large window was
I :
rare mapping weather days without having to refuel placed between the pilot's feet for forward and
every little while. downward vision to track a flight line. This window
~
High speed to combat high winds generally found had a protective steel grill over it on the inside. Aft of I',
I
at mapping altitudes. the wing trailing edge, at the top, the fuselage tapered I
Lastly, comfort and convenience for both pilot and back to a single longeron which gave it a triangular
photographers, and ample room to carry bulky camera cross section aft. This kept the slipstream in tight,
equipment. making the relatively small tail surfaces more effective. .---4
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Obviously, no airplane existed in 1925 that had all The upper tail surfaces' brace wires were detachable at
those qualities. Design of an airplane, like any other the fin to allow the wings to fold against the fin.
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machine, is a compromise, a successful combination of Aerodynamically clean, divided landing gear with no
the greatestnumberofdesirablefeatures with thefewest horizontal axle was used, which would greatly facilitate -r.I. 1(0.:"i~;:-cw ·S'".......r(',~..,.,c-(j'"
possible undesirable ones. Fairchild's airplane was to takeoffs and landings in cow pastures with tall grass. ~.
be truly revolutionary in this respect. And it was Much attention was paid to careful streamlining ofthe
Norman McQueen'sjob to design such. Someone hung cowling.
over the drafting board most of the time to see that Sherman was always interested in whether new
McQueen's design truly fit the need. ideas would make a better airplane; a more usable tool.
Many new and useful features would be The fact that things had ne~er been tried before or
successfully combined for the first time in the new seemed mechanically complicated never bothered him DrawingoftheFairchildCaminez Model447-8, 4-cylinde/; air-cooled, ratedat 150-hpat 1,200rplll, 360lbs. complete.
aircraft. The airfoil chosen was a thick high-lift in the least. Ifthe idea was useful, he always was sure
Gottingen 387, which was modified to improve it even that a commercial solution could be found. been hired as McQueen's assistant earlier, became chief Caminez had designed a very unusual aircraft
further for the specific Fairchild theory. The ailerons The powerplant selected was a war-surplus 90-hp engineer with Rudy Funk as chief draftsman. Robert engine, the Caminez Engine. The Caminez Engine had
ran the entire length ofthe trailing edge ofthe wing and water-cooled Curtiss OX-5 engine. McQueen's intent Simon, who had been general shop foreman for Sperry, been developed during the early I920s, when airframe
through a system, patented by Depew, also could be was to design the airframe for much greater power later became head of construction. A small group of manufacturers were designing biplanes to replace the
lowered or raised in unison as wing flaps to increase on, but for testing the new design, the OX-5 would dedicated men was hired to help, most who would later WWI Curtiss Jenny, and engine manufacturers were
ceiling and decrease landing speed. Note that landing serve well. become well known in their own right. building powerplants to replace the Curtiss OX-5
flaps were being utilized in 1925! Further, when Depewand others builtamock-upofthe cabin area The instability ofthe early biplanes had been a big engine. The Caminez Engine was a 4-cylinder air
aileron-flaps were lowered, the system would also and wing folding mechanism in the basement of the problem in so far as getting quality photographs. The cooled radial that produced its rated poweratonly 1,000
automatically move the horizontal stabilizer for correct building housing the FairchildAerial Surveys office. It scientific approach, inherent in Fairchild operations revolutions perminute. Its 447 cubic inch displacement
trim. It should be noted at this point that as a camera was built largely ofscrap lumber and cardboard. There since the beginnings of the camera company, became gave 135 horsepower at this low speed because of its
platform, stability was of paramount consideration and were many trips between the drawing board and the standard policy for the aircraft company. Research was unorthodox design.
the entire engineering effort was toward this goal. basement. ofprime importance. Now with the hired Dr.Alexander The engine had no crankshaft or piston connecting
The wings were placed high on the fuselage to A review of the design soon showed it would Klemin of the Guggenheim School of Aeronautics at rods. Instead, each piston carried a large roller bearing
improve vision, and this was the first high-wing cabin indeed have greater commercial potential than New York University, aerodynamic characteristics of centered where the wrist pin normally would be. This
6 7
operated against a doubled-lobed, figure eight shaped Dick Depew tested the first Fairchild-Carnine c:
.!<
cam, which was, in turn, fastened to the propeller shaft. Engine in anAvro biplane onApril12, 1926 and stated, ]
It was a four-cycle engine, but due to the double-lobed "This was the first flight in history using an engine o
u
cam, the complete cycle occurred atevery revolution of without a crankshaft." ]
..:
the shaft. This gave the engine twice as many power Two problems plagued the Cam engine from the
strokes per revolution as a conventional engine with start. While its power output was outstanding in that it
crankshaft. Stated differently, it gave the effect ofa 2 weighed less than three pounds perhorsepower, the fact
to-I geared down propeller. There were fewer parts in that each cylinder had a power punch with each cycle
this engine and the large diameter slow-speed propeller and caused a cooling problem. The other problem, and
was most efficient. probably the most difficult to overcome; lay in the fact
· that the cam arrangement could not be counter-
AbeIC0IIectlOn . .
balanced well enough to gIve a smooth running
performance. The engine was subsequently
installed in other productionaircraftsuch as the
Waco and Travel Air, but Fairchild later said
about his choosing the Kreider-Reisner biplane
to be built under the Fairchild name as the KR
series, "The Kreider-Reisner was the only
aircraft that the Cam engine did not shake the
hell out of."
The engines were recalled and
TheoneandonlyFC-I whiclrparticipatedin the 1926Ford Reliability ToUl: No. 12 wasassignedto theFC-Ifor thetow: Notethe
discontinued by the company because of this
bonnetoverthe OX-5cylinders. Noticethedividedlandinggear, tire two lefl-sidecabin doors andthepilot:Sdownward visibility
vibration problem. It was estimated that it
window. With norequirement/orregistration numbers in 1926, there wasplentyofroom}or "Fairchild"advertisingon the wings
would likely cost two million dollars to smooth
andthefuselage.
out. The experience gained in the manufacture
ofengines, however, led to the development of
the. more practical Fairchild-Ranger in-line conventional cross axle, it would have been impossible on January 8,1927, and it was redesignated the FC-IA.
engines. to get out ofsome ofthe cow-pasture fields because of The top speed had increased from 97 mph to 120 mph,
With the wings in the stowed position, on the low power ofthe OX-5. the absolute ceiling rose from 10,000 ft. to nearly
June 14, 1926 the first Fairchild airplane was On the return trip, Depew and Johnson decided to 15,000 ft. The rate of climb was doubled and the
hitched to the rear ofa truck and was towed to test the utility of the FC-I by trying to make the 550 takeoff distance greatly shortened. Depew remarked,
Roosevelt Field, some 12 miles away for its mile trip from Detroit to Minneola, Long Island "Now, more than ever, we really had something."
first flights. The wings were unfolded, locked (Roosevelt Field) in one day. This was quite a flight in Manychanges were made before rolloutofthefirst
in place and it was ready for flight in less than 1926 with a World War IOX-5 engine! They made the production aircraft. The higher rated Wright J-5
two minutes. Depew made a flight of 23 flight with only one stop en route at Buffalo. The total Whirlwind radial engine came along just in time to be
minutes and it was a complete success. "The fuel capacity was only 42-gallons. Despite a loss of used to advantage. A wider fuselage for the passenger
plane's response to the controls was a bearings in the thick atmosphere, they managed to area was designed, keeping the three-Iongeron
revelation," Depew summarized. Further tests complete the flight in four hours and Depew said the configuration (Razorback) of the prototype. The
were made by Prof. Klemin to determine other last few miles were flown on fumes. baggage compartment was enlarged and windows of
characteristics, landing roll, length of takeoff, That fall the FC-I was entered in the National Air shatterproof glass were used instead of the "Cellon"
rate ofclimb, etc. Races at Philadelphia, where it was demonstrated panes used earlier.
The Fairchild FC-I was not considered a before thousands ofair-minded people. There followed There had been problems with the aileron-flaps
production airplane, but one-of-a-kind. a series ofdemonstrations. These flights led to future concept on the FC-I and they were divided on the FC
Because initial perforrnances were so advanced business for the new company because the FC-I design lAo This feature was eliminated from production
it was entered in the Ford Reliability Tour of had proved itselfas the beston the field. Old time pilots airplanesaltogether, becausethe results obtained did not
1926, and Movie Star Gloria Swanson continued to have reservations about an enclosed cabin justify the complexity and increased cost ofthe system.
christened the airplane. Starting at Dearborn, and many expressed a feeling of being "closed in." 1n Besides, the flaps were not really needed with the high
the tour covered 2,000 miles through the fact, Depew had similar reservations initially himself. lift ofthe Gottingen airfoil. The inboard (flap like) area
Sherman Fairchildstandingnextto tire
Midwest with stops at Kalamazoo, Chicago, But it was not long before the straw hat replaced the ofthe wing now folded up and over to rest on the top of
maidenflight Milwaukee, St. Paul, Des Moines, Lincoln, helmet and goggles. the wing to allow the wings to fold without disturbing
Wichita, Kansas City, Moline, Indianapolis, After the Philadelphia races the OX-5 engine was the fuselage center section as on the prototype. Wheel
Because ofits simplicity and projected lightweight Cincinnati, Cleveland, Fort Wayne and back to removed and a new air-cooled Wright Whirlwind J-4 brakes were added and a Fairchild-designed oleo and
utility, Fairchild bought the Caminez rights and Dearborn. Theadditional distanceof1,100 miles to and engine was installed. Both powerplants were ofabout spring shock strut replaced the old shock cord design.
acquired theCaminezEngineCompany in January 1925 from Detroit, plus many demonstration flights, totaled the same weight but the Wright had over twice the An exhaust type cabin heater was also a new feature.
and Fairchild decided to go into the aircraft engine nearly 4,000 miles in all. This was a pretty severe test power and none of the plumbing of the water-cooled
business, too. Thus, the Fairchild-Caminez Engine for a prototype airplane. With the exception of some OX-5. Again Dick Depew flew the reengined airplane
Company, FaImington, Long Island, New York, was minorengine and propeller trouble, the FC-l completed
founded. The company produced a new engine called the tour like a veteran. Depew flew the plane on the
the "Caminez 447." Harold Caminez became Vice tour with Croydon (Johnny) Johnson as a crewmember
President and ChiefEngineer ofthe company. and said laterthat ifthe landinggearhad been buiItwith
8 9
J/BRActWTOATTHESTABILIZERALLOW___WINGTOFOLDUPTO ,,./I,FIN-RUDDERRADIATORLL~.:1{--'.'/ ,J:!'//PILOT'SMAPPINGWINDOW /BUNGEESHOCKCORDj!W./PITOTCOVERING~di.....-TUBE v INSPECTIONWINDOWSCONTROLACCESS.1\ \CAMERAZIPPER1\ '-VIEWINGWINDOWS 564I23feet0,:I-I...JI2meters!!CONfROLONEPIECEI'-HINGEPULLEY/AILERON-FLAPSCALEBARS-.-~/,I\1~,.I"I1;...J\r:+I-------\-'---17.1,---~r-II:III,:I•.I'f,jII,~rII,:IIII,~,I J ALUMINUMfAIRINGATTACHEDTOWING FAIRCHILDFC-I~SIOR]I;AL1926THEFIRSTFAIRCHIL0AIRCRAFTVIAIIONSCALE·ORIG.1·24IBUMREPRO,1'48DRAWNBY.GEORGECLAPP @HISTORICALAVIATIONALBUM1984I'O.BOX33TEMPLECITY,CALIF91780PLATEIof2 '--rr-,IIT'0_.~II, II.IDIH,Approx.~ IBIC--I-/0 ~r +,-J\pprox 256I0IIIIISCALEBARSmotersj30'·0" 0FEIALLWINDOWSWERECELLONSTABILIZERADJUSTMENT-2-Thru+5- FRL ELEVATORSOPERATEDBYPUSHROD,RUDDER8YCABLE STEERABLETAILSKID PASSENGERODORSliOilICALBOTHSIDES,ONPILOT'SDOORONVIAllONOOLEFTSIDEONLYNOENGINEERINGDRAWINGSARELBUMKNOWNTOEXISTTCOAYONTHEFC-1.MYSINCERETHANKSTOMR.THERONRINEHARTOFTHEFAIRCHILD K.FAIRCHILDFC-/REPUBLICCORP,FORHISTHOROUGH1926ASSISTANCEINANDUNTIRINGTHEFIRSTFAIRCHILDAIRCRAFTALSUNKNOWNPREPARINGTHESEDRAWINGSFROMSCALE:ORIG.1.24REMAININGDOCUMENTATIONREPRO.1:48GEORGECLAPPDRAWNBY:GEORGECLAPP @HISTORICALAVIATIONALBUM19B4P.O.BOX33TEMPLECITY,CALIF.917BOPLATE2of2
GENERALSPfCI'ICAlIONS I96Ibs~WEIGHT,liGHT((735IbsUSEFULLOAD16~PILOTI"s.-"-----.:r~ssPAYLOAD.TWOORCARGO330lbSFUELOIL?40Ib,&~GROSSWEIGHT2331Ib,{WINGAREA275ItSQrUELCAPACITY35galA7GAL.RESERVETANK,ADDEDLATER,GAVEACRUISINGRANGEJOF5HRS30ftCARGOSPACEcu.97.lmphMAXIMUMSPEED,rLAPSUP2·J42.5m,p,hLANDINGSPEFDINaFlAI'S)400rnph(WITHFLAPS)AILERON-FLAPyds.1595TAKEDFFDISTANCE(NOFLAPS)LAIDONTOPOFIds1384(WITHFLAPS)WINGWHENFOLDED13.1CLIMBTO4,000FT.FLAPSAT4·min9890ft,ABSOLUTECEILING,FLAPSAT8· POWER,CURTISS90OX-5hp, NOTE·UIEFC-'WASSPECIFICALLYDESIGNEDrOR-WINGINFOLDEDPOSITIONTHEFAIRCH'LDAERIALCAMERAWITHOUTCAMERAEOU,PMENTITCARRIEDTHEP'LOTANDTWOPASSENGERS.LATERWITHJ-4ENGINEITCARRIEDFOURANDWRIGHTWASREDESIGNATEDASTHEFC-IA. I7'0"-.JAILERON-FLAP---CONTROLPULLEY'I_£..("THISSECTIONlPERWING)i(2HINGESATFRONT,./\FOLDSUPAND"'INC·°1AIRFOILGOETTINGEN3B7ARFOILTAPERSTOWARDTIPUNKNOWNOR~NATESPIVOTPINS" I-~II_~II--1rl~';t1I.j,~'.I''tJ{\,I'..-iII:\\,11:'I.;,t,'II~J, COLORINGNOTES35GALFUELTANKENTIREARCRAFT,ALUMIMJMPIGMENTDOPE,7GALRESERVEALLLETTERING,BLACKTANKCOVERINGISFABRICEXCEPTNOSESECTIONSTATIONBFORWARD.ALUMINUM RAWINGNo17-111-A r----,-~'/-to,T-,-- -80" 0I243:~II feel C HARTZELLWOODPROPELLER INTERIORDETONLYKNOWNDIMENSIONSARESHOWNONTHESEDRAWINGS DRAWINGNo.17-III-A
~o >--'>--'
Chapter 3
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Fairchild FC-2
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both air and water. The nose had a protective, spring the first FC-2 ordered by Fairchild Aerial Surveys Ltd.
loaded, canvas-covered bow piece. In service they of Canada. The next day the plane was towed to
proved to be very strong and durable. Amityville, Long Island, where Fairchild pontoons were
Ken Saunders made one of the first FC-IA installed and Ken Saunders conducted tests. Depew,
demonstration flights on January 10, 1927. The who had never piloted a floatplane before, went along.
Canadian firm, which had already ordered one of the He related later, "Saunders switched seats with me and
production machines, now ordered another. Many under his verbal guidance I made my first seaplane
orders for the production aircraft began coming in, most flight. I was bitten good by the seaplane bug."
being placed on a "sight unseen" basis, some even Saunders took delivery of the FC-2 for the Canadian
This is thefirst production Fairchild, 3023. It was testjlown onJune 12, 1927. Curtiss FlyingServicepurchasedsixwhich
before the installation ofthe Whirlwind engine. subsidiary and immediately upon arriving in Canada
werepoweredbytheCurtiss C-6inlineengine. Model \Vaskno\Vn as the FC-2C.
On January 25, 1927 a demonstration flight was requested permission to use the plane to help in the
I t had been found that the FC-I and FC-IA conditions. ArthurR. SteIb, who hadfive years with the flown for the large Curtiss Flying Service, which ran a search for Nussinger and Coli, the French airmen
landing gear was much too long. By shortening U.S. Navy as a naval architect, was hired as chief charter and passenger-hopping service. Curtiss Flying missing on their East-West transatlantic flight attempt.
it for the FC-2, the pilot had a much better engineer of the Fairchild Pontoon and Metal Boat Servicefound the Fairchild cabin monoplane superiorto It should be mentioned that Sherman Fairchild has
ground view. Division. Steib had been associated with various phases open cockpit biplanes and placed an order for a often been referred to the Henry Ford of aviation.
If the customer ordered floats with the airplane, ofdevelopment, design and manufacture offloats since production model. At that time Curtiss was the largest Factory-built aircraft of the time did not normally use
two small ball-joint fittings were welded to the lower 1915. . flying service in the U.S. and was a subsidiary of the jigs and fixtures to the extentthat he insisted on. It paid
longerons to take the forward float struts. The rear ball Production on a large scale was anticipated, and country's largest aircraft manufacturer. Getting Curtiss off, for many ofthe succeeding models were built from
joints of the landing gear were used for the rear float the company secured for this purpose an additional businesswas most impressivefor the fledgling Fairchild basically the same FC-2 airframe. Within a period of
struts. A larger fuel tank was installed in the center building located at Farmingdale and a modern saw company, indeed. six months after production began, the Fairchild
section overthe cabin, and wing tanks were added. The tooth roof type, having 30,000 sq. ft. of floor space. The first aircraft completed was for the Curtiss AirplaneMfg. Corp. was the second largestcommercial
range of the new production machine was 700 miles; This large expanse of floor space was rapidly filled as Flying Service that was powered by the 160-hp Curtiss aircraft producer in the world and the world's largest
with larger fuel tanks available as a customer option. production got underway. water-cooled C-6 engine, at Curtiss' request. It was test builder of cabin aircraft. Sherman Fairchild's faith in
Afterclimb-outa photo-survey planecould stay up long Fairchild's pontoons were of composite flown by Depew on June 12, 1927. The test was a the newall-purpose monoplane was surelyjustified.
enough now to getsome work done. The new airplanes construction; built up wooden frames covered with success. The only problem was a minor modification to These cabin monoplanes, while not in the speed
were designated FC-2s. sheet duralumin using special Alclad machine screws. the water-cooling system. Curtiss added five additional class ofthe new LockheedVega, developed at about the
For the same reason Fairchild decided to build his Wood and dural were installed by strips ofcotton tape planes to their existing orderfor a total ofsix FC-2s, all same time, were highly respected for their ruggedness
own aircraft, he decided to build his own pontoons. impregnated with plastic marine glue. At the joints a of which later became known as FC-2Cs, with C-6 and ability to lift tremendous loads far beyond their
Sherman, himself, went to Europe in 1926 and there further outsidc layer of packing covered by a strip of engll1es. design limits.
visited all the metal boat and pontoon factories. In this dural ensured a watertight joint. They were of A few days later the first FC-2 with a standard It was on June 30, 1927 that the third FC-2 was
tour, Fairchild had an excellent opportunity to compare streamlined shape with the top rounded and the stern Wright J-5 engine was ready for testing and on June 20, finished and test flown. This plane was built for the
scientific and practical data over a wide range of tapered to a vertical knife-edge to better slide through 1927 a 37-minute flight was made. This was G-CAGC, Department of Commerce, Bureau of Aviation. The
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