Sherman Mills
Fairchild got his start in the aviation industry by designing his
own aerial cameras. In 1925, Huff-Daland failed to honor 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.
2003: Fairchild Dornier's assets go to
AvCraft (Virginia, USA), M7 Aerospace (Texas, USA) and RUAG
Aerospace (Switzerland)
