Fairchild FC-2

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairchild_FC-2

The Fairchild FC-1 and its derivatives were a family of light, single-engine,
high-wing utility monoplanes produced in the United States in the 1920s and
1930s. The aircraft was originally designed to provide a camera platform for
Sherman Fairchild's aerial photography and survey business, Fairchild Aerial
Surveys.

Fairchild had approached a number of aircraft builders with specifications for
what he considered to be an ideal aircraft for this type of work, with which he
hoped to replace the variety of types that his firm then operated. Believing the
quotes he received to be excessive, Fairchild opted to produce the aircraft
in-house, purchasing facilities at Farmingdale, New York for the purpose. The
design was for a conventional high-wing, strut-braced monoplane with a fully
enclosed cabin and tailwheel undercarriage. The wooden wings were able to be
folded back against the tail for storage. To facilitate its intended role, the
cabin was extensively glazed, offering plenty of vantage points for
photographers.

The prototype FC-1 flew in June 1926, and initial testing found its original
Curtiss OX-5 engine to be inadequate. A Wright J-4 with double the horsepower
was soon substituted and the aircraft was redesignated FC-1A. This was felt to
have commercial potential, and in a slightly revised form, was put into
production as the FC-2.

FC-1, FC-2, and Models 51 and 61

Role
Civil utility aircraft

Manufacturer
Fairchild, Canadian Vickers under license

Designer
Alexander Klemin and Norman McQueen

First flight
14 June 1926

Number built
ca. 180

The production aircraft differed from the prototype by having increased cabin
volume, and was offered with a choice of powerplants. Other options included a
choice of wheeled, ski, or float undercarriage. Early production aircraft fitted
with only three longerons in the rear fuselage gave this batch of aircraft a
"Razorback" appearance leading to its nickname. Later production series
eliminated this distinctive feature. Designed with aerial photography in mind,
the FC-2L featured an enclosed and heated cabin with extra windows to allow for
an improved downward view. The RCAF initially procured the type for this role,
before utilizing the aircraft primarily as a light transport.

A version optimized for cargo carrying was produced as the FC-2W with a Pratt &
Whitney Wasp radial engine and increased wingspan. Two of this latter version
were destined for fame: City of New York, flown by Charles Collyer and John
Mears for the overland portions of their record-breaking around-the-world trip
in June–July 1928, and Stars and Stripes (Serial No. 140), an FC-2W2 taken by
Richard Evelyn Byrd on his Antarctic expedition of the same year. Byrd's
aircraft is preserved at the Virginia Aviation Museum, on loan from the National
Air and Space Museum.

On 19 October 1927, an FC-2 configured as a floatplane made the first contract
Air Mail flight operated by Pan American Airways. When unable to begin its
service over Foreign Air Mail Route #4 (FAM-4) between Key West, Florida, and
Havana, Cuba, on that date (as required under its contract) because heavy rains
had delayed completion of the new runway at Key West needed to accommodate the
company's Fokker F.VIIa/3m type tri-motor transports, PAA chartered (cost:
$145.45) the FC-2 La Niña (NC-1654, c/n 15) piloted by Cy Caldwell and belonging
to West Indian Aerial Express, a company which would be acquired by Pan Am a
year later.

Due to a Royal Canadian Air Force requirement to standardize engines, the basic
FC-2 design was re-engineered with a 215 hp Armstrong Siddeley Lynx radial
engine and redesignated as the FC-2L. In this form, the type flew with RCAF
units, primarily in northern operations. A further version for the RCAF, known
as the FC-2V, was also developed.

The basic FC-2 design was further evolved into the model 51 and 71. The Model 51
was a modernized version of the FC-2 produced in 1930 to compete with new
transports in the marketplace, the most significant single change being the
fitting of a more powerful Wright J-6 engine again. A few examples were
converted from FC-2s. The RCAF Model 51 aircraft had light bomb racks under the
fuselage and were used for practice bombing at Camp Borden. The Model 61 also
had the J-6 engine, but included a redesigned cabin to add another two passenger
seats. Only three of these were built, modified from FC-2W2s, but the cabin
modification was retained in the Model 71. The RCAF used the Model 71 as both a
rugged, reliable and highly useful light transport and due to its camera bay for
vertical photography and low rear-door windows to permit oblique photography,
useful in the aerial survey role.

Specifications (FC-2)

General characteristics
Crew: one pilot
Capacity: four passengers "or" 820 lb (372 kg) freight
Length: 31 ft 0 in (9.45 m)
Wingspan: 44 ft 0 in (13.41 m)
Height: 9 ft 0 in (2.74 m)
Wing area: 290 ft2 (26.9 m2)
Empty weight: 2,160 lb (980 kg)
Gross weight: 3,600 lb (1,633 kg)
Powerplant: 1 × Wright J-5, 200 hp (149 kW)

Performance
Maximum speed: 122 mph (196 km/h)
Range: 700 miles (1,127 km)
Service ceiling: 11,500 ft (3,500 m)
Rate of climb: 565 ft/min (2.9 m/s)




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