HAGERSTOWN – The Hagerstown Aviation Museum celebrated the 100th Anniversary of Fairchild Aviation last weekend, Sept. 12 – 14. There are a lot of reasons to note Fairchild even though it ceased manufacturing aircraft in Hagerstown in 1984.
One reason is because of Fairchild’s continuing influence. The A-10 Warthog gained fame in Iraq by doing what it was designed and built to do, and did it very well – stop Saddam Hussien’s Russian tanks and support troops on the ground. Of the 713 A-10s manufactured in Hagerstown, over 200 remain on active duty today.
Then there was the C-119 Flying Boxcar (yes, just like the baseball team). This aircraft was a mainstay of U.S. Air Force tactical air transport for many years. Lockheed’s C-130 Hercules occupies that place now, but it came with an interesting story. A Fairchild representative is said to have asked a Lockheed counterpart about their design. ” We looked at the best. We got most of it from the C-119,” the Lockheed man reportedly said.
If actual production does not move you, consider this. At its peak in the 1950s, Fairchild employed about 10,000 people just in the Hagerstown area. Even by today’s standards with 35,000 or so people in and around Hagerstown, that’s roughly 1 in 3. Several entire generations of people in the Hagerstown area bought homes, raised families, paid for their kids education and otherwise made Hagerstown what it is today.
By any measure, this was an enormously influential company. See the company’s historical timeline here. Whole generations of pilots learned to fly and were intimately familiar with these aircraft. Its legacy continues today in aviation and aerospace under other names. There is even a Fairchild Air Force Base in Washington State, which continues to operate.
According to John Seburn, museum board president, the museum opened in September 2020 with a mission of preserving and promoting the aviation history of Hagerstown. They began renovating leased buildings at the same time.
In February 2022 Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan stopped by. According to Seburn, the state had some surplus funds, and the governor was looking for worthy causes. Shortly thereafter, the museum received roughly $5 million to acquire all the facilities and continue renovation. “We’ve also acquired a number of aircraft manufactured by Fairchild” according to Seburn. “As renovation continues, we’re continuing to plan a series of shows each year based around our historical highlights.”
Good crowds gathered to see the display of Fairchild aircraft both in the museum and many that were flown in by aviation enthusiasts from as far away as South Carolina. See a sampling of those who flew in below. Some of those in the crowd took the opportunity to get a ride in a classic aircraft, either a Fairchild PT-19 or a Stearman PT-17.
“We were fortunate to have a good mix of classic aircraft coming in for the weekend” said Seburn, including a particularly well maintained Douglas C-47, the “Gooney Bird” used extensively in WWII and even today all over the world.”
“We were also very pleased to get a loaner A-10 for the anniversary celebration from the Air National Guard. That aircraft will return to its base Sunday around noon, followed by an A-10 Roundtable featuring pilots and others familiar with its contributions over many years of service.” according to Seburn.
“Additional very good news for the museum is that after several years of inquiring and planning, we’ll be getting a A-10 for permanent display arriving September 22nd.”
One would have to say that with a mission of preserving the aviation history of the Hagerstown area, the board and staff of the Hagerstown Aviation Museum are doing a pretty great job.
