| Fairchild 91 A-942 | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Fairchild XR-942-B "Kono," belonging to explorer Richard Archbold | |
| General information | |
| Type | Flying boat airliner |
| Manufacturer | Fairchild |
| Primary user | Pan Am |
| Number built | 7 |
| History | |
| First flight | 5 April 1935[1] |
TheFairchild 91 (a.k.a.A-942) was a single-engine eight-passengerflying boat airliner developed in the United States in the mid-1930s.[2]
Fairchild designed the aircraft in response to aPan American Airways request[2] for a small flying boat to operate on their river routes along theAmazon andYangtze. The result was a conventional high-wing cantilever monoplane with its radial engine mounted above the wing in a streamlined nacelle. Before construction of the prototype was complete, however, Pan American no longer required the aircraft to operate in China, and Fairchild optimised the design for the Brazilian tropics.
After the first two aircraft were delivered, Pan American cancelled the remaining four aircraft of its order, as they no longer needed any for China, and the two aircraft were capable of handling the Amazon River.
The soleA-942-B was specially built for theAmerican Museum of Natural History and was used by naturalistRichard Archbold on his second expedition toPapua New Guinea in 1936–1937.[1]
The prototype was sold to theSpanish Republican Air Force, but the ship carrying it was captured by theSpanish Nationalists and was used by them until 1941.
The A-942 bought by industrialistGarfield Wood was sold to the British American Ambulance Corps before being transferred to theRAF, who operated it in Egypt for air-sea rescue.
One exampled was sold to the Imperial Japanese Naval Air Service for evaluation, but it was wrecked shortly after delivery, so a second example was purchased to replace it.
| MSN | Registration as built | Delivery Customer | Notes | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9401 | NC14743 | None - Prototype | to SpanishAviación Nacional as 63-1Virgen de Chamorro, scrapped 1941 | [4] |
| 9402 | NC14744 | Pan Am forPanair do Brasil | PP-PAP, wrecked atBelém, 1941 | [4] |
| 9403 | NC15952 | Pan Am forPanair do Brasil | PP-PAT, scrapped 1945 | [5] |
| 9404 | NC16359 | Imperial Japanese Naval Air Service | designated LXF-1, wrecked Japan, 1937 | [6] |
| 9405 | NC16690 | Gar Wood | toBritish American Ambulance Corps, then toRAF as HK832 | [6] |
| 9406 | NC19130 | Imperial Japanese Naval Air Service | designated LXF-1, wrecked in Nankin, China, 1939 | [7] |
| 9407 | NR777 | American Museum of Natural History | asKono (Duck) wrecked during storm inPort Moresby, 1936. | [8] |
Data from[1]
General characteristics
Performance
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
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