His father had served in congress (1906-1919)
and was involved in a number of business enterprises,
including an important antecedent of IBM,
of which he was chairman from 1913-1923.
He left his son a sizable fortune,
which freed him to "tinker".
And tinker he did. 
1920 | Formed Aerial Fairchild Camera corporation |
1920 | First large, high speed, between-the-lens shutter for aerial cameras. This 1920 Fairchild invention made accurate aerial mapping possible for the first time. |
1924 | Fairchild Aviation Corporation |
1924 | First aerial mapping of all five boroughs of the City of New York. |
1927c | First commercially successful cabin monoplane built in the United States. Between 1927 and 1930, the Fairchild Aviation Corporation delivered more than 300 of its FC-2 series and became the nation's largest manufacturer of commercial aircraft of the period. |
1929/03 | Became a principal shareholder of Aviation Corporation (AVCO) |
1930ca-1956 | Director of Pan American Airways |
1930s | First air-cooled in-line engine with pressure cooling. Development of the 6- and 12-cylinder Ranger series engines started in the early 1930s. |
1930s | Pioneered application of composite structures to airframe design and production. The adhesive bonding processes and techniques developed during the mid-1930s are still followed in the manufacture of composite structures today. |
1931 | First aircraft specifically designed to airline specifications. The model 100-A Pilgrim was built in 1931 for American Airways (now American Airlines). |
1932 | First all-metal, semi-monocoque transport aircraft. Initially tested in 1932, the Model 150 also was the first transport capable of exceeding 200 mph. |
1935 | First successful aircraft radio compasses. The Kreusi radio compass was introduced in 1935 and more than 10,000 had been delivered by the time production ended in 1947. |
1935-1945 | First photographic, multiple-exposure flight analyzer for accurate recording and measurement of aircraft flight paths. Development of this complex and widely used camera started in the 1930s and was finally completed in the late 1940s. |
1936 | First U. S. Army aircraft specifically designed to carry military cargo. The only one of its kind, the XC-31 was delivered to the Army in 1936. |
1936 | First nine-lens mapping camera. It was built for the U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey in 1936. |
1939 | First practical low-wing primary military trainer. The Fairchild PT-19 won an Air Corps competition over 17 aircraft in 1939. More than 8,000 PT-19s were built for the military services of U. S. and allied nations during World War II. |
1941 | First lead computing gunsight for aircraft. It was developed in 1941 for installation on B-24 bombers. |
1948 | Fairchild Equipment Corp. |
1950? | First successful military transport specifically designed to accommodate the post-World War II concept of an all-air Army. The Fairchild C-82 and C-119 series pioneered the large-scale aerial delivery of military equipment and supplies. |
1950? | First integrated, pod-mounted photo reconnaissance system. It was developed for the B-58 bomber. |
1957 | Fairchild Semi-Conductor |
1957 | First U. S.-produced turbine-powered airliner to enter commercial service. Fairchild started production of the F-27 in 1957 and delivered 206 of the F-27, FH-227 series to U. S. airlines. |
1959 | Development of the Planar process for the manufacture of semi-conductors. Following its introduction in 1959, the process immediately became the industry standard. |
1960 | He is one of the 100 richest Americans |
1961 | First monolithic integrated circuit. This was developed in 1961. |
1970 | First semi-conductor memory for high speed computer applications. Following development in 1970, the memory was incorporated in the ILLIAC IIII at NASA Ames Research Center. |
![[TOP]](../COM/TopArrow.gif)
![[TOC]](../COM/TOC.gif)
![[BOT]](../COM/BottomArrow.gif)
