Sherman Fairchild

Sherman Mills Fairchild (* 1896 in Oneonta, New York State, † March 1971 ) was an American aircraft designer and industrialist. Throughout his life he founded more than 70 companies, including Fairchild Aircraft, Fairchild Industries, Fairchild Aviation Corporation and Fairchild Camera and Instrument. Fairchild Semiconductor, where he taxed the seed capital needed, played an important role in the development of microelectronics in the 1960s.

Life

He studied at Harvard University, the University of Arizona and Columbia University in particular subjects in the field of aerial photography.

Grew up an only child, he was with the support of his wealthy father, a watch and Abacus manufacturer, independently implement an early age his ideas into reality.

Fairchild was concerned at first with the development of cameras for aerial photography for military purposes. However, the military lost as a result of the end of the First World War, the interest in his work. He led them away, however, and in 1920 introduced the first camera before, the exact aerial photographs allowed for the creation of maps.

Until the mid- 1920s he made aerial shots of New York and Canada. The latter were of great benefit to the acquisition of suitable for timber production Canadian forest areas.

During his other work, he noted that the biplane used at the time for accurate aerial photography were not particularly well suited. This prompted him to start a company aircraft, the aircraft should develop more usable for his purpose.

Fairchild's list of development is very extensive, including brought to market the

• First Monoplane aircraft with heated cabin; more than 300 of which were delivered 1927-1930 from this machine. Fairchild was a result of the then largest U.S. aircraft manufacturer.
• First aircraft, which was developed specifically for the needs of airlines

In total, he received more than 30 patents for his inventions.

Overview of the Fairchild Aircraft

(in brackets: the military model)