The Fairchild Model 45 was a 1930s

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five-seat cabin monoplane aircraft designed and built by

Fairchild Fairchild may refer to: Organizations * Fairchild Aerial Surveys, operated in cooperation with a subsidiary of Fairey Aviation Company * Fairchild Camera and Instrument * List of Sherman Fairchild companies, "Fairchild" companies * Fairchild Fa ...

Development

During 1934 the Fairchild company designed a business or executive aircraft with five seats, designated the Model 45. It first flew on 31 May 1935. The Model 45 was a low-wing

cantilever A cantilever is a rigid structural element that extends horizontally and is supported at only one end. Typically it extends from a flat vertical surface such as a wall, to which it must be firmly attached. Like other structural elements, a cant ...

monoplane A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple planes. A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing con ...

with a conventional cantilever tail unit and a retractable

tailwheel landing gear Conventional landing gear, or tailwheel-type landing gear, is an aircraft Landing gear, undercarriage consisting of two main wheels forward of the Center of gravity of an aircraft, center of gravity and a small wheel or skid to support the tail ...

. The aircraft was powered by a 225 hp (168 kW) Jacobs L-4

radial engine The radial engine is a reciprocating type internal combustion engine configuration in which the cylinders "radiate" outward from a central crankcase like the spokes of a wheel. It resembles a stylized star when viewed from the front, and is ...

and had a luxury five-seat interior as standard. Flight testing showed that the aircraft performed well, although it was described as sedate. The company predicted that the Model 45 would have only limited market appeal in that form, therefore only the prototype was built. Fairchild then upgraded the prototype with a larger engine, the

Wright R-760 The Wright R-760 Whirlwind was a series of seven-cylinder air-cooled radial aircraft engines built by the Wright Aeronautical division of Curtiss-Wright. These engines had a displacement of 756 in³ (12.4 L) and power ratings of 225-3 ...

radial, for evaluation. In this configuration it was designated the Model 45-A. This configuration was placed in production, with about 16 units being completed.

Operational history

One aircraft was bought as an executive transport by the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

as the JK-1. After the

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entered the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, two aircraft were impressed into service with the

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

as the UC-88. In 1997, Greg Herrick requested drawings of a Fairchild 45 tail section for an ongoing restoration project. The request was refused, citing the design was a trade secret. This led to a FOIA request, and lawsuit that was debated in the United States Supreme Court. The effort led to the "Herrick amendment" added to the FAA Air Transportation Modernization and Safety Improvement Act of 2012. The amendment released the ATC type certificate information for 1,257 aircraft first certified in 1927 through the beginning of World War II in 1939.

Variants

;45 :One prototype powered by a 225 hp (168 kW)

Jacobs L-4 The Jacobs R-755 (company designation L-4) is a seven-cylinder, air-cooled, radial engine for aircraft manufactured in the United States by the Jacobs Aircraft Engine Company. Design and development The R-755 was first run in 1933 and was stil ...

radial engine. ;45-A :Production aircraft powered by a 320 hp (239 kW)

radial engine, 16 built. ;JK-1 :One 45-A for the United States Navy. ;UC-88 :Two 45-As impressed into service with the United States Army Air Forces.

Operators

;USA *

Specifications (45-A)

References

Citations

Bibliography

*The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985), 1985, Orbis Publishing

External links

Flight, 17 October 1935
{{USN utility aircraft 1930s United States civil utility aircraft 1930s United States military transport aircraft Low-wing aircraft Single-engined tractor aircraft 45 Aircraft first flown in 1935