Flight, October 1935

TWO AMERICAN MONOPLANES
By C. N. COLSON

   IT is not often that one is privileged to try out foreign aircraft in the country of their origin, so when, during a recent visit to the United States, I was given this opportunity I seized it with alacrity.
   The two machines with which I shall deal are both single-engined jobs, but there any similarity ceases. I chose them because they are at opposite ends of the scale, and I am therefore relieved of the doubtful pleasure of comparing them.
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   Turning now to my second machine, we come to something of an entirely different class. This was the Fairchild 24 three-seater cabin machine with the 145 h.p. Warner Super-Scarab engine. Here we have something which is virtually the American answer to our own Leopard Moth class of machine. I was naturally somewhat prejudiced against it at the start in view of the large horse-power and the fuel consumption, but after flying it I must admit that, from a private owner's point of view, it was one of the most fascinating aeroplanes I have ever been in. It seemed quite impossible inadvertently to do anything wrong. By that I mean that no matter in how slovenly a manner I made turns, or how I stalled the machine, or used the controls in a foolish, coarse manner, nothing serious happened or even looked like happening. The machine would, to all intents and purposes, fly itself "hands and feet off," and for all normal flying it did not matter whether you flew either with the stick or with the rudder alone, provided you had trimmed-up fairly carefully.
   Being a high-wing monoplane design, the Fairchild naturally led me to expect a fairly high degree of pendulum stability, but I was not quite so prepared to find the aerodynamic stability in all planes so pronounced. It was a real pleasure to have a machine in which one could "let go" and turn round to talk to one's passenger or reach for a sandwich without feeling that at any second it would be necessary to grip the controls and pull out of a steep diving turn, or something equally alarming. It would be difficult to imagine a machine more suitable for the American pilot who wants to fly with comfort in any weather and to visit any class of aerodrome.
   From an inside point of view this little Fairchild is admirable. The two front seats are arranged side by side with full dual control, and upon the instrument pane; are all the essential instruments, although the layout in this respect is not so lavish as that of many other American machines. The outlook, however, is good, with deep windows along each side, and the seating is comfortable. The third passenger is placed behind the other two, leaving a space at the side for luggage. Actually, something over 200 lb. of luggage can be carried, as well as three passengers and enough fuel and oil for 490 miles.

Flight, September 1937

THE FAIRCHILD IS HERE
Flying the Ranger-engined Version of the "24": An Excellent Compromise from America

   THE majority of us hold certain quite definite (but dissimilar) ideas about the perfect machine for everyday flying by the amateur pilot who wishes to make reasonably extensive use of the air.
   As an example, my own "ideal" specification stresses features such as a good take-off and a steep, fully adjustable approach (for safe operation in and out of small aerodromes), coupled with a really useful range and the sort of cabin accommodation which provides both actual and visual comfort. Speed above a certain reasonable minimum for dealing with headwinds appears to me to be an overrated virtue unless a machine is to be used for very long distance or competition work. Few people, in any case, appear to know what to do with the odd quarter of an hour which may be saved on a normal journey by a fast aeroplane, and travelling is usually more fun than arriving - provided that we do not not suffer from control cramp.
   Needless to say, the average aeroplane designed for the use of the private owner is an unholy compromise - stress being laid on certain features according to the particular opinions held by the manufacturer. In America power has been laid on without stint (fuel being cheap), not so much to provide great speed as to enable a sort of car body to travel through the air with reasonable swiftness. Over here we have had to do our best with engines of comparatively small power, and cabin space has necessarily been somewhat restricted to some extent.
   Last week, by courtesy of Malcolm and Farquharson, of Heston, I had a chance of flying one of the new Fairchild “24s" with a six-in-line Ranger engine, and it appeared to me that here was an almost perfect Anglo-American compromise. The machine has all the rigid stability (particularly in the fore-and-aft plane), and the interior comfort which one has learnt to expect in American types, yet it should not cost too much to operate. The 150 h.p. Ranger engine, in fact, uses a little less than nine gallons of fuel in an hour's flying at cruising power, and the machine carries three people in considerable comfort with a reasonable amount of baggage. This engine is specially designed for reliability and long service. With the lighter and more efficient Warner Super-Scarab, the "24" carries four people and their luggage.
   There is nothing particularly startling about the performance of the Fairchild. I found that at 2,100 r.p.m. the machine cruised comfortably at 120 m.p.h. It is simply a good, sturdy, viceless and comfortable means of private transport, which is what most people require.
   Properly trimmed, it will take itself off, though the run is shortened if the tail is forced off the ground during the process of acceleration. In the air it will fly by itself and will turn accurately on either rudder or ailerons if the movements are made with reasonable caution. It is quiet, one can fly with each of the two car-type windows right down without experiencing any draught (I flew with the "driving" window down the whole time, having forgotten that it was open), and there is no great multiplication of controls.
   The approach and landing are the easiest imaginable. With the engine throttled back and the glide properly trimmed by means of the roof handle, one can float silently around at 60 m.p.h. until the machine is in a good position for the final approach. The mechanically operated flaps can then be moved to the half-down position with one eye on the boundary, and, finally, if one is still a little high, these flaps can be fully depressed, making the gliding angle as steep as one could wish. There is no change of trim as the flaps are moved to their two positions, though they emit a syren-like sound when fully down. This sound, incidentally, fades out at about 5 m.p.h. above the stall, so it has its uses. The landing can be made anyhow, and the undercarriage should be wide enough to take any accidental swing after touching down. With the flaps either up or down, the "24" sideslips with pleasant visibility, so one has a third means of adjusting the approach without the rumbling which is so necessary on many modern types.

Vicelessness

   At a safe height I played with straight stalls, both flapped and unflapped, and made one exceedingly slow sideslip by way of learning the worst. In each case the machine simply sinks and drops its nose a trifle to the accompaniment of minor shudderings as the A.S.I. indications go below 50 m.p.h. No doubt the "24" will spin with sufficient provocation, but it is difficult to imagine that ordinary carelessness will produce anything worse than an expensive sink into the deck.
   Criticisms are limited to the toe-operated brakes, which do not give one full accuracy of control on the ground and gave me an ankle-ache, and to the view, which, excellent in every normal direction, is non-existent to the rear and poor during steep gliding turns. Apparently the roof window has been discarded as unnecessary.
   If our expansion programme goes on as it is going now there will be no full-size light aeroplanes to be bought over here, and machines like the Fairchild "24" will just fill the gap. A pity; but it is nice to think that something will be available during the lean years. No price has yet been fixed, but it is probable that the Ranger-engined machine will be sold at about ?1,400 and the Warner-engined model at about ?1,350.

THE FAIRCHILD "24."
150 H.P. 6-cyl. RANGER ENGINE,

   Weight empty 1,551 lb.
   Gross weight 2,400 lb.
   Max. speed 127 m.p.h.
   Cruising speed 121 m.p.h.
   Rate of climb 650 ft./min,
   Take-off run 470 ft.
   Landing speed 47 m.p.h.
   Cruising range 500 miles
   Distributors: Malcolm & Farquharson, Ltd., Heston Airport, Hounslow, Mddx.

Flight, March 1938

THIS YEAR'S "24"
Some Flying Impressions of the Latest Fairchild - Now Available as a Full Four-seater with Either Warner or Ranger Engine

   FLYING costs and conditions are so very different in America that it is customary to treat their luxury private-owner types almost as one would treat small transport aeroplanes. Whereas the difference in running costs between a 100 h.p. and, say, a 300 h.p. machine is comparatively small in that country, such costs are of considerable importance over here, and very few enthusiastic people are in a position to afford the advantages which unlimited power can provide in the way of equipment and roomy comfort.
   Among American cabin machines the Fairchild 24 is one of the few which are comparable in size and power with the light aeroplanes which have been developed in this country. Nevertheless, the interior arrangements of the latest version are on lines to which we have become accustomed in machines from the other side of the Atlantic - and, regrettably enough, to which we are far from being accustomed in this country. Where the young and enthusiastic aeronaut is concerned the general appearance of the outside and, particularly, of the inside of a machine is not very important, but it is impossible to over­estimate the value of familiar furnishings and fittings, designed to give an appearance of immense solidity, when one is attempt­ing to interest the newcomer.
   To a very large extent the Fairchild 24 makes the best of both worlds. Although flying only on 165 h.p. - in the case of the Ranger version - the compromise in favour of comfort has not been made at too great an expense in cruising speed.
   It is idle, of course, to pretend that any particular American aeroplane is more perfect than a typical English one - in fact, the average "ship" has flying characteristics which are distinctly peculiar to English hands and feet - but some of these visitors certainly tend to give one ideas above one's station. The wide car-type seats, the solid-looking control arrangements, the superior finish and the very complete standard equipment should always (but rarely does) provide salutory ideas for our own manufacturers. In the case of the Fairchild the standard equipment includes an electric starter, navigation lights, fire extinguisher and, interestingly enough, a built-in first-aid kit, while amongst approved accessories which the machine has been designed to take are such items as two-way radio, landing lights and all the mass of special instruments which, for ordinary flying, are amusing rather than essential.
   Although the word "visitor" applies to the Fairchild, Mr. Antoine Gazda, who has been empowered by the company to arrange for its distribution in this country, is looking out for a possible manufacturer over here. In its imported form the cost of the De luxe model is not likely to be very much less than £1,900 or £2,000, but the suggestion is that if some firm could be encouraged to make the machine over here the price would be in the region of £1,400 - which is reasonable enough when its performance, capacity and equipment are taken into consideration.
   As a flying machine the new "24" is not very different from that dealt with in Flight of September 2, 1937, but the controls are rather lighter and smoother, the cabin is roomier, the finish is better and, most important of all, the payload has been increased so that the machine may be treated as a full four-seater with either the 165 h.p. in-line Ranger Six - or the radial Warner Super-Scarab. The one which I flew is fitted with the Ranger, which, though not permitting quite so large a payload as that in the case of a machine fitted with the Warner, is likely to find greater favour, particularly as this engine has been designed for really hard wear rather than for maximum efficiency in terms of power-weight ratio. It is interesting to surmise what the machine’s performance and characteristics would Ire like if it could be fitted, for instance, with a Gipsy Six.

Without Attention

   In common with the best American private-owner types, the Fairchild’s most outstanding feature from the pilot's point of view is its rigid stability in all axes, and it is probably fair to say that it requires less attention in the air than any British light aeroplane. It will fly and turn accurately on either the ailerons or the rudder, though the effect is more accurate the latter case when the machine is trimmed to a climbing attitude. The stall with the flaps either up or down is harm­less enough.
   For the best results a rather special take-off technique is applied. During the initial part of the run the stick is kit in the neutral position with tail just clear of the ground, ana this is lifted only a few seconds before the moment when tin machine is airborne. Once one is off the ground the machine can be held firmly in the air, and it is neither necessary nor advisable to attempt to level off in order to gain speed. Again, for better results, the take-off is made with the flaps in the half-down position.
   Remembering its innocuous stall, the approach can be made, if necessary, very slowly indeed, and the flaps, even when fully down, are not so potent that the hold-off period, even at a gliding speed of 55 m.p.h., is dangerously shortened. These flaps, however, are very effective at somewhat higher speeds and in case of emergency, or if there was any doubt about one's ability to reach a particular field during a forced land­ing, the nose can actually be pointed at the boundary while the speed, at anything less than a sheer diving angle, does not increase above 80 m.p.h. This excess speed can be quickly removed at the last moment with full rudder and a sufficient amount of opposite aileron to prevent the machine from turn­ing. A strong capacity for accurate sideslipping is one which is rather missed in some of the more modern high-efficiency types. The Fairchild sideslips strongly with the flaps either up or down. These flaps are directly operated by means of a lever between the two front seats. Incidentally, at the speeds above 75 m.p.h. the airflow past the flaps can be heard, and this whistling noise might sometimes be useful as an aural guide to approach speed.
   The cabin is as quiet as one can expect in a single-engined machine, and entry does not demand gymnastics or contortions. When the side windows are open there is no draught except when the speed is very low. My only complaints concern the view to the rear, which is non-existent (though not altogether necessary with efficient differentially acting brakes), the position of the trimming crank in the roof, and the arrangement of the pedal-operated brakes. No doubt one soon becomes accustomed to the trimming crank movement, and sufficiently well trained in the feet and legs to be able to operate the brake pedals with accuracy. Nevertheless, as a purely personal opinion, I think that all pedal operation for brakes should be abolished. There are two wing tanks and the gauge and control system for these is very simple, with two gauges on each side of the cabin at the wing roots and two plain on-off taps beside them. One can either fly on both tanks, or on one at a time, depending on whether fuel consumption is a matter of importance.
   On the face of it there is nothing really outstanding about the Fairchild 24, except a degree of comfort to which we are certainly not accustomed over here, but the machine is an excellent example of pure compromise. It is extremely easy and safe to fly, it carries four people and their luggage, and its cruising speed on the matter of 165 h.p. is quite as high as that required by the private owner.
   Indicator.

THE DE LUXE FAIRCHILD “24”
165 b.p. Six-cylinder Ranger Engine

Span 36ft. 4in.
Length 24ft. 10in.
Weight, empty 1,561 lb.
All-up weight 2,550 lb.
Cruising speed (optimum altitude) 132 m.p.h.
Landing speed 47 m.p.h.
Rate of climb 730 ft./min.
Cruising range 560 miles
Enquiries to: Mr. Antoine Gazda, Dorchester Hotel, London, W.l.

Flight, September 1939

To-day's Light Aeroplanes
FOREIGN MACHINES on the BRITISH MARKET

FAIRCHILD

   The well-known 24 cabin machine is, of course, still in production. This is a strut-braced, high-wing cabin monoplane three-seater and is available at prices upwards of £ 1.750.
   With a Ranger engine of about 165 h.p. the top speed is 134 m.p.h. and the cruising speed 126 m.p.h. The cruising range is 530 miles.