Fairchild 71

Fairchild 71

Fairchild 71 in RCAF colours
Role	passenger or cargo transport
Manufacturer	Fairchild Aircraft Fairchild Aircraft Ltd. (Canada)
First flight	1926

The Fairchild 71 was an American high-wing monoplane passenger and cargo aircraft built by Fairchild Aircraft and later built in Canada by Fairchild Aircraft Ltd. (Canada) for both military and civilian use as a rugged bush plane.

Design and development

The Fairchild Aircraft Company undertook a progressive development of the Fairchild FC-2W2 light transport. Its first improvement was the FC-2, whose several improvements included:

Slightly swept-back wings;
Wingspan increased to 50 feet;
Engine power nearly doubled;
Interior changes to improve passenger comfort.

The FC-2 first flew in 1926.

The FC-2W was a further development, featuring:

Camera bay for vertical aerial photography;
Low-cut aft windows for oblique aerial photography.

The FC-2 and FC-2W continued the use of fabric-covered welded steel tubing for fuselage and empennage construction, and strut-braced wooden-structure fabric-covered wings.

The FC-2W, later known as the Model 71, was built in the United States between 1928 and 1930. In 1929 Fairchild formed a company in Canada (Fairchild Aircraft Limited) at Longueuil, Quebec in 1929 to support the Canadian operators of Fairchild aircraft. The Canadian company also set up a factory production line for the Model 71, developing a variant for the Canadian military. The Canadian-built aircraft differed from the US version in that all the passenger-comfort features were removed, and the craft were built specifically for aerial photography.^[1]

Fairchild 71 in original PanAm colors

Fairchild 71C at the Western Canada Aviation Museum, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Operational history

The United States Army Air Service acquired one Model 71 for evaluation; it was designated XC-8, later redesignated XF-8 and used for photographic work.

Eight more service-test aircraft, designated YF-1 were ordered; all nine were later redesignated C-8.

The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), another major military operator, evaluated the Fairchild 71 in mid-June 1930. Thirty four RCAF FC-71s were operated from 1930 to 1946. Along with the earlier FC-2 series, the RCAF FC-71 was utilized primarily in the aerial photographic survey role as well as northern transport. In November 1934, the RCAF transferred the FC-71s to the five detachments flying in the amalgamated Maritimes No. 5 (Flying Boat) Squadron at RCAF Station Dartmouth. The squadron flew the FC-71 extensively on anti-smuggling (rum running) and illegal immigration patrols for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).^[1]

Most of the Model 71 production ended up in the hands of bush plane operators in Canada and the United States. Civilian operators likewise found the 71 a rugged, reliable and highly useful utility transport, well suited for northern and remote operations.

Variants

Fairchild 71: Initial production variant
Fairchild 71A: Production variant with increased sweep on wings and improved interior
Fairchild 71C: Canadian-built version
Fairchild 71-CM: Canadian-built version with metal-skinned fuselage
Fairchild Super 71: Floatplane version with new fuselage and greater wingspan
Fairchild 51/71: Canadian-built version with wings of Model 51 and fuselage of Model 71

United States military designations

One of the YF-1 aircraft

XC-8: One prototype Fairchild 71, later redesignated XF-1 when modified for photo survey.
YF-1: Eight service-test aircraft
C-8: YF-1 redesignated
C-8A: F-1A redesignated
XF-1: XC-8 redesignated for photo-survey
YF-1: Eight Fairchild 71 aircraft for evaluation with provision for seven passenger seats, later redesignated C-8A.
F-1A: Production aircraft (Fairchild 71A), six built later redesignated C-8A.
J2Q-1: One Fairchild 71 for evaluation by the United States Navy, redesignated XR2Q-1.

Operators

Civilian Operators

Mexico

Aerovias Centrales^[2]
Compañía Mexicana de Aviación^[2]

United States

Military operators

Canada

Royal Canadian Air Force

United States

Specifications (Model 71C)

Data from Canadian Aircraft Since 1909^[4]

General characteristics

Crew: one
Capacity: eight
Length: 35 ft 10.25 in (10.93 m)
Wingspan: 50 ft 0 in (15.39 m)
Height: 9 ft 4 in (2.84 m)
Wing area: 309.6 ft² (28.76 m²)
Empty weight: 3,168 lb (1,438 kg)
Gross weight: 6,000 lb (2,724 kg)
Powerplant: 1 × Pratt & Whitney Wasp B/C 9-cylinder radial piston, 420 hp ( kW) each

Performance

Maximum speed: 132 mph (212.4 km/h)
Cruise speed: 106 mph (170.5 km/h)
Range: 817 miles (1,314 km)
Service ceiling: 11,000 ft (3,353 m)
Rate of climb: 600 ft/min (3 m/s)

References

Notes

1 2 Shearwater Aviation Museum: Aircraft History: Fairchild 71
1 2 3 4 5 Selman, Jay. "Pan Am Pioneer". Aeroplane. No. February 2015 (Stamford: Key Publishing). pp. 32–37. ISSN 0143-7240.
↑ Clifford Ball Inc., 1929/30
↑ Molson and Taylor 1982, p. 314.

Bibliography

Donald, David, ed. The Encyclopedia of World Aircraft. Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada: Prospero Books, 1997. ISBN 1-85605-375-X.
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.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Fairchild 71.

United States military transport aircraft designations, Army/Air Force and Tri-Service systems

Army/Air Force sequence (1925-1962)	C-1 C-2 C-3 C-4 C-5 C-6 C-7 C-8 C-9 C-10 C-11 C-12 C-13¹ C-14 C-15 C-16 C-17 C-18 C-19 C-20 C-21 C-22 C-23 C-24 C-25 C-26 C-27 C-28 C-29 C-30 C-31 C-32 C-33 C-34 C-35 C-36 C-37 C-38 C-39 C-40 C-41/A C-42 C-43 C-44 C-45 C-46 C-47/T C-48 C-49 C-50 C-51 C-52 C-53 C-54 C-55 C-56 C-57 C-58 C-59 C-60 C-61 C-62 C-63 C-64 C-65 C-66 C-67 C-68 C-69 C-70/A/B/C/D C-71 C-72 C-73 C-74 C-75 C-76 C-77/B-D C-78 C-79 C-80 C-81 C-82 C-83 C-84 C-85 C-86 C-87 C-88 C-89 C-90 C-91 C-92 C-93 C-94 C-95 C-96 C-97/KC-97 C-98 C-99 C-100 C-101 C-102 C-103 C-104 C-105 C-106 C-107 C-108 C-109 C-110 C-111 C-112 C-113 C-114 C-115 C-116 C-117 C-118 C-119 C-120 C-121/F C-122 C-123/A C-124 C-125 C-126 C-127 (I) C-127 (II) C-128 C-129 C-130/J C-131 C-132 C-133 C-134 C-135/KC-135 C-136 C-137 C-138¹ C-139¹ C-140 C-141 C-142

Tri-service sequence (1962-present)	C-1 C-2 C-3 C-4 C-5 C-6 C-7/B C-8 C-9 C-10 C-11 C-12 C-13¹ C-14 C-15 C-16¹ C-17 C-18 C-19 C-20A-D/F-H C-21 C-22 C-23 C-24 C-25 C-26 C-27/J C-28 C-29 C-30¹ C-31 C-32 C-33 C-34¹ C-35 C-36 C-37A/B C-38 C-39¹ C-40 C-41 C-42¹ C-43¹ C-44¹ C-45 C-46

Revived original sequence (2005-present)	C-143 C-144 C-145 C-146

Non-sequential designations	C-767 C-880

¹ Not assigned See also: AC-47 • AC-119 • AC-130 • DC-130 • EC-130 • HC-130 • KC-130 • LC-130 • MC-130 • WC-130 • CT-39 • CT-43

USN/USMC transport designations 1931–1962

Atlantic Aircraft	RA

Budd	RB

Curtiss	RC R2C⁴ R3C⁴ R4C R5C

Douglas	RD R2D R3D R4D R5D R6D

Bellanca	RE

Kinner	RK

Kreider-Reisner	RK² R2K

Martin	RM

Lockheed	RO R2O R3O R4O R5O R6O R7O-1/-2 to "V"

Stinson	RQ R2Q² R3Q

Fairchild	RQ R2Q R3Q² R4Q

Ford	RR

Sikorsky	RS

Northrop	RT

Lockheed	from "O" R6V R7V-1/-2 R8V

Convair	RY R2Y R3Y R4Y

¹ Not assigned • ² Assigned to a different manufacturer's type • ³ Sequence restarted • ⁴ Assigned to a different class of aircraft

United States military reconnaissance aircraft designations, Army/Air Force and Tri-Service systems

Army/Air Force main sequence
(1930-1962)

Prefix F-, 1930–1947	F-1 F-2 F-3 F-4 F-5 F-6 F-7 F-8 F-9 F-10 F-11 F-12 F-13 F-14 F-15

Prefix R-, 1947–1962	R-11 R-12 R-16

Reconnaissance-strike sequence
(1960-1962)

RS-70
RS-71

Tri-service main sequence
(1962-present)

Reconnaissance subtypes

Converted fighters	RF-4 RF-8 RF-80 RF-101 RF-104

Converted bombers	RB-17 RB-29 RB-47 RB-52 RB-66