Fairchild 71
First bush airplane of the North
Previously, pilots preferred open cockpit models that allowed them to sense an airplane’s speed, sound, and engine output.
Being out of the wind made the Fairchild 71 ideal for northern climates, and the New York-based company set up a factory in Canada to manufacture them there. The airplanes also flew extensively in Alaska as both passenger and cargo carriers.
Fairchild was a leader in photography, and the company designed and built its first aircraft—the FC-1 and the FC-2—when World War I surplus models weren’t stable enough for the era’s heavy cameras with slow shutter speeds.
The Fairchild 71 was a stretched version of the high-wing camera carriers, and wicker chairs and picture windows on both sides gave passengers an exceptional downward view.
This particular 71 was restored at Smoketown Airport (S37) in Pennsylvania by the father-and-son team of Marlin and Kendall Horst, who dedicated nine years to the project. It won top honors, a Gold Lindy, at EAA AirVenture in 2014—a testament to the airplane’s rarity and the Horsts’ skill, craftsmanship, and attention to detail.
