Fairchild FC-2

FC-1, FC-2, and Models 51 and 61
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RCAF FC-2L "Razorback"
Type	Civil utility aircraft
Manufacturer	Fairchild, Canadian Vickers under licence
Designed by	Alexander Klemin and Norman McQueen
Maiden flight	14 June 1926
Number built	ca. 180

The Fairchild FC-1 and its derivatives were a family of light utility aircraft 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.

Design and development

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 fully enclosed cabins and tailwheel undercarriage. 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 redesignated FC-1A. This was felt to have commercial potential, and in a slightly revised form, was put into production as the FC-2.

Operational history

The production aircraft differed from the prototype in 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 had eliminated this distinctive feature.

A version optimised for cargo carrying was produced as the FC-2W with a Pratt & Whitney Wasp 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, a 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. Again in 1928, FC-2Ws were also prominently used in the rescue of the crew of the aircraft Bremen in Canada.

Due to a Royal Canadian Air Force requirement to standardise engines, the basic FC-2 design was re-engineered with a 215 hp Armstrong Siddeley Lynx engine and redesignated as the FC-2L. In this form, the type flew with RCAF units, primarily in northern operations.

The Model 51 was a modernised 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 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.

Variants

• FC-1 - prototype with Curtiss OX-5 engine (1 built)
  • FC-1A - prototype modified with Wright J-4 engine (1 converted)
• FC-2 - production version with Wright J-5 engine (118 built, plus 12 built by Canadian Vickers under licence)
  • FC-2C (for "Challenger") - version with Curtiss Challenger engine for Curtiss Flying Service (6 built)
  • FC-2L (for "Lynx") - version with Armstrong Siddeley Lynx engine for Royal Canadian Air Force (3 converted)
  • FC-2W (for "Wasp") - version with Pratt & Whitney Wasp engine (14 built)
    • FC-2W2 - definitive production version of FC-2W
      • UC-96 - designation given to three FC-2Ws impressed into USAAF service
      • Model 61 - FC-2W2s with enlarged cabin (3 converted)
  • Model 51 - FC-2s refitted with Wright J-6 engine (31 built)
  • JQ (later RQ) - single FC-2 purchased by US Navy for evaluation.

References

Bibliography

• Milberry, Larry. Aviation In Canada. Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson Ltd., 1979. ISBN 0-07-082778-8.
• Molson, Ken M. and Taylor, Harold A. Canadian Aircraft Since 1909. Stittsville, Ontario: Canada's Wings, Inc., 1982. ISBN 0-920002-11-0.
• Taylor, Michael J.H. Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions, 1989, p. 353. ISBN 0-51710-316-8.
• World Aircraft Information Files. London: Bright Star Publishing, File 894 Sheet 03.
• aerofiles.com on Fairchild

External links

• Fairchild FC-2L Razorback

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Fairchild FC-2".