|
Sherman Mills Fairchild got his start in the aviation industry by
designing his own aerial cameras. In 1925, Huff-Daland failed to honour a
contract with Sherman Fairchild acting as an independent aircraft salesman
prompting the creation of Fairchild Aircraft Manufacturing Corp. in 1926.
The U.S. Army's first dedicated photo- reconnaissance aircraft, the F-1 of
1929, was a Fairchild product.
History
1925: Fairchild hires Harold Caminez and forms Fairchild-Caminez to
develop the Caminez 447 engine.
1926: Sherman Fairchild forms Fairchild Aviation Corp.
1929: Fairchild takes over Kreider-Reisner which operates as an separate
unit until 1936. Fairchild-Caminez becomes the Fairchild Engine
Corporation.
1936: Fairchild forms the Ranger Engine Division.
1964: Fairchild acquires Hiller Helicopters forming Fairchild Hiller.
1965: Fairchild acquires Republic Aviation forming the Republic Division
of Fairchild Hiller.
1966: The parent company changes its name to Fairchild Industries.
1972: Fairchild acquires 90% of Swearingen Aviation, the maker of Metro
airliners.
1987: Production costs and schedule problems with Fairchild's last
aircraft, the T-46, leads to the announcement that Fairchild Industries is
leaving the aircraft business.
1989: Fairchild Industries is acquired by Banner Industries which changes
its name to The Fairchild Corporation. The Fairchild Corporation currently
focuses on industrial products.
1991: The Fairchild Corp sells it's Metro plant in San Antonio, Texas. The
new owners take the name Fairchild Aircraft (later Fairchild Aerospace).
1996: Fairchild Aerospace acquires Dornier to form Fairchild Dornier.
2002: Fairchild Dornier files bankruptcy. The court appointed
administrator determines that the company will have to be sold in pieces.
Fairchild-Caminez 447
In the
mid-1920s, Harold Caminez designed a radial engine that was lighter and
used about half the parts needed for a conventional radial while producing
the same power. Instead of a crank shaft, his engine used a large
camshaft. There was no need for connecting rods, crankshaft throws or
counterweights, or valve timing gears. The engine produced its rating at
only 1,000 rpm.
The Caminez 447 first flew in 1926. Because of its light weight and low
rpm, it vibrated excessively and plans to market the engine were abandoned
in 1929.
models
specifications
- Four-cylinder, air-cooled radial
- Displacement: 447 cubic inches (7.3 litres)
- Bore x stroke: 5.625 x 4.5 inches
used by
|