memenero.blogg.se

1. Stars and stripes fc series#
2. Stars and stripes fc windows#

The aircraft was flown to the Naval Air Station at Hampton Roads, Virginia, where it was disassembled, crated, and loaded onboard a Norwegian whaling ship for transport to Antarctica. Pittsburgh businessman and Fairchild investor George Hann paid for the aircraft and its precious cameras, relieving Byrd of the burden. The cabin was modified to carry a pilot, navigator, radio operator, fuel tank, writing desk, cameras, a drift meter, and survival gear. Byrd's aircraft, NX8006, was pulled off the production line for modification for its Antarctic work and was delivered Augwith the name Stars and Stripes. It received Aircraft Type Certificate #61 in June 1928. The FC-2W2 model had a longer fuselage and increased ailerons area to carry either six passengers or additional payload.

Stars and stripes fc series#

Though developed for aerial photographic use, the FC-2 series was an immediate hit with bush pilots, utility operators and fledgling air line services.

Answering the requests of bush pilots, the FC-2W model sported six more feet of wingspan and a Pratt & Whitney Wasp 400 hp engine that improved speed, range, and payload. The FC-1 prototype was followed by the FC-2 with a Wright Whirlwind J-5 200 hp engine and the initial three-longeron fuselage used on early FC-2s was replaced by a 4-longeron design.

The wings were semi-cantilever and could fold back along the fuselage to allow easier storage and movement of the aircraft on the ground.

Stars and stripes fc windows#

Windows in the front, sides, and even the floor of the aircraft provided ample visibility for the pilots and photographers. The FC-1 offered an enclosed cockpit for the pilot and a large cabin area capable of carrying photographers and cameras, or cargo, or five passengers. Seeking a better aircraft for such work than the open-cockpit, under-powered, contemporary aircraft, Fairchild designed and built his own aircraft, the Fairchild Cabin Monoplane, FC-1. Seeking a civilian use for the camera, Fairchild established Fairchild Aerial Surveys Corporation for aerial photography and mapping services. In 1922, Sherman Fairchild developed a practical aerial camera, the Fairchild K-3B, that became standard equipment for the U.S. The Stars and Stripes, as the FC-2W2 was christened, proved to be a sturdy and practical addition to the Expedition's complement of aircraft, providing a steady platform for thousands of aerial photographs of new, unexplored terrain. The Fairchild FC-2W2 cabin monoplane was chosen as an all- purpose aircraft for the expedition while the Ford tri-Motor Floyd Bennett was to fly the historic South Pole flight. Commander Richard Byrd decided to mount an expedition to Antarctica for scientific research and, more important, to become the first to fly over the South Pole. The Virginia Aviation Museum then displayed it until its return to NASM in 2016.įollowing his transatlantic flight from New York to the coast of France in the Fokker tri-motor America in June 1927, Lt. The Museum acquired the collection of parts in 1961 and lent them to the Cradle of Aviation Museum, on Long Island, New York, for restoration from 1982 to 1989. Later the Fairchild Corporation used it for photo surveys across the United States and Guatemala. A successor to Sherman Fairchild’s FC-2, this FC-2W2 provided a steady platform for Fairchild cameras and rescue missions.

Byrd, the Fairchild FC-2W2 flew pioneering mapping and reconnaissance flights on the first and second Byrd Antarctic expeditions (1928–1930, and after three years’ burial in snow, 1933–35). For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page. View Manifest View in Mirador Viewer Usage Conditions May Apply Usage Conditions Apply There are restrictions for re-using this media. IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and image viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Usage Conditions May Apply Usage Conditions Apply There are restrictions for re-using this media.