During 1947 Fairchild developed an improved version of the C-82, the XC-82B prototype being a conversion from a production C-82A. It differed primarily by having the flight deck resited into the nose of the aircraft and the installation of 1976kW Pratt & Whitney R-4360-4 Wasp Major 28-cylinder radial engines.
The M.105 was designated XC.119A Following service tests the M.110 was ordered into production as the C-119B Flying Boxcar (55 built), these having the fuselage widened by 0.36m, structural strengthening for operation at higher gross weights, and more powerful R-4360-20 engines, and M.110 / C.119C. Accommodating up to 62 paratroops, and with increased cargo capacity, the C-119s serviced during operations in Korea and Vietnam. C-119s also served with the air forces of Belgium, Brazil, Ethiopia, India, Italy, Nationalist China and South Vietnam, many supplied under the Military Assistance Program.
C-119F
In addition, some surplus military aircraft, both C-82s and C-119s, were acquired by civil operators.
The Fairchild AC-119G ‘Shadow’ and AC119K ‘Stinger’ gunships were a stop-gap replacement for the AC-47 as there were not enough spare C-130s around for conversion at the time, under the AC-130 Gunship 2 programme.
The C-119G is similar to the C-119F but has Aeroproducts airscrews. The C-119B and -G are designated R4Q-1 and -2 by the US Marines.
C-119G
The AC-119G was armed with four 7.62mm minigun pods and used for the support of troops in contact with the enemy and for airbase defence. It was about 25 per cent more effective than the AC-47. The AC119K, with its additional pair of underwing jet pods and improved armament in the shape of two 20mm cannon to supplement the four miniguns, was used exclusively in the truck-hunting role over the Ho Chi Minh Trail. The first AC-119G ‘Shadow’ squadron arrived in Vietnam in November 1968 and the first AC-119K ‘Stinger’ squadron a year later in November 1969.
The M.160 was designated C.119H. The C-119H was an extensively redesigned version of the C-119 Packet with 2 x 3500 h. p. Wright Turbo-Cyclones, increased wing and tailplane span, and all fuel carried in external underwing tanks. Payload increased to 27,200 lb. No production order.
C-119H Skyvan
In the early 1950s, the number of Fairchild employees reached approximately 10,000 who built 1112 C-119s between 1948 and 1952.
In 1961 Steward-Davis Inc. of Long Beach, California, developed a Jet-Pak conversion for C-119 aircraft. This involved the installation of a 1542kg thrust Westinghouse J34-WE-36 turbojet engine in a specially-developed nacelle mounted on the upper surface of the wing centre-section.
At least 26 Indian Air Force C-119s had a more powerful HAL-built Orpheus jet pod to enable them to operate with greater payloads under ‘hot and high’ conditions.
In 1967 Steward-Davis built the Stolmaster C-119 conversion with quick-attach J34 jet-paks, registered N383S.
C-119F Engines: 2xWright R3350-85WA, 3350 h.p. Wingspan: 109 ft. 3 in. Length: 86 ft. 6 in. Loaded weight: 72,800 lb Max. speed: 270 m.p.h. Ceiling: 22,000 ft. Typical range: 2,300 miles at 205 m.p.h. Crew: 4 Passenger capacity: 42-78.
C-119G Engines; 2 x Wright R-3350-85, 2610kW Max take-off weight; 33747 kg / 74400 lb Empty weight; 18136 kg / 39983 lb Wingspan; 33.3 m / 109 ft 3 in Length; 26.37 m / 86 ft 6 in Height; 8.0 m / 26 ft 3 in Wing area; 134.43 sq.m / 1446.99 sq ft Max. speed; 470 km/h / 292 mph Cruise speed; 322 km/h / 200 mph Ceiling; 7300 m / 23950 ft Range w/max.fuel; 3669 km / 2280 miles Crew; 5
C-119G Engines; 2 x Wright R-3350-32W, 3599 hp Empty weight; 38,751 lb Normal loaded weight: 64,000 lb Max take-off weight; 72,800 lb Max. speed; 296 mph at 17,000 ft / 258 mph at SL ROC; 800 fpm Range w/max.fuel; 3480 miles Wingspan; 33.3 m / 109 ft 3 in Length; 26.37 m / 86 ft 6 in Height; 8.0 m / 26 ft 3 in Wing area; 134.43 sq.m / 1446.99 sq ft
C-119H Skyvan Engines: 2 x 3500 h. p. Wright Turbo-Cyclone Span: 148 ft Weight: 85,900 lb Cruising Speed: 190 mph Payload: 27,200 lb
Towards the end of the Second World War the US Navy set out to issue specifications for a replacement for the basic and primary aircraft trainers that were used during the war. These specifications were released to industry on 26 April 1945 by the Bureau of Aeronautics (BuAer).
Three companies entered designs – Temco entered the T-35 Buckaroo, adapted from the Globe Swift, Beechcraft entered the T-34 Mentor, a tandem seat adaptation of the Bonanza and Fairchild chief engineer, Armand Thiebolt, entered a custom-designed aircraft that had the Navy designation XNQ and the later USAF designation T-31.
The Fairchild XNQ (T-31) (Model M-92) was the fastest primary trainer to date. The Model M-92 featured a controllable pitch propeller, flaps, electronically operated retractable landing gear and all-metal skin with fabric-covered rudder, ailerons and elevators.
Its unobstructed, one-piece bubble canopy provided instructors and students seated in tandem with all-round visibility, and its cockpit instruments were arranged to match those found in a 600 mph jet fighter or a 5,000-mile, long-range patrol plane. To help students recognize the instruments, the landing gear handle was in the shape of a tiny landing gear wheel, and the flap handle was shaped like the airfoil of a flap.
The Fairchild XNQ-1/T-31 was designed in 1945. The first of three constructed made its maiden flight in 1946. Of the three XNQs/T-31s, one was destroyed for structural testing, and one was destroyed in a landing accident.
Two prototypes were flown as XNQ-1 [75725/75726]. Registered with a civilian tail number N5726, the first XNQ, built at Fairchild’s Hagerstown, Maryland, plant, made its first flight there on 10 February 1947 with Fairchild’s chief test pilot, Richard Hansen, at the controls. The 20-minute maiden flight was uneventful and showed only some simple rework of the aileron tabs were necessary. After a series of company test flights, the XNQ was delivered to the US Navy at Anacostia, Washington for formal evaluation. After an initial series of flights in the Washington DC area, the flight test program continued at NAS Patuxent River after which the aircraft returned to Fairchild to prepare it for evaluation by the USAF as the T-31.
The third ship built, s/n 75726, was first flown on February 10, 1947. On its first flight, the test pilot forget to lower the landing gear. The second aircraft (BuNo. 75726) with a larger stabilizer was evaluated by the USAF in 1949 as a replacement for the AT-6, being selected on 24 March 1949 as a primary trainer. Designed to be acrobatic to teach pilots basic maneuvers, such as stalls, spins, rolls and dive pullouts, Fairchild received a contract for 100 aircraft as the model 129, USAF designation T-31. However, the order was cancelled later in 1949, in favor of the Beech T-34 Mentor.
In November 1948, it was pointed out that normal procurement channels had not been followed, and Beech requested a fly-off competition even before the YT-34 was test flown. On March 17, 1949, the Chairman of the Evaluation Board voted the XNQ-1 first, the T-34 second, and the T-35 third. In September of 1947, the USAF requested XNQ procurement as follows:
January 1950 – 50 April 1950 – 114 July 1950 – 176
The influence of the Korean War, politics, and the tricycle gear were factors leading to the eventual selection of the T-34.
Delivered to the U.S. Navy in 1947 for trials, they were rejected. Tests had revealed problems with exhaust fumes leaking back into the cockpit. The first prototype was subsequently to receive a number of engine upgrades, first powered with 320 hp Lycoming R-680-13, then finally with an inline 350 hp Lycoming GSO-580. The aircraft was destroyed in a crash in 1950.
Both XNQs as T-31s were flown to Randolph AFB outside of San Antonio, Texas, for their formal USAF evaluation in a fly-off with both the Beech and Temco candidates. At the time the USAF also considered the De Havilland Canada DHC-1 Chipmunk as well as the British Boulton Paul Balliol, but both were quickly eliminated from consideration, leaving Fairchild, Beech, and Temco remaining in the USAF evaluation. Like the US Navy, the USAF selected the Beech T-34 Mentor, again, its tricycle landing gear layout being one of its strong points. It was the second rejection of the Fairchild design. The aircraft was passed on to the US Navy where it was flown by student test pilots at the US Navy’s Test Pilot School at NAS Patuxent River and after a gear up landing that resulted in only minor damage in 1953, the Navy declared the unique aircraft surplus to its needs after it had only amassed just over 1,000 flight hours.
Fairchild dropped plans to develop the design as the company concentrated on other production contracts, including the Fairchild C-119. The second aircraft, privately owned, was still on the civil register on 15 January 2006 and airworthy.
The wing commander for the National Capital Wing of the Civil Air Patrol arranged to take ownership of the XNQ and in October 1953 the aircraft was repaired at NAS Patuxent River before being flown to a small airfield south of Alexandria, Virginia where it was stationed for the next 2 years, only clocking 12 flight hours in that time period. Part of the problem with the XNQ wasn’t its performance or handling, but that its wingspan was just over a foot too wide for the standard 40-foot hangar at the airfield and it ended up spending most of its time outdoors which adversely affected its condition. In 1955 the aircraft was ferried to Rockville, Maryland, but again, was stored outdoors which resulted in further deterioration. When that small airfield was closed, the Fairchild was abandoned in situ.
John St. Clair, the operations officer of the Congressional Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol, trucked aircraft to his home 8 miles away to try and save it given its unique history. He later assumed formal ownership of the aircraft to keep it from going to the junkyard. Fast forward to 1978, the aircraft is still on the St. Clair farm in rural Maryland and Armand Thiebolt’s son visited John St. Clair and asked about purchasing the aircraft, the deal of which fell through. Later, Robert Taylor, the founder of the Antique Airplane Association, asked St. Clair if he would donate the XNQ to a museum, which he agreed to and a crew from the association trucked what was left of the aircraft to Waco, Texas with plans of restoring her to flight status. The history of the XNQ took a new turn after its arrival in Waco when general aviation pilot Don Pellegrino and his wife were weathered in at the airport and he found the XNQ in storage in a hangar and approached Taylor about purchasing the aircraft.
While negotiations proceeded, the aircraft was moved to Oklahoma City in 1982 but still no restoration work had started. At a fly-in in Iowa, Taylor approached Pellegrino and told him “Make me an offer I can’t refuse” and with that, Pellegrino become the XNQ’s new owner for $800. In September that year Pellegrino trucked the aircraft to his farm in Iowa and began restoration work in earnest.
Ten years were spent rebuilding the aircraft in an Iowa barn. The rebuilding process involved re-skinning the bottoms of the center section, the wings, the horizontal stabilizer, and the cowling. Needless to say, numerous “small” parts were also rebuilt. The Lycoming R-680-13 engine and all the instruments needed to be replaced. Having been exposed to the climate and moves from Maryland to Texas and Oklahoma, and finally Iowa, the basic airframe was hurting but rebuildable.
After ten years of working on it in his free time, the XNQ made its second maiden flight on 1 June 1992, the first time the aircraft had flown since 1955. Pellegrino flew the 25 FAA-required hours of flight testing himself and since then he has since moved to Rhome, Texas, just outside of the Dallas-Fort Worth area and has flown the XNQ to airshows around the country. She still has her same tail number of N5726.
Engine: 1 × Lycoming R-680-13 radial, 238 kW (320 hp) Wingspan: 12.4 m (40 ft 8 in) Length: 8.3 m (27 ft 3 in) Height: 2.7 m (8 ft 10 in) Empty weight: 1,338 kg (2,974 lb) Gross weight: 1,754 kg (3,898 lb) Fuel: 80 USG Maximum speed: 282 km/h (175 mph) Cruise: 135-140 mph Range: 1,537 km (955 miles) Service ceiling: 4,880 m (16,000 ft) Crew: two, pilot and instructor
Immediately after WW2 Fairchild turned to the personal aircraft market. Described as a PT-23 trainer with a four-seat cabin fitted immediately aft of the trainer’s rear seat. The PT-23 wings and centre section were utilised, as well as the same engine and mount, but an NACA cowling was installed and a constant speed airscrew fitted.
The undercarriage was similar to that of the T-6 Texan.
The resulting M.84C was certified but only one prototype was built.
The sole M.84C was turned over to one of the schools in Hagerstown, Maryland, where it was used as an instructional item until finally broken up.
M.84C Engine: 220 hp Continental W-670-6N MAUW: 3300 lb Fuel capacity: 48 USG Max speed: 175 mph Cruise: 150 mph Range: 450 mi
For a US Army requirement of 1941 for a specialised military freighter, Fairchild began work on the design of its Fairchiid F-78. Following approval of the design and a mock-up in 1942, a contract for a single prototype was awarded and the designation XC-82 allocated.
The XC-82 was a cantilever high-wing monoplane of all-metal construction, the fuselage incorporated a flight deck for a crew of five and a large-capacity cabin/cargo hold with clamshell doors at the rear to provide easy access for wheeled ortracked vehicles. The rear doors could be removed completely for the deployment of heavy loads by parachute extraction techniques, could accommodate 78 persons for emergency evacuation, 42 fully-equipped paratroopers or 34 stretches.
The undercarriage was a retractable tricycle and power was two 1566kW Pratt & Whitney R-2800-34 Double Wasp 18-cylinder radial engines in wing-mounted nacelles. Extending aft from these nacelles were tail-booms carrying twin fins and rudders and united at the rear by the tailplane mounting a single elevator.
First flown on 10 September 1944, the US Army Air Force placed an initial contract for 100 C-82A aircraft, named Packet. The first were delivered for evaluation in 1945 and a contract for 100 more followed.
Fifty-two were modified as AC-119G Shadow and AC-119K Stinger gunships.
Because of wartime demands a second production line was laid down by North American Aviation at Dallas, Texas, but from a contract for 792 C-82N only three were completed as North American NA-135 before the contract cancellations that followed VJ Day. Fairchild eventually built a total of 220 with deliveries ending in 1948.
The Packet serviced to the USAF’s Tactical Air Command and Military Air Transport Service until it was retired in 1954.
During 1947 Fairchiid developed an improved version of the C-82, the XC-82B prototype being a conversion from a production C-82A. It differed primarily by having the flight deck resited into the nose of the aircraft and the installation of 1976kW Pratt & Whitney R-4360-4 Wasp Major 28-cylinder radial engines. Following service tests it was further modified and ordered into production as the C-119B Flying Boxcar.
In 1964 Steward-Davis Inc converted C-82A N74127 to a Skytruck I with higher weights, performance, and hot-air de-icing system. The MTOW increased to 60,000 lb.
The 1965 Steward-Davis Inc Skypallet was a C-82A design with the fuselage floor separating from the aircraft from nose to tail for large cargoes, and fitted with an internal hoist. One was converted; N4828V.
C-82A Engines; 2 x Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp, 1566kW Wingspan; 32.46 m / 106 ft 6 in Length; 23.5 m / 77 ft 1 in Height; 8.03 m / 26 ft 4 in Loaded weight; 24300 kg / 53573 lb Max. speed; 400 km/h / 249 mph Cruise speed; 260 km/h / 162 mph Ceiling; 8000 m / 26250 ft Range w/max.fuel; 3400 km / 2113 miles Crew; 5 Payload; 78 passangers or 42 paratroopers
During 1935-36 Fairchild Aircraft Ltd in Canada continued development of the Super 71, leading to the larger ten-seat Fairchild 82, with a more conventional enclosed cockpit for two pilots, seated side by side forward of the wing giving much improved vision. It was a braced high-wing monoplane with a braced tail unit, tail-wheel landing gear (optionally replaceable by floats or skis) and powered by a Pratt & Whitney Wasp radial engine. Only about 12 Fairchild 82s were built, four were exported and the remainder operated by Canadian airlines.
Engine; 1 x Pratt & Whitney S3H1 Wasp, 410kW Max take-off weight; 2869 kg / 6325 lb Empty weight; 1630 kg / 3594 lb Wingspan; 15.54 m / 50 ft 12 in Length; 11.25 m / 36 ft 11 in Wing area; 31.86 sq.m / 342.94 sq ft Max. speed; 249 km/h / 155 mph Cruise speed; 227 km/h / 141 mph Ceiling; 5335 m / 17500 ft Range; 1054 km / 655 miles
The increasing importance and complexity of multi-engined aircratt fitted with power-operated turrets compelled the development for the USAAF of a specialist trainer. The all-plywood XAT-13 medium bomber crew trainer with two 447-kW (600-hp) R-1340-AN-1 radials, a ball-mounted nose gun, a turret-mounted dorsal gun, a small bomb bay and, in addition to an instructor, stations for a pilot, bomb-¬aimer, navigator, gunner and radio operator, met that requirement.
The USAAC ordered two specialised gunnery trainer prototypes from Fairchild. The first (XAT-13) was intended to provide team training for a bomber aircraft’s entire crew, and this aircraft was powered by two Pratt & Whitney R-1340-AN1 Wasp 9-cylinder radial engines.
The second prototype (XAT-14) was of similar layout and powered by two 388kW (520-hp) Ranger V-770-6 inline engines. It was adapted subsequently as a specialised trainer for bomb-aimers, with its defensive guns removed, under the designation XAT-14A. Testing and evaluation of these aircraft resulted in the procurement of a specialised gunnery trainer under the designation AT-21 Gunner.
A cantilever mid-wing monoplane of mixed construction, the AT-21 had a deep oval-section fuselage, a tail unit incorporating twin fins and rudders and retractable tricycle landing gear. Accommodation was provided for a crew of five, including pilot, co-pilot/gunnery instructor and three pupils.
The AT-21 production type, was optimised for gunnery training with a two-gun turret but no bomb bay.
AT-21-BL
Of the 175 AT-21s constructed, 106 were built by Fairchild and, to speed deliveries to the USAAF, 39 were built by Bellanca Aircraft Corporation and 30 by the McDonnell Aircraft Corporation at St Louis. Entering service with newly-established air gunnery schools, the AT-21s remained in service until 1944, when they were displaced by training examples of the operational aircraft in which the air gunners would eventually serve. Many of these surplus aircraft were then converted for use as target tugs.
XAT-13 Engines: 2 x R-1340-AN-1 radials, 447-kW (600-hp).
XAT-14 Engines: 2 x Ranger V-770-6 inlines, 388-kW (520-hp).
AT-21 Engine; 2 x Ranger V-770-11/-15, 388kW / 513 hp Max take-off weight: 5129 kg / 11308 lb Empty weight: 3925 kg / 8653 lb Wingspan: 16.05 m / 52 ft 8 in Length: 11.58 m / 38 ft 0 in Height: 4.0 m / 13 ft 1 in Wing area: 35.12 sq.m / 378.03 sq ft Wing loading: 29.93 lb/sq.ft / 146.0 kg/sq.m Max. speed: 195 kts / 362 km/h / 225 mph Cruise speed: 170 kts / 315 km/h / 196 mph Service ceiling: 6750 m / 22150 ft Cruising altitude: 12008 ft / 3660 m Range: 791 nm / 1460 km / 907 miles Armament: 3x MG cal.30 (7.62mm) Seats: 5
The Fairchild BQ-3, Model 79, was an early expendable unmanned aerial vehicle – referred to at the time as an “assault drone”. Development of the BQ-3 began in October, 1942, under a program for the development of “aerial torpedoes” that had been instigated in March of that year. Fairchild was awarded a contract for the construction of two XBQ-3 prototypes, based largely on the AT-21 Gunner advanced gunnery trainer already in United States Army Air Forces service.
XBQ-3 Serial # 43-25253
The XBQ-3 was a twin-engined, low-wing aircraft, fitted with retractable tricycle landing gear and a twin-finned empennage; although the aircraft was intended to be operated by radio control with television assist, a two-seat cockpit was included in the design for testing and ferry flights. Power was provided by two Ranger V-770 inline piston engines of 520 horsepower (390 kW) each; up to 4,000 pounds (1,800 kg) of explosives could be carried by the aircraft in unmanned configuration. The aircraft would be destroyed in the act of striking the target.
The first flight of the XBQ-3 took place in July 1944; later that month, one of the prototypes was severely damaged in a forced landing. Despite the accident, flight testing continued; however, the assault drone was determined to have no significant advantage over conventional bombers, and advances in the field of guided missiles were rapidly rendering the concept obsolete. As a result, the program was cancelled towards the end of 1944.
XBQ-3 Engines: 2 × Ranger V-770-15, 520 hp (390 kW) each Wingspan: 37 ft (11 m) Length: 52 ft 8 in (16.05 m) Height: 31 ft 1 in (9.47 m) Gross weight: 15,300 lb (6,940 kg) Maximum speed: 220 mph (350 km/h, 190 kn) Range: 1,500 mi (2,400 km, 1,300 nmi) 4,000 pounds (1,800 kg) warhead Crew: 1 (optional)
Basically an updated version of the Fairchild FC-2W2, the Fairchild 71 incorporated many improvements that resulted from experience with the FC-2 and its variants. Providing seating for a pilot and six passengers, it was powered by a 313kW Pratt & Whitney Wasp 9-cylinder radial engine. First flown in 1929, the Fairchild 71 was built in small numbers from 1929 until 1930, when it was replaced in production by the Fairchild 71A. This differed primarily by having a few degrees of sweepback on the wings, and it introduced a number of refinements to the interior. All Fairchild 71s are of mixed construction with wooden wings and steel-tube fuselage structures.
Though civil operators acquired most of the Fairchild 71s and 71As, the US Army acquired one for evaluation as a light transport under the designation XC-8; dedicated later for photographic work it was redesignated XF-1. Eight service-test aircraft were ordered under the designation YF-1, and all nine were later redesignated C-8. Six production Fairchild 71As were then bought by the US Army with the designation F-1A, later redesignated C-8A The US Navy also acquired a single example for service test under the designation XJ2Q-1, later redesignated R2Q-1.
In 1930 a Canadian branch of the company was established at Longueuil, Quebec, as Fairchild Aircraft Ltd. In addition to providing support for approximately 70 Fairchild aircraft operating in Canada, it began producing the Fairchild 71 for the Canadian Department of National Defence. These aircraft differed from standard by the removal of the features introduced for passenger comfort and were equipped specifically for aerial photography. A commercial Fairchild 71-C was built and marketed later and was available also as the Fairchild 71-CM with a metal-skinned fuselage.
In the mid-1930s Kreider-Reisner built the Fairchild 22 two-seat open-cockpit monoplane and the Fairchild 24 cabin type, also producing the Fairchild 71 amphibian.
The model 71 could be readily fitted with floats, skis or wheels. Its standard range was between 750 and 800 nautical miles, depending on whether it was on floats or skis/wheels. Twenty one model 71s were built. With a view to meeting Canadian requirements for a freight carrier of greater capacity than the standard Fairchild 71, the Fairchild Super 71 floatplane was developed in 1934. Of slightly greater span, it had also a longer and entirely new oval-section fuselage of light alloy construction. The pilot was given a cockpit on the upper surface of the fuselage, to the rear of the 13-foot cabin, with a somewhat restricted forward view between the top of the fuselage and the undersurface of the wing. The cabin could accommodate eight passengers, but the seats were easily removable to create an uncluttered cargo space. Large cargo doors were inset in the port side of the cabin and a passenger door to starboard, the entire accommodation being heated and ventilated. Power was provided by a Pratt & Whitney Wasp radial engine enclosed completely in a low-drag cowling. In 1936, the Royal Canadian Air Force bought two the two Super 71Ps – a modified version fitted with a forward mounted cockpit – for use as photo-survey aircraft. They did not prove successful. One of them was destroyed in August 1937, and the second machine was struck off strength in April 1940.
71-C Engine: One Pratt & Whitney R 1340 1 Wasp, 420 hp. Prop: 2 blade. Wing span: 50 ft 0 in (15.24 m). Length: 32 ft 10 in (10.00 m) Height: 10 ft 6 in Wing area: 335 sq ft (31.12 sq.m). Gross weight: 5,500 lb (2495 kg). Max speed: 129 mph (208 km/h) at 5,000 ft (1525 m). Cruise: 95-100 kt. Landing speed: 55 mph Initial climb rate: 900 fpm Range: 900 miles (1,450 km). Service ceiling: 17,000 ft Accommodation: Crew of 1 / 6 passengers, or equivalent mail or freight load. Fuel capacity: 160 USgal
Super 71 Engine: 1 x Pratt & Whitney Wasp, 388kW Max take-off weight: 3175 kg / 7000 lb Empty weight: 1544 kg / 3404 lb Wingspan: 17.68 m / 58 ft 0 in Wing area: 36.24 sq.m / 390.08 sq ft Max. speed: 249 km/h / 155 mph Cruise speed: 209 km/h / 130 mph Range: 1314 km / 817 miles
The Fairchild M-62 first flew in March 1939 and was used by the USAAF as a primary trainer. Between February 1940 and May 1944, some 8,000 aircraft were produced in the United States, Canada and Brazil.
M.62A
The PT-19 basic trainer was the military version of the M-62. The aeroplane was ordered in 1940 as the PT-19 with open cockpits and the 130.5-kW (175-hp) Ranger L-440-1 inline. These 270 aircraft proved to be only the beginning of a veritable flood, for next came 3,703 PT-19As with minor improvements and the 149-kW (200-hp) L-440-3 engine, and 917 PT-19B blind-flying trainers with a hooded front cockpit. Sales commenced in 1940 but so many orders resulted in licence production. Airframe production out-stripped engines and the Continental R-670 was substituted in 1942 resulting in the PT-23; the PT-23A was the blind-flying equivalent of which 261 were built.
The St. Louis Aircraft Corporation built 44 Fairchild PT 19 and 306 PT 23. The Army gave St. Louis Aircraft production contracts for the Fairchild designed PT-19 trainer. During 1942-44, St. Louis Aircraft built and delivered 350 of these primary trainers, in two versions: the PT-19A, with a Ranger in-line engine, and PT-23/PT-23A, with a Continental radial. These trainers were all test-flown at St. Louis Aircraft’s own flying field, adjacent to the St. Louis Car factory on North Broadway in St. Louis.
Fairchild PT-19A (left) and PT-23A (right) trainers in St. Louis Aircraft factory, 1944
PT-19s were operated by Civilian Pilot Training schools throughout the war in conjunction with the Army Air Force, the principal user.
The RCAF adopted the PT-23 and PT-26 as the Cornell, built by Fleet Aircraft Ltd, Toronto. country Fleet Aircraft Company of Canada built 1642 Cornells under license, and they were designated either as PT-23s or PT-26s. The latter were distinguished by their cold-weather, enclosed canopy. The RCAF selected the Cornell as a successor to the Tiger Moth and Fleet Finch. The RCAF first flew Cornells in 1940 and retired the last one in 1947.
The more advanced PT-26 was fitted with an enclosed heated cockpit and IF instruments. 1,727 of this type were built in PT-26, PT-26A and PT-26B variants.
Two developments of the Fairchild M-62s appeared in the 1960s. One was the Funk F-23 built at Broken Arrow in Oklahoma and first flown in 1962, and the other was the Weatherly WM62C. An overall total of 7260 were eventually constructed by mid-1944.
Fairchild PT 19 A Cornell Engine : Ranger L-440-C5, 197 hp Length : 27.723 ft / 8.45 m Height : 7.612 ft / 2.32 m Wingspan : 35.991 ft / 10.97 m Wing area : 199.995 sqft / 18.58 sq.m Max take off weight : 2736.4 lbs / 1241.0 kg Weight empty : 2022.0 lbs / 917.0 kg Max. speed : 106 kts / 196 km/h Cruising speed : 88 kts / 163 km/h Service ceiling : 13205 ft / 4025 m Wing load : 13.74 lb/sq.ft / 67.00 kg/sq.m Range : 348 nm / 644 km
PT-23 Engine: Continental R-670-4, 220 hp.
PT-23A Engine: 1 x Continental R-670-4, -5 or-11, 164kW (240hp). Span: 10.97m (36ft ). Length: 7.9m (25ft 11 in) Max TO weight: 1111 kg (2,450 lb) Max speed: 128 mph at sea level. Operational range: 330 miles.
