Fairchild 82

Model 82 and 34-42 Niska

Picture - Fairchild 82 float plane at Forty Mile, Yukon, July 1938

Role: Civil utility aircraft
Manufacturer: Fairchild Aircraft Ltd. (Canada)
First flight: 6 July 1935
Number built: 24

The Fairchild 82 and the 34-42 Niska were a family of utility aircraft produced in Canada in the mid-1930s, based on designs by Fairchild Aircraft Ltd. (Canada)'s parent company in the United States.

Design and development

In 1929-1930, Fairchild (Canada) designed an eight-seat transport known as the Model 81. The single prototype was powered by either a 575 hp Pratt & Whitney Hornet or Armstrong Siddeley Jaguar. The design was a "one-off" and did not enter production. In 1934, the parent company had also developed the Super 71 variant of the Fairchild 71, but reception in the marketplace was lukewarm. Undaunted, the company continued to refine the design and produced the Model 82 the following year. This retained the stretched forward fuselage and separate flight deck that had been a feature of the Super 71, but increased passenger and load capacity.

The resulting aircraft proved a modest success, with three sold to the government of Venezuela, one to the government of Mexico, and another seven going to various Canadian regional airlines. Variants with various powerplant changes followed, three of which were sold to the Argentine Navy. The final development of this design was the 34-42 Niska, incorporating changes made after N.F. Vanderlipp joined the company from Bellanca (the new model reflecting Bellanca's idiosyncratic model numbering, and taking its name from an indigenous people of Canada). After unsuccessful trials with its 420 hp Ranger powerplant, the aircraft was converted back to a Model 82D standard with a S3H1 Wasp. Only a single example was built, and today it remains as the sole example surviving in Canada.

Operational history

The Fairchild 82 was a rugged performer and found a niche as a freighter especially in northern Canada, although export versions had a variety of roles assigned to it. While its main competitor, the Noorduyn Norseman was also finding success, the Fairchild company decided to abandon the bush plane market and ceased production of the Model 82 in favour of converting its production lines to the Bristol Bolingbroke version of the bomber that was being produced for Royal Air Force and Royal Canadian Air Force needs in the years prior to the Second World War.

The company had intended to enter the postwar civilian market with an upgraded Model 82 but due to an error in judgment, the original tooling had been destroyed during the war years. The remaining Fairchild 82s in service continued to fly, primarily in Canada until the late 1960s.

A modern 40-year old mystery of the Arctic was recently solved when the remains of the 1938 Fairchild 82 were found south of Bathurst Inlet. The aircraft belonged to bush pilot Chuck McAvoy, who was flying a pair of American geologists on 9 June 1964, when he disappeared. After an extensive search, the story of the missing Fairchild became a legend of the north until 2003 when the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) stumbled on the crash site.

Variants

Model 82A - original production version (12 built) (c/n 35-42, 44, 48, 60-61)
Model 82B - version with uprated engine (8 built) (c/n 43, 45-47, 49, 62-63, 65)
Model 82D - version with increased maximum takeoff weight (4 built) (c/n 64, 66-67, 69)
34-42 Niska - refined version with new tailplane (1 modified from 82D c/n 64, modifed back to 82D)

Specifications (82A)

General characteristics

Crew: Two pilots
Capacity: 9 passengers
Length: 11.25 m (36 ft 11 in)
Wingspan: 15.54 m (51 ft 0 in)
Height: 2.86 m (9 ft 5 in)
Wing area: 31.9 m² (343 ft²)
Empty weight: 1,388 kg (3,060 lb)
Gross weight: 2,869 kg (6,325 lb)
Powerplant: 1 x— Pratt & Whitney Wasp, 391 kW (525 hp)

Performance

Maximum speed: 249 km/h (155 mph)
Range: 1,054 km (655 miles)
Service ceiling: 4,770 m (15,650 ft)
Rate of climb: 4.6 m/s (900 ft/min)

Bibliography

Donald, David, ed. The Encyclopedia of World Aircraft. Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada: Prospero Books, 1997. ISBN 1-85605-375-X.
Milberry, Larry. Aviation In Canada. Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson Ltd., 1979. ISBN 0-07-082778-8.
Molson, Ken M. and Taylor, Harold A. Canadian Aircraft Since 1909. Stittsville, Ontario: Canada's Wings, Inc., 1982. ISBN 0-920002-11-0.
Taylor, Michael J.H. Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions, 1989, p. 354. ISBN 0-51710-316-8.
World Aircraft Information Files. London: Bright Star Publishing, File 894 Sheet 04.

Fairchild 82 Pictures

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Source: WikiPedia