1942? Fairchild found in the woods

carlisle1926 · **Posted:** Mon Mar 04, 2013 10:50 pm

I've known about this old Fairchild fuselage that was abandoned on a friend of mine's property for some time now, but until today when I pulled all the vines off of it, I couldn't see just how incomplete it really was. His family had a crop dusting business and this thing was abandoned there in the 1950's. My question is, other than a completely rotted relic, what was this? I found three face plates off of the instrument cluster that were all dated October 1942. I know absolutely nothing about these Fairchilds. Were they still making them during the war in 1942? I pulled the frame up and propped the bucket up under it on one side. I'll be cutting some of the smaller trees down soon and pulling the relic out of the woods and hanging it in the rafters of the hangar.

SaxMan · **Posted:** Mon Mar 04, 2013 10:54 pm

I'm no Fairchild expert, but it looks like a Fairchild 24, a typical high-winged 4 seat civil monoplane from that time period. It's Army designation was UC-61. In '42, it would have had a 165 hp Warner radial engine.

Rick65 · **Posted:** Tue Mar 05, 2013 12:41 am

viewtopic.php?f=16&t=24344

One of my favourite threads on WIX (thanks Dave) - a Fairchild 24 is the main character with a great supporting cast.

Dan K · **Posted:** Tue Mar 05, 2013 7:31 am

carlisle1926 wrote:

It just needs a little love, Charlie Brown...

Obergrafeter · **Posted:** Tue Mar 05, 2013 8:07 am

A little polish and it will buff right out.

carlisle1926 · **Posted:** Tue Mar 05, 2013 9:14 am

I know it should probably be left in the woods to return to the Earth, but I was just excited to walk up on any old airplane in the jungle. I'll make up some story about how it was shot down by the Japanese and it just glided a really long ways before it crashed where I found it. That way I'll feel like I'm saving something important.

The Inspector · **Posted:** Tue Mar 05, 2013 9:51 am

I've seen worse eventually return to flight, I'd take it inside and treat it like an old friend. There's a guy around my neighborhood who's got a handful of old twisted and rusty tubes and tinwork that he says will become a CURTISS CONDOR again

tulsaboy · **Posted:** Tue Mar 05, 2013 11:31 am

Inspector- has your friend talked to Greg Herrick? He's pretty interested in all things Condor...

kevin

JohnB · **Posted:** Tue Mar 05, 2013 1:33 pm

If your friend doesn't want it, offer it to the AAA...
http://www.antiqueairfield.com/

They might want to restore it, find it a good home, or if worse comes to worse...give it a decent burial.

The Inspector wrote:

There's a guy around my neighborhood who's got a handful of old twisted and rusty tubes and tinwork that he says will become a CURTISS CONDOR again

I'd like to see that. BTW: does he have any connevtions with the museum at Arlington?

The Inspector · **Posted:** Tue Mar 05, 2013 2:32 pm

A) it's info that was mentioned in passing in another article I saw over a year ago-
B) I don't know the guy or his name so we definitely not friends or acquaintances
C) the article mentioned that his phone # started with (360) which is in my neighborhood, but then so is a guy who's building, on his own, a replica of the RYAN NYP and I don't know him, or his name either
D) FHC has a couple of huge storage hangers !@ KAWI but the other 'museum' went away several years ago in a very public display involving a suspended rope and two full bladders between the guy with the 'museum' and the Arlington City Council so he sold out to P. Allen.
Apparently a lot of sub rosa stuff going on out here amongst the Douglas Firs and Red Cedars that only occasionally pokes their heads out into the sunshine, folks around here do keep their secrets.

JohnB · **Posted:** Tue Mar 05, 2013 3:19 pm

I said Arlington, I meant these folks at Concrete....

http://skagitaero.com/

p51 · **Posted:** Tue Mar 05, 2013 3:28 pm

Just call TIGHAIR and tell them you found Amelia's airplane, they'll be knocking on your door with the camera crews in half an hour, I'd bet...

The Inspector · **Posted:** Tue Mar 05, 2013 3:32 pm

JohnB wrote:

I said Arlington, I meant these folks at Concrete....

http://skagitaero.com/

Could be, those guys amaze me every time I go up there, it's quite a drive up 2 lane Hwy 20, they should be closing in on finishing their Hall- Springfield BULLDOG racer replica. I usually go up there on the bike for their annual Summer Fly-in, they have and attract lots of very beautiful and rarely seen airplanes to that little asphalt patch.
I see they just added a STINSON SM-8

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1942? Fairchild found in the woods

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