 | |
| Company type | Aircraft manufacturer |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1925 |
| Founder | Sherman Fairchild |
| Defunct | 2003 |
| Fate | Acquired by M7 Aerospace |
| Successor | M7 Aerospace |
| Headquarters | , U.S. |
Key people | Walter Tydon |
| Subsidiaries |
|
Fairchild was an American aircraft and aerospace manufacturing company based at various times in Farmingdale, New York; Hagerstown, Maryland; and San Antonio, Texas.
The company was founded by Sherman Fairchild in 1924 as Fairchild Aviation Corporation, based in Farmingdale, and East Farmingdale, New York. It was established as the parent company for Fairchild's many aviation interests. The company produced the first US aircraft to include a fully enclosed cockpit and hydraulic landing gear, the Fairchild FC-1. At some point, it was also known as the Fairchild Aircraft Manufacturing Company. The Fairchild Aircraft Ltd. of Longueuil, Quebec, Canada was an aircraft manufacturer during the period of 1920 to 1950, which served as a subsidiary of the Fairchild company of the United States. The Fairchild Engine Company was formed with the purchase of the Caminez Engine Company in 1925. [1] In 1929, Sherman Fairchild purchased a majority stock interest in Kreider-Reisner Aircraft Company of Hagerstown, Maryland. The company moved to Hagerstown in 1931. [2]
A series of related designs beginning with the Fairchild FC-1 and continuing to the Fairchild 71 were designed for aerial photography as a result of dissatisfaction towards available aircraft which were incapable of flying steadily enough at a sufficient altitude. [3] In 1935, Fairchild was hired by the US government to do aerial photograph surveys of the United States to track soil erosion and its effects. [4]
A Fairchild FC-2 was used by Richard E. Byrd during his Antarctic Expedition. [5]
During World War II, Fairchild produced PT-19/PT-23/PT-26 (Cornell) and AT-21 Gunner trainers, C-82 Packet transports and drones. The Fairchild AT-21 Gunner, a twin-engine trainer, was manufactured at a former rayon mill in Burlington, North Carolina. Also large numbers of the Fairchild 24 (C-61/Argus) were produced for the military (principally as the Argus for the Royal Air Force), and continued production after the war for the civilian market. Fairchild ranked 73rd among United States corporations in the value of World War II military production contracts. [6]
The C-82 Packet led to the C-119 Flying Boxcar, another U.S. military transport aircraft. The C-119 could carry cargo, personnel, stretcher patients and mechanized equipment with the ability to make "paradrops" of cargo and troops. The first C-119 made its initial flight in November 1947, and by the time production ceased in 1955, more than 1,100 C-119s had been built for use in the USAF, the Royal Canadian Air Force and others. Many were converted into waterbombers after being retired from military service.
In 1949, the Hagerstown, Maryland, Fairchild Engine and Airplane Corporation developed the Chase XCG-20 glider into the C-123 Provider transport which entered service in 1955. In 1954 Fairchild purchased the American Helicopter Company, incorporating it and the XH-26 Jet Jeep as a division. [7] In 1956, the company acquired rights to the Fokker Friendship, producing 206 of the aircraft as the Fairchild F-27 and Fairchild Hiller FH-227. During the 1950s, Fairchild was a large subcontractor to Boeing for B-52 fuselage sections and wing panels. Later, the company built McDonnell-Douglas F-4 Phantom II tail sections, Grumman F-14 Tomcat tails, and Space Shuttle orbiter stabilizers.
In 1964, the company purchased Hiller Aircraft, changing its name to Fairchild Hiller and producing the FH-1100, until 1973 when the helicopter division was sold back to Stanley Hiller. In 1965, the company acquired the Republic Aviation Company.
Following the death of its founder, Fairchild changed its name to Fairchild Industries in 1971. This was a merger of Fairchild-Hiller Corporation, division and subsidiaries: Fairchild Aircraft Marketing Company, Fairchild Aircraft Services Division, Fairchild Republic Division, Fairchild Space and Electronics Division, Fairchild Stratos Division, Burns Aero Seat Company, Inc., Fairchild Arms International, Ltd., Fairchild Aviation (Asia) Ltd., Fairchild Aviation (Holland) N.V., Fairchild-Germantown Development Company, Inc. and S.J. Industries, Inc. Before 1971, Fairchild Industries was a term used to include many of the companies of its founder Sherman Mills Fairchild.
After the name change, the company purchased Swearingen and manufactured the Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner, a successful commuter aircraft that gained orders from the U.S. military as the C-26 Metroliner. In 1971, the company began developing the Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II in Germantown, Maryland, [8] which prevailed over the rival Northrop YA-9 in the A-X competition for an eventual production run of 716 aircraft.
The company developed the T-46 jet trainer to replace the elderly Cessna T-37 Tweet trainer, but it was not accepted by the Air Force because of performance problems.
Their association with Boeing continued into the 1980s as they built wing control surfaces for 747s and 757s.
Aircraft production was ended in Hagerstown, Maryland in 1984.
After the company took over Dornier's civil assets in 1996, the company was renamed Fairchild Dornier. The company commenced production of the Dornier 328 in 1998 under license from Deutsche Aerospace AG (DASA).
In December 1999, Fairchild Aerospace Corporation was acquired by German insurer Allianz A.G. and the United States investment group Clayton, Dubilier & Rice Inc. for $1.2 billion. [9]
In 2003, the assets of Fairchild were purchased by M7 Aerospace and the new company was moved to San Antonio.
On December 15, 2010, M7 was purchased by the United States subsidiary of the Israeli defense contractor Elbit Systems. [10] M7 Aerospace does not manufacture aircraft, but focuses on aerospace parts and support services.
| Model name | First flight | Number built | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fairchild FC-1 | 1926 | 1 | Four passenger cabin monoplane |
| Fairchild FC-2 | 1926 | 118 | Four passenger cabin monoplane |
| Fairchild 71 | 1926 | 111 | Eight passenger cabin monoplane |
| Fairchild 42 | 1927 | 8 | Three passenger cabin monoplane |
| Fairchild 21 | 1927 | 2 | Two-seat biplane |
| Fairchild KR-34 | 1928 | >73 | Two-seat biplane |
| Fairchild 100 | 1930 | 27 | Nine passenger airliner |
| Fairchild 22 | 1931 | 127 | Two-seat parasol monoplane |
| Fairchild 24 | 1932 | 2,232 | Four passenger cabin monoplane |
| Fairchild 91 | 1935 | 4 | Flying-boat airliner |
| Fairchild Model 45 | 1935 | 17 | Cabin monoplane |
| Fairchild F-46 | 1937 | 1 | Cabin monoplane |
| Fairchild PT-19 | 1939 | 6,397 | Trainer |
| Fairchild AT-21 Gunner | 1943 | 175 | Trainer |
| Fairchild BQ-3 | 1944 | 2 | Assault Drone |
| Fairchild C-82 Packet | 1944 | 223 | Military transport |
| Fairchild M-84 | 1945 | 1 | Four-Five place family aircraft |
| Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar | 1947 | 1,183 | Military transport |
| Fairchild XNQ | 1949 | 2 | Trainer |
| Fairchild C-123 Provider | 1949 | 307 | Military transport |
| Fairchild XC-120 Packplane | 1950 | 1 | Military transport |
| Fairchild Hiller F-27, FH-227 | 1958 | 206 | Turboprop commuter airliner |
| Fairchild VZ-5 | 1959 | 1 | Experimental VTOL |
| Fairchild 228 | 1968 | 2 | Regional jet airliner |
| Fairchild-Swearingen Merlin | 1965 | Turboprop corporate | |
| Fairchild FH-227 | 1956 | 79 | Turboprop airliner |
| Fairchild-Hiller FH-1100 | 1966 | 253 | Turbine helicopter |
| Fairchild AC-119 | 1968 | 52 | Ground-attack conversion of C-119 |
| Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner/C-26 | 1968 | 600 | Turboprop airliner |
| Fairchild AU-23 Peacemaker | 1971 | 35 | Counter-insurgency aircraft |
| Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II | 1972 | 716 | Close air support |
| Fairchild T-46 | 1985 | 3 | Trainer |
| Fairchild-Dornier 328JET | 1991 | 110 | commuter jet |
| Fairchild-Dornier 428JET | 2001 (plan.) | 0 | Cancelled regional jet |
| Fairchild-Dornier 728JET | 2002 (plan.) | 0 | Prototype commuter jet |
DASA was a German aerospace manufacturer.
The Republic Aviation Corporation was an American aircraft manufacturer based in Farmingdale, New York, on Long Island. Originally known as the Seversky Aircraft Company, the company was responsible for the design and production of many important military aircraft, including its most famous products: World War II's P-47 Thunderbolt fighter, the F-84 Thunderjet and F-105 Thunderchief jet fighters.
Fairchild Camera and Instrument Corporation was a company founded by Sherman Fairchild. It was based on the East Coast of the United States, and provided research and development for flash photography equipment. The technology was primarily used for DOD spy satellites. The firm was later known for its manufacture of semiconductors.
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The Fairchild Model 24, also called the Fairchild Model 24 Argus and UC-61 Forwarder, is a four-seat, single-engine monoplane light transport aircraft designed by the Fairchild Aviation Corporation in the 1930s. It was adopted by the United States Army Air Corps as UC-61 and also by the Royal Air Force. The Model 24 was itself a development of previous Fairchild models and became a successful civil and military utility aircraft. It first flew in 1932, and over 2230 would be produced by the time production ended in the late 1940s.
The Dornier 328 is a turboprop-powered commuter airliner. Initially produced by Dornier Luftfahrt GmbH, the firm was acquired in 1996 by Fairchild Aircraft. The resulting firm, named Fairchild-Dornier, manufactured the 328 family in Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany, conducted sales from San Antonio, Texas, United States, and supported the product line from both locations. A jet-powered version of the aircraft, the Fairchild Dornier 328JET, was also produced.
Sherman Mills Fairchild was an American businessman and investor who founded over 70 companies, including Fairchild Aviation, Fairchild Industries, and Fairchild Camera and Instrument. Fairchild made significant contributions to the aviation industry and was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 1979. His Semiconductor Division of Fairchild Camera played a defining role in Silicon Valley. He held over 30 patents for products ranging from the silicon semiconductor to the 8-mm home sound motion-picture camera. Fairchild was responsible for inventing the first synchronized camera shutter and flash as well as developing technologies for aerial cameras that were later used on the Apollo Missions.
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The Fairchild-Dornier 328JET is a commuter airliner, based upon the turboprop-powered Dornier 328, developed by the German aircraft manufacturer Dornier Luftfahrt GmbH. It would be the last Dornier-designed aircraft to reach production before the company's collapse during the early 2000s.
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Merlin Express was a Part 135/121 cargo and passenger airline operating at its peak throughout the United States, North and South Caribbean, South America, Alaska, and Mexico. The airline began operations in 1983 as Sat-Air, a subsidiary of Fairchild Aircraft. UPS purchased 14 Merlin IV-C dedicated cargo aircraft from Fairchild and as part of the agreement, Fairchild agreed to provide crew and maintenance services for the aircraft. Similar contracts were signed with the United States Air Force for C-26 sales, though only maintenance add on services were included. Initially, all Merlin Express aircraft provided feeder service to United Parcel Service and were painted in UPS livery. In the ensuing years, the airline began to acquire additional aircraft from its parent Fairchild, and from the open market, incorporating freight service contracts for Federal Express, DHL, and Airborne Express. By 1998, Merlin Express was operating a fleet of approximately 30 Metro III, Merlin IV-C, and Metro II aircraft. In 1996, Merlin successfully gained certification as a passenger Part 121 carrier and operated passenger service routes in Alaska under contract for Yute Air. In 1997, Fairchild Aircraft acquired Dornier Aircraft of Germany and Merlin began preparations for the addition of D-328 aircraft to its fleet. As the airline's parent company began to confront cash problems, Merlin Express, Gen-Aero FBO Services, and other subsidiary companies of Fairchild Dornier Aerospace were sold-off in order to generate needed cash. Merlin Express was purchased by Corporate Air of Billings, Montana in 2000 and renamed "Merlin Airways". Fairchild Dornier Aerospace declared bankruptcy in 2002. Under new owners, Merlin Express' original route network was shrunk and was eventually centered on the airline's remaining hubs in Miami and San Juan, Puerto Rico. Currently based at Rafael Hernández International Airport in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. The airline still flies to some Caribbean islands, the Turks and Caicos Islands and the Dominican Republic.
The Fairchild 22 Model C7 was an American two-seat touring or training monoplane designed and built by the Kreider-Reisner division of the Fairchild Aircraft Corporation at Hagerstown, Maryland. The aircraft has a parasol wing configuration and was used with a variety of engines; 127 were produced from 1931 to 1935.
Hagerstown Regional Airport is in Washington County, Maryland, five miles north of Hagerstown, Maryland and a half mile from the Maryland/Pennsylvania border. The airport is off Interstate 81 at exit 10 and U.S. Route 11, not far from Northern Virginia, South Central Pennsylvania, and the Eastern Pandhandle of West Virginia
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