Editing Fairchild Aircraft (section)

==History==
===Early aircraft===
[[File:Fairchild Aviation plant Jamaica NY 1941.jpg|thumb|The [[Jamaica, Queens]] Fairchild plant in 1941]]
[[File:Fairchild 71C.JPG|thumb|The [[Western Canada Aviation Museum]]'s Fairchild 71C]]
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 [[United States|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.<ref>{{cite book|title=A History in the Making: 80 Turbulent Years in the American General Aviation Industry|author=Donald M. Pattillo|page=11}}</ref> In 1929, Sherman Fairchild purchased a majority stock interest in [[Kreider-Reisner|Kreider-Reisner Aircraft Company]] of Hagerstown, Maryland. The company moved to Hagerstown in 1931.<ref name= "Kaske">Kaske, Kristine L. [http://www.nasm.si.edu/research/arch/findaids/pdf/Fairchild_Finding_Aid.pdf "Fairchild Industries, Inc. Collection."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120315142358/http://www.nasm.si.edu/research/arch/findaids/pdf/Fairchild_Finding_Aid.pdf |date=2012-03-15 }} ''National Air and Space Archives,'' 2003.</ref>

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.<ref>Donald 1997, p. 382.</ref> 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.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=wN8DAAAAMBAJ&dq=Popular+Science+1935+plane+%22Popular+Mechanics%22&pg=PA535 "Wide Area Is Mapped From Air By Giant Ten Lens Camera."] ''Popular Mechanics'', October 1935. (Editors have stated Fairchild Aircraft in hand written comment to left of archived article.)</ref> 

A [[Fairchild FC-2]] was used by [[Richard E. Byrd]] during his Antarctic Expedition.<ref name="hlp">{{cite book |last1=Puckett |first1=H.L. |title=Sherman Fairchild's PT-19: Cradle of Heroes |date=1980 |publisher=Flambeau Lith Corporation |page=10}}</ref>

===World War II===
[[File:Fairchild.argus3.g-bcbh.arp.jpg|thumb|1944 model [[Fairchild 24]] Argus III]] 
[[File:Fairchild Cornell.jpg|thumb|The [[Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum]]'s Fairchild Cornell]]
[[File:C-119 Flying Boxcar in flight.jpg|thumb|314th Troop Carrier Group C-119 Flying Boxcars]]
During [[World War II]], Fairchild produced [[Fairchild PT-19|PT-19/PT-23/PT-26 (Cornell)]] and [[Fairchild AT-21 Gunner|AT-21 Gunner]] trainers, [[Fairchild C-82 Packet|C-82 Packet]] transports and [[Fairchild BQ-3|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.<ref>[[Whiz Kids (Department of Defense)|Peck, Merton J.]] & [[Frederic M. Scherer|Scherer, Frederic M.]] ''The Weapons Acquisition Process: An Economic Analysis'' (1962) [[Harvard Business School]] p.619</ref>

===Postwar===
[[File:A-10 Thunderbolt II 1.jpg|thumb|[[A-10 Thunderbolt II]]]]
The C-82 Packet led to the [[Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar|C-119 Flying Boxcar]], 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]] 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]] glider into the [[Fairchild C-123 Provider|C-123 Provider]] transport which entered service in 1955. In 1954 Fairchild purchased the American Helicopter Company, incorporating it and the [[American Helicopter XH-26 Jet Jeep|XH-26 Jet Jeep]] as a division.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=jNwDAAAAMBAJ&dq=true&pg=PA148 "Flying Jeep."] ''Popular Mechanics'', September 1952, p. 44.</ref> In 1956, the company acquired rights to the [[Fokker F27|Fokker Friendship]], producing 206 of the aircraft as the [[Fairchild F-27]] and [[Fairchild Hiller FH-227]]. During the 1950s, Fairchild was a large subcontractor to Boeing for [[Boeing B-52 Stratofortress|B-52]] fuselage sections and wing panels. Later, the company built [[McDonnell-Douglas F-4 Phantom II]] tail sections, [[Grumman F-14 Tomcat]] tails, and [[Space Shuttle orbiter]] stabilizers.  

In 1964, the company purchased [[Hiller Aircraft]], changing its name to '''Fairchild Hiller''' and producing the [[Fairchild Hiller FH-1100|FH-1100]], until 1973 when the helicopter division was sold back to Stanley Hiller. In 1965, the company acquired the [[Republic Aviation|Republic Aviation Company]].

Following the death of its founder, Fairchild changed its name to '''Fairchild Industries''' in 1971. This was a merger 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]], a successful commuter aircraft that gained orders from the U.S. military as the [[Fairchild C-26 Metroliner|C-26 Metroliner]].  In 1971, the company began developing the [[Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II]] in [[Germantown, Maryland]],<ref>{{Cite news |date=1974-06-20 |title=New A-10 Jet Is Rated Over A-7 For Support of Combat Troops |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1974/06/20/archives/new-a10-jet-is-rated-over-a7-for-support-of-combat-troops.html |access-date=2023-09-14 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> which prevailed over the rival [[Northrop YA-9]] in the A-X competition for an eventual production run of 716 aircraft.

The company developed the [[Fairchild T-46|T-46]] jet trainer to replace the elderly [[Cessna T-37 Tweet]] 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 Flugzeugwerke|Dornier's]] civil assets in 1996, the company was renamed '''Fairchild Dornier'''. The company commenced production of the [[Dornier 328]] 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]] Inc. for $1.2 billion.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1999/12/29/business/company-news-fairchild-aerospace-is-sold-for-1.2-billion.html "Fairchild Aerospace is sold for $1.2 billion."] ''The New York Times,'' 29 December 1999. Retrieved: 28 July 2011.</ref>

In 2003, the assets of Fairchild were purchased by [[M7 Aerospace]] 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]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Elbit Systems U.S. Subsidiary Completes Acquisition of M7 Aerospace for $85 Million|url=http://ir.elbitsystems.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=61849&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1507876|website=Elbit Systems|access-date=12 March 2016|date=December 15, 2010}}{{Dead link|date=March 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> M7 Aerospace does not manufacture aircraft, but focuses on aerospace parts and support services.