Fairchild aircraft of the 1920’s and early 1930’s.

[contourcreative]

Most of the April design activity has been around the Fairchild FC 2 from 1928. There will be more on that later. This is just an opportunity to briefly talk about Mr. Sherman Fairchild (1896 – 1971) and where he fits into the picture and for Fairchild aircraft, pictures were very much what it was all about!

Sherman’s father, George Winthrop Fairchild, was a newspaper businessman, investor and a six-term Republican U.S. Representative from New York. George was a pioneer in the time recording industry. In 1911 George Fairchild became president of the Computing-Tabulating-Recording company, later becoming chairman. In 1924, the year of George’s death, C-T-R was renamed as IBM. Sherman would inherit his father’s IBM stock remaining IBM’s largest individual shareholder until his death.
An inventive, intelligent youth, Sherman spent some of his early years in the C-T-R workshops. He attended Harvard University inventing a synchronised camera shutter and flash. He also contracted tuberculosis that saw him briefly shift to Arizona for the climate. Rejected for health reasons from the military Fairchild became a pioneer in the field of aerial photography and mapping. The camera he developed featured a shutter that was inside the lens. This reduced the image distortion caused by slow camera speeds conflicting with the motion of the aircraft. His innovations would establish aerial photography with Fairchild cameras as the industry standard.
Unlike the majority of aviation manufacturers, Fairchild’s access to finance and contracts meant that he could typically pursue his interests by establishing a company with the purpose of making what was desired.
Thus, on finding a lack of suitable aircraft for his photographic purposes, Fairchild established the Fairchild Aircraft Manufacturing Company to create such an aircraft. Following a prototype, the Fairchild FC 2 (soon after designated the Fairchild 71) became one the best-selling light aircraft in the late 1920’s. The early Fairchild’s aircraft performed superb service as reliable bush planes and as among the first passenger carriers of America’s fledging airlines.

Fairchild’s interests were varied. He enjoyed architecture and cooking. He was a jazz enthusiast and patron of Jazz musicians with his own recording studio built into his NY apartment. In 1931 he established Fairchild Recording Corporation that created studio recording equipment and amplifiers.

Perhaps Fairchild’s greatest impact, certainly as an investor, did not occur until 1957. In that year he was approached by a Robert Noyce, a representative of a group of eight engineers who were defecting from a company and the man who had teamed them up with the purpose of setting up a new company. In Silicon Valley lore this group would later be known as the ‘Traitorous eight’ and would be seminal in the establishment of California’s transistor and circuit manufacturing industry aka Silicon Valley. Fairchild was impressed by Robert Noyce’s futurist pitch and so the Fairchild Semiconductor division of Fairchild Camera and Instrument was started with the intention of making silicon as the substrate in transistors rather than from germanium. The following year, one of the ‘eight, Jean Hoerni created the planar process meaning that transistors could be made easier, cheaper, and with much higher performance. Immediately all other transistor processes were obsolete and then, in 1960 they managed to build a circuit with four transistors on a single wafer of silicon. Fairchild Semiconductor had created the world’s first silicon integrated circuit.

Which really brings us to today where the silicon chip is the basis of our way of life, including the minor art of the design of paper airplanes but maybe in the case of the Fairchild aircraft models currently being designed, a connection worth noting.

Our plan includes the creation of the Fairchild FC 2w and variants, the Fairchild 41 and the Fairchild 100 ‘Pilgrim’ in 1/48 scale. The Fairchild ‘Stars and Stripes’ had been started in 1/72 scale about six years back (see attachment) so what we are talking about is very much ‘back-to-the-drawing-board’ kind of approach where we can improve of our earlier, unreleased Fairchilds.

[whulsey]

Some interesting information there. Had never put all the different businesses together before. Will look forward to seeing the aircraft models develop.

[Don Boose]

This is a great project. You are doing a great service by preserving the history of this firm and its great airplanes.

Don

[contourcreative]

The Fairchild FC 1 looks a good subject for modeling, but we are giving this one a miss for now.The slant on the lettering FAIRCHILD a consequence of the 'razorback' design also carried through in some of the early FC 2s.

As well I've attached a picture of the Fairchild K3-A which was standard in much of the aerial mapping of the 'twenties and 'thirties. Many of the National Geographic aerial images of that time being taken with Fairchild cameras.

..and from The Aircraft Year Book 1930 (covering the preceding year, 1929).

"Fairchild Aviation Corporation, a division of the Aviation Corporation spent the last six months of the year in the development of a new engine to be known as the Fairchild 375. It was a six cylinder, in-line, air cooled machine rated at 110 hp..'

So engine manufacturing yet another business connected to the Fairchild name although the 375 engine appears to have been developed no further..

[contourcreative]

There is typically a LOT of work in designing in paper models and this picture illustrates the universal engineering story of trial and error. These are the rejected components of the model currently being designed - the Fairchild FC-2 first flown in 1926.

The aircraft would go on to become the best-selling US light aircraft of it's time.

An explanation for the multiple paper wings, the making of which represents a substantial activity of April, is the difficulty in rendering the compound curves and taper on the wingtip which cause the wing to widen as it gets narrows giving it an undesirable appearance, although not immediately visible. We think we've resolved it though and we will be applying that paper engineering to future designs.

Terry

[Don Boose]

I have boxes full of stuff like that.

But it does give a good underestanding of the trial and error that is involved.

That particular FC-2 sure had a pretty color scheme.

Don

[contourcreative]

I have boxes full of stuff like that.

But it does give a good underestanding of the trial and error that is involved.

That particular FC-2 sure had a pretty color scheme.

Don

Ta Mr Boose..looks like this will be another quiet thread on the bedrock of US commercial aviation!

We put the 'Stars and Stripes' livery to one side and opted for an Interstate livery. Interstate was absorbed into American Airlines after about a year of operations and 'The Aircraft Year book of 1929' included a couple of images which formed the basis of the model. While I'm comfortable with the Blue we opted for the Orange wings based on the later AA schemes. Little information on Interstate around unfortunately..

Should be able to post some build shots later today...

Terry

[wag]

Please don't feel neglected. I'm following this thread with great anticipation.
Wayne

[contourcreative]

Please don't feel neglected. I'm following this thread with great anticipation.
Wayne

Thanks Wayne..this is a kind of sub-project of the larger project that will feature airport backdrops and facades for these aircraft. Generally we are working off photographs in the absence of drawings and usually the drawings are not that accurate. In this instance we have some Paul Matt drawings which are good and in this subject's case there are examples sitting in museums.

To be fair, I'm trying to make our threads useful in terms of the construction of the model in the future and impart a bit of history as well. Model Makers tend to be idiosyncratic in their tastes, however the neglect of the first commercial airplanes as subject matter has more to do with the ongoing appeal of military subjects and as we discovered, the lack of models of those same early commercial aircraft.

This is a shame as the diversity of forms in the design of aircraft of this period is greater than the more homogenous design (tubes and engines) that dominates contemporary commercial aviation. From a design POV there is some satisfaction in digging out a significant aircraft in colour from old black and white photographs..

Terry

[papermodelfan]

Hello Terry - I too am following with great interest. Enjoying particularly the cross connections among the different historical threads you weave - the 1920s were an amazing time. Also just finished reading Bill Bryson's "One Summer" - an account of the US in 1927, which is chock a block with aviation exploits, and how the whole country went nuts over aircraft and air travel the moment Lindbergh landed in Paris. A good read for anyone interested in the era. Cheers,

[contourcreative]

One of the most common difficulties with paper model aircraft is accurately rendering curved and tapered wing tips. The simpler way to understand this is when you crush a tin can, the flattened part becomes a great deal wider than the original circumference. While not that obvious on some models, once you see the flattening you see it all the time! As wings become wider and the scale larger the effect becomes more pronounced. The other thing with curved wing tips is that the tips flatten.

An unwritten principle of paper model design is to minimise obvious cuts as much as possible. After some experimentation we inserted a dart on the underside of the wing to eliminate the 'spooning' effect. We also inserted a dart on the upper surface of the wing tip, in line with the wing ribs, to give more curvature to the wing tip and eliminate the flattening. As well we put an extra rib in the wing tip to give it a more accurate shape overall.

An important design aspect was to insert a card semi-circle in the tip and by shaping the very end of the upper wing tip curve by using carefully placed microdarts, blend the leading edge of the wing into the tip. The wing tip in situ (see attached) is reasonably small at around 48mm wide.

The wings do take a bit of work but the result is a vastly improved appearance and with making paper high wing monoplanes and aircraft in general the wing tips are a highly visible aspect of the whole.

Terry

[SJPONeill]

That a great technique, Terry...will have to take your word that the darts are there as they are so fine my eyes can not pick them out...

Simon

[contourcreative]

That a great technique, Terry...will have to take your word that the darts are there as they are so fine my eyes can not pick them out...

Simon

Hi Simon..we use surgical scalpels no.11 on all our models. The advantage is that the blade is particularly thin so that accounts for the darts lack of visibility. We are trying to increase our output as we have too many nearly completed designs that are sitting on our computers.

The Fairchild has proven a fruitful subject for some new techniques which we will be incorporating into future designs.

Terry

[Don Boose]

Very interesting technique. Always a lot to learn about from you, Terry. About aviation history and about paper modeling techniques.

Don

[Wyvern]

Looking forward to the next Contour masterpiece!

Wyvern

[gomidefilho]

Wow! I Waiting FC-2 with great anxious! Is a perfect piece to place on the side of my Curtiss Condor...

[YankeeBoy]

My PayPal account is always at the ready for your great designs, Terry! WW! and the inter-war years are my favorite aircraft eras and your designs are as much art as they are models. Keep 'em coming!

[whulsey]

Elegant solution for the wingtips. Look forward to seeing more civil aviation from the between wars period.

[contourcreative]

I’ve passed on your kind comments to Rosie and they are much appreciated. In terms of ‘Art’ there is a great deal that could be said about that and worthy of some more thoughtful commentary and probably some essay work! Given the maturity of the ‘art’ and certainly the substantial number of people worldwide this could be forum topic perhaps? But in terms of our work a very, very long time ago I was captured by the aesthetics of the 1920s and 30s art deco airport and the TERMINUS project was conceived.

What is generally not appreciated by the layperson is that these exotic looking aircraft and art deco buildings existed for only a few years, before being completely superceded by the next generation. The TERMINUS concept is to create a range of different art deco airport backgrounds and airport facades in front of which different aircraft of the time could be displayed.

The idea was to create an activity that offered something of the dynamic charm of Railway sets. Different aircraft could be displayed with figures, at different angles, with the view to desktop photography and from that, a pictorial and even competitive art?

TERMINUS necessitated, we originally thought, working in small scale and a great deal of work was put into 1/144 scale (see unreleased Croydon Model w Goliath) and then 1/72 scale. However we subsequently opted for 1/48 where better engineering and detail could be achieved with the option of downscaling both more accurate and physically easier to realise.

So back to the work to hand. The interior of the Fairchild Fc-2 wings incorporates ribs fitted over 3 hollow triangular spars. A solid triangular cardboard spar is created with the dihedral required and glued to the centre section of the fuselage and the ends of this spar inserted into the respective hollow spars. The result is a very strong accurate wing. Another refinement is with the trailing edge of the wings where the upper wing slightly overlaps the lower. This gives a finer appearance than a 2-ply trailing edge.

The nose of the subject required a lot of origami fiddling but translates extremely well to paper. As always you pick up little refinements and adjustments as you work through the design and these are incorporated.

One other thing to note is the treatment we have adopted for windows. I don’t really know why there is so much persistence with blue windows as most glazing features internal shadows and reflected light. The illustration on the windows uses gray, beige, and light blue. As a rule we add a percentage of more blue to gray (metal) coloured subjects as the tone provides a bit of lift for the subject. As well all our designs have been constructed so clear plastic can be inserted in the two ply fuselage wall.

Terry

[Don Boose]

TERMINUS = brilliant concept.

It was indeed a very brief moment of history, and some ugly things were going on in the world at the time, but these buildings, automobiles, aircraft, and the contemporary ships and trains (just to mention physical artifacts) were, to my eye, of unsurpassed beauty. It was a time of exceptional creativity. For helping to preserve the appearance and history of these wonderful objects, you and Rosie are World treasures.

Don

[contourcreative]

TERMINUS = a lot of unanticipated work :-)

Here are the Fairchild tail pieces. These are thin but to get the profile of the tail accurately remove a bit from the edges of the card with the scalpel before gluing the top layer of the tail plane in place..

and it aways pays to do edge painting before assembly eh?

Getting the small gaps, about 1 mm, between the fuselage and the tail plane and between the vertical stabiliser and the tailplane achieved with two-part resin and a small length of brass wire and minute card block. The interior of the tail has a small triangle of 2 ply card glued to the underside to ensure the brass wire has something solid to bond with.

[contourcreative]

and now with the wings attached and the cockpit window..a nice shot in the autumnal sunshine with some of the flower garden..still going strong.

[RAFleischman]

I hope you will someday finish the terminus project. Your airport terminals are beautiful. I am an art deco fan.

russ...

[contourcreative]

I hope you will someday finish the terminus project. Your airport terminals are beautiful. I am an art deco fan.

russ...

Thanks Russ..I know there are a handful of modelers who are supporting this, which does keep things moving along nonetheless. One of the hassles we have faced, with the American scene, is the self-imposed requirement to accurately match the aircraft to the backdrop/facade. Apart from manifold mistakes on our part, the lack of drawings and often photographs for these subjects makes thing drag more than we would prefer. One of the other things you have to do when undertaking a number of designs is to be very systematic in your approach. Initially there was a lot of work but not much order and in paper modeling you get thoroughly worked over if you make simple, avoidable mistakes.

Terry

[contourcreative]

Progress on the Fairchild has been reasonable in the last few days with the main wing, primary undercarriage and tail plane in place. A small length of fine brass rod, hammered flat, and glued in place with two-part resin is the best way to address small tail skids and wheels.

As always with prototypes there are small adjustments one makes as the model progresses. The white walled tires were made from layers of card with a slightly larger circumference for the middle part of the card ply. Filler was rubbed into the groves and then painted an appropriate colour. To achieve a more rounded look, an amount of white glue was painted on the outer tyre.

The model is starting to look more complete with the struts and engine still to be added.

Terry

[Don Boose]

It's really beautiful. It captures the look of the age.

It also looks vaguely like a 1930s cabin semi-scale flying model.

Don

[papermodelfan]

Bravo! Brava! Beautiful shapes.

[contourcreative]

Bravo! Brava! Beautiful shapes.

Thank you Rob and thank you again for the information on the Prudden-Whitehead 'Atlanta' which has captivated me. At present trying to get more detail of that marvelous art-deco Atlanta airport control tower.

The Fairchild aesthetics are really evocative of the age and I do like the way just about everyone in aviation in the 'twenties saw the aircraft as much a flying billboard as a means of transport!

[contourcreative]

The next Fairchild models scheduled will be the Fairchild 42 and the Fairchild 100 AKA 'Pilgrim'. The main wings seem pretty similar in design with the fuselages in particular imparting the individual character of these aircraft.

The four-seater 42 is slightly smaller than the FC-2/FC 71 and the Fairchild 100 'Pilgrim' a larger aircraft again. There are structural and engine variations to make life a bit interesting!

Only eight 42s were built with the two prototypes (41s) being converted to 42 standard.It first flew in 1927.

The Fairchild 100 was produced in different versions, the 100-A (16 built) and the 100-B (10 built) as well as a prototype, making a production of 27. The 100 had a wing span seven feet wider than the FC-2.

I've included an image of the Interstate Fairchild currently designed.

[wag]

Is there any chance I could convince you to try a Fairchild 24?
Fairchild 24 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairchild_24)
I think it's one of the prettiest lightplanes of the 30's and many possibilities for different paint schemes, radial and inline engines, etc.
Wayne

[contourcreative]

Is there any chance I could convince you to try a Fairchild 24?
Fairchild 24 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairchild_24)
I think it's one of the prettiest lightplanes of the 30's and many possibilities for different paint schemes, radial and inline engines, etc.
Wayne

I don't think I would need THAT much convincing Wayne rather the old schedule is pretty full for the next 18 months!!. However we are working on the amazing (and ill-fated) Bellanca Blue streak, the Curtiss Kingbird and upscaling the AW Cessna and Travel Air 5000 which we were working on in 1/72 scale some time back. Cheers.

[Don Boose]

That is an excellent slate of projects!

Don

[papermodelfan]

A new air museum is opening in Atlanta this summer, in an old Delta Hangar at the site of the original airfield, which was called Candler Field. Here is the museum website Home (http://www.deltamuseum.org/). One ofthe aircraft that will be on display looks suspiciously like a Fairchild I am not sure what all will be in the collection, but they ought to have some materials on the old Terminal building. Let me know what it is particularly that you are looking for (like which year), and I'll make an expedition out there when it opens to see what I can find.

Googling this, I discovered there is a second museum out at the Atlanta Airport still in the pupal stage but open for business. This one is called the Natioanal Commercial Aviation Museum, and it seems to be more focused on the terminals and airports than on the planes. I did not know about this place, and may be able to make a trip out to see it soon. Air Museum - Aviation Museum - National Museum of Commercial Aviation (http://www.nationalaviationmuseum.com/) Lived here 30 years, and am still discovering stuff every week. Cheers,

[contourcreative]

A new air museum is opening in Atlanta this summer, in an old Delta Hangar at the site of the original airfield, which was called Candler Field. Here is the museum website Home (http://www.deltamuseum.org/). One ofthe aircraft that will be on display looks suspiciously like a Fairchild I am not sure what all will be in the collection, but they ought to have some materials on the old Terminal building. Let me know what it is particularly that you are looking for (like which year), and I'll make an expedition out there when it opens to see what I can find.

Googling this, I discovered there is a second museum out at the Atlanta Airport still in the pupal stage but open for business. This one is called the Natioanal Commercial Aviation Museum, and it seems to be more focused on the terminals and airports than on the planes. I did not know about this place, and may be able to make a trip out to see it soon. Air Museum - Aviation Museum - National Museum of Commercial Aviation (http://www.nationalaviationmuseum.com/) Lived here 30 years, and am still discovering stuff every week. Cheers,

This is all exciting stuff Rob. I have extracted a few Atlanta images from my collection of vintage aviation magazines of that era and have made fruitless enquiries of Historic societies. My observation, as an outsider, is that the early years are very poorly addressed by many US Museums and historic institutions, probably for the reason that little in the way of photographic records survives. I will wait with interest.

[contourcreative]

The strut work on many of the aircraft of this era can be tricky. Struts can have a nasty habit of flexing and warping which is quite undesirable.

On the tail section, the struts supporting the tail plane are very fine and we have used Evergreen .020 rod (0.50 mm) styrene and painted them. Another approach could be to use thin slivers of bamboo and roll them in thin paper but plastic does the job very well and has the best profile.

For the struts supporting the main plane, laminations of paper were used. The four ply (4x) nature of their construction, achieves the desired delicacy and eliminates the warping, the adhesive adding to the strength. They were also coated with clear acrylic and then, when touch dry, left under a weight with a clean surface to flatten. The struts were then glued in place with 2-part resin which we recommend for most undercarriage work.

Terry

[contourcreative]

Pratt and Whitney Wasp aero engine in 1/48 scale. Each cylinder head has been rolled into shape from a single piece of paper with some origami nuances. The design took an excessive amount of fussing. This isn't quite completed as yet, with the 18 individual rocker arms and boxes an OCD consideration..

Haven't done any touch-up work on this and to give you a sense of scale this is posed next to a NZ$1 coin featuring our national bird, ironically, the flightless Kiwi.

Terry

[Don Boose]

Interesting techniques for the struts and engine cylinders.

Don

[C9B]

Looking forward to the release of this model. Any update?

[Don Boose]

Rosy Louise and Terry (Contour Creative/Air Classique) haven't posted for a long time. Hope all is well with them.

Don

[C9B]

Rosy Louise and Terry (Contour Creative/Air Classique) haven't posted for a long time. Hope all is well with them.

Don

I had the same thought. Love their work.

[elliott]

Terry had battled the big C some years back but I thought he'd beaten it.

[Don Boose]

That's why I worry.

Their website is still up: By Air Classique - Aircraft Models, New Zealand and World Postcards (http://byairclassique.com/index.html)

And, although there is no Fairchild, they HAVE produced the Croyden, Dearborn, and Wichita airport facades they were working on: Scale Models3 (http://byairclassique.com/Scalemodels%20BAC3.htm)

I have sent them an email and will keep you informed if I hear anything.

Don

[elliott]

Thanks Don. Much appreciated.

[rickstef]

I contacted Terry on Facebook, told him about the continued interest in the aircraft, he will drop in when he gets an off moment

[elliott]

I presume things are well for them then. Hope so at least. Thanks Rick!

[rickstef]

He has been busy with some books, but I will let him explain that part

[C9B]

Thanks for the info. I believe that the beautiful little FC-2 was Pan American Grace's first plane. I try to imagine a four-hour flight on a hot day in the tropics, then a landing for fuel, and then another 100-mile-per-hour leg. Fortunately Panagra's FC-2 is hanging in the National Air and Space Museum: https://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/fairchild-fc-2

Looking forward to building one.

[yukonjohn]

Yes, it would be wonderful to see the FC project complete and avialable. A recolour to represent the local rebuild is on my too-long list of projects.

Regards,
John

[papermodelfan]

I also wrote to them. Al;l is well down under. Terry responded that he and Rosie are busy with many projects, including illustrating books. They still intend to bring out the Fairchild.

[Don Boose]

I also received a message from Terry. He said he will post an update soon, otherwise, as Rob said.

Don

[C9B]

Noticed that the Fairchild F-71 is on Ecard. My kind of plane, in Pan American livery. Been looking forward to buying another classic in US livery. Looking for a stunning last-minute gift? Wholeheartedly recommend Terry Moyle's Art Deco Airports. Very high-quality book that is fun to page through and then read carefully.

[Don Boose]

Many thanks for the notice C9B. Just got mine. It's a superb model. Splendid artwork and engineering.

I think it's also worthwhile to mention Terry's magnificent books on art deco architecture and aviation, illustrated by him and Rosie Louise: http://www.papermodelers.com/forum/contour-creative-studios-projects/39180-beautiful-book-terry-moyle-rosie-louise.html

Don

[C9B]

Many thanks for the notice C9B. Just got mine. It's a superb model. Splendid artwork and engineering.

I think it's also worthwhile to mention Terry's magnificent books on art deco architecture and aviation, illustrated by him and Rosie Louise: http://www.papermodelers.com/forum/contour-creative-studios-projects/39180-beautiful-book-terry-moyle-rosie-louise.html

Don

I am grateful for such a thoughtfully designed model. The instructions alone are worth the price of the kit. Terry's posts above reflect the level of thought that goes into the design, and the beauty of the printed pages of Fairchild parts speak for themselves. Can't wait to get started.

[yukonjohn]

Wonderful! Just got mine. Looks like a great kit. One minor technical note: the pieces 4i and 5i (identified as ailerons) are actually non-flying flaps that fold up in order to give clearance for folding the wings, in case someone builds one with a wing folded. The detail in this lovely kit begs for a folded wing I think ;).

Regards,
John