Fairchild was an American aircraft and

aerospace manufacturing An aerospace manufacturer is a company or individual involved in the various aspects of designing, building, testing, selling, and maintaining aircraft, aircraft parts, missiles, rockets, or spacecraft. Aerospace is a high technology industry. ...

company based at various times in

Farmingdale, New York Farmingdale is an incorporated village on Long Island within the Town of Oyster Bay in Nassau County, New York. The population was 8,189 as of the 2010 Census. The Lenox Hills neighborhood is adjacent to Bethpage State Park and the rest of the ...

; Hagerstown, Maryland; and

San Antonio, Texas ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

History

Early aircraft

Fairchild Aviation plant Jamaica NY 1941

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 The Kreider-Reisner Aircraft Company was an American flying service and aircraft manufacturer from 1923 to 1929. History The Kreider-Reisner Aircraft Company was formed at Hagerstown, Maryland in 1923 as a sub-contractor. By September 1925 the c ...

of Hagerstown, Maryland. The company moved to Hagerstown in 1931.Kaske, Kristine L
"Fairchild Industries, Inc. Collection."
''National Air and Space Archives,'' 2003. 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. Their performance and carrying ability led to them becoming one of the most popular

bushplane A bush airplane is a general aviation aircraft used to provide both scheduled and unscheduled passenger and flight services to remote, undeveloped areas, such as the Canadian north or bush, Alaskan tundra, the African bush, or savanna, Amazon rai ...

s of the era. A Fairchild 71 monoplane, the ''Virginia'', was taken as one of three aircraft by

Richard E. Byrd Richard Evelyn Byrd Jr. (October 25, 1888 – March 11, 1957) was an American naval officer and explorer. He was a recipient of the Medal of Honor, the highest honor for valor given by the United States, and was a pioneering American aviator, p ...

on his 1928–1929 expedition to the South Pole. It was used for test flights and reconnaissance.

World War II

During

World War II 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 opposing ...

, Fairchild produced PT-19/PT-23/PT-26 (Cornell) and AT-21 Gunner trainers,

C-82 Packet The C-82 Packet is a twin-engine, twin-boom cargo aircraft designed and built by Fairchild Aircraft. It was used briefly by the United States Army Air Forces and the successor United States Air Force following World War II. Design and developm ...

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 The Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar (Navy and Marine Corps designation R4Q) was an American military transport aircraft developed from the World War II-era Fairchild C-82 Packet, designed to carry cargo, personnel, litter patients, and mechani ...

, 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 The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environm ...

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 The Chase XCG-20, also known as the XG-20 and by the company designation MS-8 Avitruc,Gunston 1980, p. 170. was a large assault glider developed immediately after World War II by the Chase Aircraft Company for the United States Air Force, and wa ...

glider into the

C-123 Provider The Fairchild C-123 Provider is an American military transport aircraft designed by Chase Aircraft and then built by Fairchild Aircraft for the U.S. Air Force. In addition to its USAF service, which included later service with the Air Force Re ...

transport which entered service in 1955. In 1954 Fairchild purchased the American Helicopter Company, incorporating it and the

XH-26 Jet Jeep The American Helicopter XH-26 Jet Jeep (known as the XA-8 by its manufacturer) was an experimental tip jet helicopter developed in 1951 by the American Helicopter Company to meet a United States Army and Air Force (USAF) request for a collapsibl ...

as a division. In 1956, the company acquired rights to the

Fokker Friendship The Fokker F27 Friendship is a turboprop airliner developed and manufactured by the Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker. It is the most numerous post-war aircraft manufactured in the Netherlands; the F27 was also one of the most successful Europe ...

, producing 206 of the aircraft as the

Fairchild F-27 The Fairchild F-27 and Fairchild Hiller FH-227 were versions of the Fokker F27 Friendship twin-engined turboprop passenger aircraft manufactured under license by Fairchild Hiller in the United States. The Fairchild F-27 was similar to the standa ...

and

Fairchild Hiller FH-227 The Fairchild F-27 and Fairchild Hiller FH-227 were versions of the Fokker F27 Friendship twin-engined turboprop passenger aircraft manufactured under license by Fairchild Hiller in the United States. The Fairchild F-27 was similar to the standa ...

. During the 1950s, Fairchild was a large subcontractor to Boeing for

B-52 The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is an American long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber. The B-52 was designed and built by Boeing, which has continued to provide support and upgrades. It has been operated by the United States Air ...

fuselage sections and wing panels. Later, the company built

McDonnell-Douglas F-4 Phantom II The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is an American tandem two-seat, twin-engine, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor and fighter-bomber originally developed by McDonnell Aircraft for the United States Navy.Swanborough and Bow ...

tail sections,

Grumman F-14 Tomcat The Grumman F-14 Tomcat is an American carrier-capable supersonic, twin-engine, two-seat, twin-tail, variable-sweep wing fighter aircraft. The Tomcat was developed for the United States Navy's Naval Fighter Experimental (VFX) program after the ...

tails, and

Space Shuttle orbiter The Space Shuttle orbiter is the spaceplane component of the Space Shuttle, a partially reusable orbital spacecraft system that was part of the discontinued Space Shuttle program. Operated from 1977 to 2011 by NASA, the U.S. space agency, thi ...

stabilizers. In 1964, the company purchased

Hiller Aircraft Hiller Aircraft Company was founded in 1942 as Hiller Industries by Stanley Hiller to develop helicopters. History Stanley Hiller, then seventeen, established the first helicopter factory on the West Coast of the United States, located in Berkele ...

, 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 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 ...

. Following the death of its founder, Fairchild changed its name to Fairchild Industries in 1971. This was a merge 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 The Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner (previously the Swearingen Metro and later Fairchild Aerospace Metro) is a 19-seat, pressurized, twin-turboprop airliner first produced by Swearingen Aircraft and later by Fairchild Aircraft at a plant in San ...

, a successful commuter aircraft that gained orders from the U.S. military as the

C-26 Metroliner The Fairchild C-26 "Metroliner" is the designation for the Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner series twin turboprop aircraft in the service of the United States military. It was not officially named by the US Armed Forces, but is unofficially known ...

. In 1971, the company began developing the Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II, which prevailed over the rival

Northrop YA-9 The Northrop YA-9 was a prototype attack aircraft developed for the United States Air Force A-X program. The YA-9 was passed over in preference for the Fairchild Republic YA-10 that entered production as the A-10 Thunderbolt II. Design and de ...

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 The Cessna T-37 Tweet (designated Model 318 by Cessna) is a small, economical twin-engined jet trainer type which flew for decades as a primary trainer for the United States Air Force (USAF) and in the air forces of several other nations. The T ...

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 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 Oberpfaffen ...

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 Clayton, Dubilier & Rice is an American private equity company. It is one of the oldest private equity investment firms in the world. Founded in 1978, CD&R has managed the investment of more than $30 billion in approximately 90 businesses, repre ...

Inc. for $1.2 billion. In 2003, the assets of Fairchild were purchased by

M7 Aerospace M7 Aerospace LP is an aerospace company with its headquarters on the property of San Antonio International Airport in Uptown San Antonio, Texas, United States. M7 is the successor organization to Fairchild Dornier Aviation, having bought much of ...

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, with focus on aerospace parts and support services.

Products

Aircraft

Missiles

AUM-N-2 Petrel The AUM-N-2 Petrel, also known as Kingfisher C and AUM-2, was an air-to-surface missile produced as part of Project Kingfisher for the United States Navy. Intended for use against enemy surface ships and surfaced submarines, giving aircraft the ...

SAM-N-2 Lark The Lark project was a solid-fuel boosted, liquid-fueled surface-to-air missile developed by the United States Navy to meet the kamikaze threat. It was developed as a crash program to introduce a medium-range defensive layer that would attack ta ...

XSM-73 Goose The Fairchild SM-73 (originally Bull Goose) was a sub-sonic, jet-powered, ground-launched decoy cruise missile. Development Starting in December 1952, Fairchild began concept studies for a ground-launched long range decoy missile that could s ...

Spacecraft

International Cometary Explorer The International Cometary Explorer (ICE) spacecraft (designed and launched as the International Sun-Earth Explorer-3 (ISEE-3) satellite), was launched 12 August 1978, into a heliocentric orbit. It was one of three spacecraft, along with the mo ...

* Pegasus *

ATS-6 ATS-6 (Applications Technology Satellite-6) was a NASA experimental satellite, built by Fairchild Space and Electronics Division It has been called the world's first educational satellite as well as world's first experimental Direct Broadca ...

References

Sources

* Donald, David, ed. ''The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft.'' New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1997. .

External links

Referenceforbusiness.com: History of Fairchild Aircraft, Inc. and associated companies

Fairchild Industries Collection, National Air and Space Archives
PDF —'' includes corporate history and chronology''.
Fairchild Controls Corporation company website

M7 Aerospace company website

* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20070929194742/http://www.planesandchoppers.com/list.asp?field=manufacturers&crit=27 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 Semiconductor History

{{Authority control 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