The Fairchild 71 was an American high-wing monoplane passenger and

cargo aircraft A cargo aircraft (also known as freight aircraft, freighter, airlifter or cargo jet) is a fixed-wing aircraft that is designed or converted for the carriage of cargo rather than passengers. Such aircraft usually do not incorporate passenger ...

built by Fairchild Aircraft and later built in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

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; and 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 The fuselage (; from the French ''fuselé'' "spindle-shaped") is an aircraft's main body section. It holds crew, passengers, or cargo. In single-engine aircraft, it will usually contain an engine as well, although in some amphibious aircraf ...

and

empennage The empennage ( or ), also known as the tail or tail assembly, is a structure at the rear of an aircraft that provides stability during flight, in a way similar to the feathers on an arrow.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, third e ...

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 Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

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.Shearwater Aviation Museum: Aircraft History: Fairchild 71
/ref> 1928 Fairchild 71

Operational history

Jubail, Saudi Arabia by Mountain, 1935 01

The

United States Army Air Service The United States Army Air Service (USAAS)Craven and Cate Vol. 1, p. 9 (also known as the ''"Air Service"'', ''"U.S. Air Service"'' and before its legislative establishment in 1920, the ''"Air Service, United States Army"'') was the aerial war ...

acquired one Model 71 for evaluation; it was designated XC-8, later redesignated XF-1 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 The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environm ...

(RCAF), another major military operator, evaluated the Fairchild 71 in mid-June 1930. Thirty four RCAF F-71s were operated from 1930 to 1946. Along with the earlier FC-2 series, the RCAF F-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 Rum-running or bootlegging is the illegal business of smuggling alcoholic beverages where such transportation is forbidden by law. Smuggling usually takes place to circumvent taxation or prohibition laws within a particular jurisdiction. The t ...

) and illegal immigration patrols for the

Royal Canadian Mounted Police The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; french: Gendarmerie royale du Canada; french: GRC, label=none), commonly known in English as the Mounties (and colloquially in French as ) is the federal police, federal and national police service of ...

(RCMP). 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 The Fairchild Super 71 was a Canadian parasol-mounted high-wing monoplane cargo aircraft built by Fairchild Aircraft Ltd. (Canada). The Super 71 was an entirely new design that was one of the first purpose-built civilian bush planes for use in re ...

: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

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

Operators

Civilian Operators

; * Aerovias Centrales * Compañía Mexicana de Aviación ; * Clifford Ball Inc. * Pacific Alaska Airways *

Pan American Airways Pan American World Airways, originally founded as Pan American Airways and commonly known as Pan Am, was an American airline that was the principal and largest international air carrier and unofficial overseas flag carrier of the United States ...

Pan American-Grace Airways Pan American-Grace Airways, also known as Panagra, and dubbed "The World's Friendliest Airline" was an airline formed as a joint venture between Pan American World Airways and Grace Shipping Company. On September 13, 1928, a small single-engine ...

* California-Arabian Standard Oil Co.

Military operators

; *

United States Army Air Corps The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical r ...

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

Specifications (Model 71C)

Fairchild_71_3-view_Aero_Digest_February_1929

References

Citations

Bibliography

* Donald, David, ed. ''The Encyclopedia of World Aircraft''. Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada: Prospero Books, 1997. . * Milberry, Larry. ''Aviation In Canada''. Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson Ltd., 1979. . * Molson, Ken M. and Taylor, Harold A. ''Canadian Aircraft Since 1909''. Stittsville, Ontario: Canada's Wings, Inc., 1982. .

External links

RCAF.com: The Aircraft: Fairchild 71

{{USN utility aircraft 1920s United States civil utility aircraft 71 High-wing aircraft Single-engined tractor aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1926