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Fairchild Aircraft

Company type	Aircraft manufacturer
Founded	1925; 99 years ago (1925)
Founder	Sherman Fairchild
Defunct	2003; 21 years ago (2003)
Fate	Acquired by M7 Aerospace
Successor	M7 Aerospace
Headquarters	San Antonio, Texas, U.S.
Key people	Walter Tydon
Subsidiaries	ArmaLite (1954–1962) Fairchild Aircraft Ltd. (1920–1950) Ranger Engines Division

Fairchild was an American aircraft and aerospace manufacturing company based at various times in Farmingdale, New York; Hagerstown, Maryland; and San Antonio, Texas.

History

Early aircraft

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. In 1929, Sherman Fairchild purchased a majority stock interest in Kreider-Reisner Aircraft Company of Hagerstown, Maryland. The company moved to Hagerstown in 1931.

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. 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.

A Fairchild FC-2 was used by Richard E. Byrd during his Antarctic Expedition.

World War II

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.

Postwar

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. 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, 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.

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. M7 Aerospace does not manufacture aircraft, but focuses on aerospace parts and support services.

Products

Aircraft

Missiles

• AUM-N-2 Petrel
• SAM-N-2 Lark
• XSM-73 Goose
• SD-5 Osprey

Spacecraft

• International Cometary Explorer
• Pegasus
• ATS-6

See also

• Fairchild Industries
• Fairchild Corporation
• Fairchild Semiconductor
• Fairchild Camera and Instrument
• Ranger/Fairchild Engines
• List of aircraft engines

References

1. Donald M. Pattillo. A History in the Making: 80 Turbulent Years in the American General Aviation Industry. p. 11.
2. Kaske, Kristine L. "Fairchild Industries, Inc. Collection." Archived 2012-03-15 at the Wayback Machine National Air and Space Archives, 2003.
3. Donald 1997, p. 382.
4. "Wide Area Is Mapped From Air By Giant Ten Lens Camera." Popular Mechanics, October 1935. (Editors have stated Fairchild Aircraft in hand written comment to left of archived article.)
5. Puckett, H.L. (1980). Sherman Fairchild's PT-19: Cradle of Heroes. Flambeau Lith Corporation. p. 10.
6. Peck, Merton J. & Scherer, Frederic M. The Weapons Acquisition Process: An Economic Analysis (1962) Harvard Business School p.619
7. "Flying Jeep." Popular Mechanics, September 1952, p. 44.
8. "New A‐10 Jet Is Rated Over A‐7 For Support of Combat Troops". The New York Times. 1974-06-20. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-09-14.
9. "Fairchild Aerospace is sold for $1.2 billion." The New York Times, 29 December 1999. Retrieved: 28 July 2011.
10. "Elbit Systems U.S. Subsidiary Completes Acquisition of M7 Aerospace for $85 Million". Elbit Systems. December 15, 2010. Retrieved 12 March 2016.

Sources

• Donald, David, ed. The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft. New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1997. ISBN 0-7607-0592-5.

External links

• Referenceforbusiness.com: History of Fairchild Aircraft, Inc. and associated companies
• Fairchild Industries Collection, National Air and Space Archives Archived 2012-03-15 at the Wayback Machine PDF — includes corporate history and chronology.
• Fairchild Controls Corporation company website
• M7 Aerospace company website
• Airfields-freeman.com: — WWII Fairchild trainer production at Greensboro N.C.
• Planesandchoppers.com: Photos of Fairchild aircraft
• Hagerstown Aviation Museum website — in Hagerstown (Maryland), headquarters of Fairchild Aircraft from 1931-1984, and "Home of the Flying Boxcar."
• The Fairchild Corporation
• Fairchild Corporation History
• Fairchild Semiconductor History
• Fairchild Fasteners sold for 657 Million

• Fairchild Corporation
• Aerospace companies of the United States
• Defunct aircraft manufacturers of the United States
• American companies established in 1925
• Manufacturing companies established in 1925
• Manufacturing companies disestablished in 2003
• 1925 establishments in New York (state)
• 1931 establishments in Maryland
• 2003 disestablishments in Texas
• Companies based in Nassau County, New York
• Manufacturing companies based in San Antonio
• Washington County, Maryland
• Hagerstown, Maryland
• 2003 mergers and acquisitions
• Defunct manufacturing companies based in New York (state)
• Defunct manufacturing companies based in Texas
• Defunct manufacturing companies based in Maryland