37 Facts About Sherman Fairchild

Sherman Mills Fairchild was an American businessman and investor who founded over 70 companies, including Fairchild Aviation, Fairchild Industries, and Fairchild Camera and Instrument.

Sherman Fairchild held over 30 patents for products ranging from the silicon semiconductor to the 8-mm home sound motion-picture camera.

Sherman Fairchild was responsible for inventing the first synchronized camera shutter and flash as well as developing technologies for aerial cameras that were later used on the Apollo Missions.

Sherman Fairchild's father was a Republican Congressman as well as a co-founder and the first Chairman of IBM.

Sherman Fairchild's mother was the daughter of William Sherman, of Davenport, Iowa.

Sherman Fairchild's father died on December 31,1924, and as an only child he inherited his father's multimillion-dollar estate.

Sherman Fairchild inherited his father's IBM stock, becoming IBM's largest individual stockholder until his death in 1971.

Sherman Fairchild then transferred to the University of Arizona, where he became increasingly interested in photography.

Sherman Fairchild later transferred to Columbia University in New York and was enrolled in Columbia College from 1919 to 1920, according to the official registrar.

Sherman Fairchild always kept an eye out for opportunities to create or improve upon existing technology or capabilities.

In 1917, after being rejected from the military because of his poor health, Sherman Fairchild was determined to find another way to support the World War I effort.

Undeterred, Sherman Fairchild focused his attention on developing a more advanced camera, and in February 1920 he established the Sherman Fairchild Aerial Camera Corporation.

Sherman Fairchild wanted to expand the capabilities of his cameras for map making and aerial surveying.

Shortly afterward, Sherman Fairchild landed a contract to make a photomap of Newark, New Jersey, which was the first aerial mapping of a major city.

In 1923, Sherman Fairchild formed Sherman Fairchild Aerial Surveys of Canada, Limited after he was asked by the chief forester of the Laurentide Paper Company to perform aerial surveys of Canada.

In 1965 Sherman Fairchild sold Sherman Fairchild Aerial Surveys to Aero Services, Inc.

Sherman Fairchild Corporation developed the Sherman Fairchild Lunar Mapping Camera for NASA.

Sherman Fairchild soon realized that existing planes were not suitable for the type of maneuvering and extreme conditions that were often encountered during aerial photography.

Sherman Fairchild was a dominant force in the aviation industry during this period, becoming one of the nation's largest manufacturers of commercial aircraft.

Sherman Fairchild created, purchased, merged and sold his aviation company several times.

Sherman Fairchild incorporated Fairchild Aviation Corporation as a holding company for all his other endeavors, with two of its largest subsidiaries being the Fairchild Airplane Manufacturing Corporation of Farmingdale, New York, and the Kreider-Reisner Aircraft Company of Hagerstown, Maryland.

In 1936, Sherman Fairchild Aviation divested all of its aircraft manufacturing interests into the new Sherman Fairchild Engine and Airplane Co.

Sherman Fairchild was renamed Fairchild-Stratos Corporation in 1961, and began building meteoroid detection satellites for NASA as well as cameras that were used during the Apollo missions.

Later that same year Sherman Fairchild acquired Republic Aviation, which became the Republic Aviation Division of Sherman Fairchild Hiller.

In 1929, Sherman Fairchild acquired a controlling interest in the Kreider-Reisner Co.

In 1939, Fairchild bought a process developed by Virginius E Clark in which a composite made of hot layers of plywood soaked with resin adhesive and bonded under pressure was used for building airframes.

Sherman Fairchild was involved in the development and production of the process which he renamed Sherman Fairchild Duramold and then used on the AT-21 Gunner trainer.

In 1942, Sherman Fairchild developed the Sherman Fairchild Model 78, which was designed specifically for military transport.

Sherman Fairchild was awarded a military contract to build his large-capacity twin-boom plane, which featured a hinged rear door used to load bulky cargo to be designated the C-82 Packet.

Sherman Fairchild was able to remain profitable after the war by manufacturing the C-119 Flying Boxcar, an upgraded version of the Packet which incorporated more powerful engines and greater capacity.

In 1956, Sherman Fairchild built the Fokker F-27 Friendship passenger airplane, the first American-built airliner in service.

On December 18,1970, the Air Force selected Sherman Fairchild to develop the YA-10A prototype, which was the last aircraft project undertaken before Sherman Fairchild's death in 1971.

In 1931 Sherman Fairchild started the Sherman Fairchild Recording Equipment Corporation in Whitestone, New York, to augment his interests in photography and projection of images.

Sherman Fairchild Recording Equipment Corporation developed the audio Sherman Fairchild 660 mono and 670 stereo dynamic range compressors.

Sherman Fairchild died on March 28,1971, at Roosevelt Hospital in New York after a long illness.

Sherman Fairchild was buried in Glenwood Cemetery in Oneonta, Otsego County, New York, within walking distance of his childhood home, which became the Oneonta Masonic Lodge.

Sherman Fairchild left bequests to more than 50 relatives, friends and former employees.