Fairchild 24 The Fairchild Model 24 , is a four - seat , single - engine monoplane light transport aircraft that was used by the United States Army Air Corps as the UC - 61 and by the Royal Air Force . The Model 24 was itself a development of previous Fairchild models and became a successful civil and military utility aircraft . Design and development . Fairchild Aircraft was hit hard by the Great Depression in the early 1930s as airline purchases disappeared consequently the company attention turned to developing a reliable and rugged small aircraft for personal and business use . The Fairchild 22 became somewhat of a hit and led directly to the new and much improved Model 24 which gained rapid popularity in the early 1930s , noted for its pleasant handling characteristics and roomy interior . Having adapted many components from the automotive industry ( expansion - shoe brakes and roll - down cabin windows ) , the aircraft was also affordable and easy to maintain . In production continuously from 1932 to 1948 the aircraft remained essentially unchanged aerodynamically and internally , with the simple addition of extra passenger seating and optional equipment . The first models were equipped with only two seats , but in 1933 a third seat was installed and by 1938 a fourth was added . The interior was first created for the Model 24 in 1937 by noted American industrial designer Raymond Loewy . A minor airframe revision was made in 1938 with the redesign of the vertical fin and re - designation from C8 to F24G onwards . In an innovative concept , the aircraft was available with two powerplants , Warner ' s reliable Scarab and Fairchild ' s in - house 200 hp Ranger series in the F24C - 8 - D , E and F . Initially the 1932 model Fairchild 24C - 8 - B used a reliable and popular Warner 125 hp radial engine , and the Fairchild 24C - 8 - C used the Warner 145 hp radial . American Cirrus and Menasco Pirate inline engines were also occasionally used in some earlier Fairchild 24s . Later models such as the popular 24Ws upgraded to the 165 hp Warner Super Scarab . Designed for operations from relatively unimproved grass airfields , the sturdy undercarriage construction used a vertical oil dampened cylinder above the wheel with a pivoting strut attached to the lower fuselage . The result was a complex but undeniably solid undercarriage that could absorb large amounts of shock and was also adapted for the fitting of twin floats for water - based operations . The sturdiness of construction of the aircraft has ensured many have survived to this day . Some suggest the massive spruce main - spars can be loaded up to 10g , and while that figure is unproved , all pre - war utility category aircraft were designed to withstand at least 4 . 1g as opposed to the 3 . 8g post - war design limit standard . The Fairchild 24 built by Kreider - Reisner Aircraft , Hagerstown , Maryland , a division of Fairchild Aviation Corporation , remained in production from 1932 to 1948 , essentially the same airframe but with various powerplant and configuration enhancements . In all , Fairchild constructed over 1500 Model 24s , with an additional 280 being constructed by the Texas Engineering & Manufacturing Company ( TEMCO ) in Dallas when that company purchased the manufacturing rights after World War II . Operational history . In civil use , the aircraft was a quick sales success with prominent businessmen and Hollywood actors purchasing the aircraft . In 1936 , the US Navy ordered Model 24s designated as GK - 1 and JK - 1 research and instrument trainers . The type was also used by the US Army as a light transport and by the Coast Guard , with the designation J2 - K . The Civil Air Patrol operated many Fairchild UC - 61 / 24s and some aircraft were fitted with two 100 pound bombs for what became successful missions against German U - boat s off the east coast of the United States in the early stages of the Second World War . The UC - 61 was also procured by the US Navy as the GK - 1 and by the British Royal Air Force as the Fairchild Argus . In 1941 , the United States Army Air Forces ( USAAF ) placed an initial order for 163 Fairchild C - 61s , however via Lend - Lease , 161 of these were shipped abroad . Under the auspices of this program , the majority of the 525 Warner Scarab Fairchild 24s / C - 61s went to Great Britain . Most of these aircraft saw service as Argus Is and improved Argus IIs and were allocated to a newly formed adjunct of the Royal Air Force ( RAF ) , the Air Transport Auxiliary ( ATA ) . An additional 306 Ranger powered Argus IIIs were also used by the ATA . In British service , the majority of the Argus type operated with the ATA ferrying their aircrew to collect or deliver aircraft to and from manufacturers , Maintenance Units ( MU ) s and operational bases . The Argus I was a Warner Scarab equipped aircraft identified by its wind - driven generator located on the starboard struts , and was equipped with a black - painted propeller . The Argus II was also a Scarab powered aircraft , usually with a transparent cabin roof . This mark was certified for heavier operational weight than the Mark I and was identified by its yellow propeller . The Argus III was equipped with the six cylinder inverted inline Ranger engine . Postwar . The aircraft was used by small air charter operators for short distance taxi work and many were acquired by private pilot owners . It served with military forces as diverse as Finland , Thailand , Israel , Canada , the United States and Australia . The last " new " Fairchild 24 was assembled in 1948 from a large inventory of leftover parts in Winfield , KS . Ten Fairchild F24R aircraft operated for Comair ( South Africa ) during the period after the Second World War . Survivors . Converted military aircraft became popular postwar as personal transports and many survive to this day . Extremely solidly built , the aircraft survives in reasonably large numbers . Primarily , this popularity is probably due to affordability . Prices for low hour examples of the aircraft typically range between US $ 50 , 000 to US $ 90 , 000 ( 2006 values ) and some of the most pristine examples can be seen annually at the Experimental Aircraft Association fly - in at Oshkosh , Wisconsin . Aircraft museums worldwide are restoring examples for display ( such as " G - AIZE " at the Royal Air Force Museum at RAF Cosford ) . Fairchild 24R - 40 NC4841 - 1940 military variant is on display at Western Antique Aeroplane & Automobile Museum . Accidents and incidents . Toronto Maple Leafs NHL Hockey player Bill Barilko and his dentist Henry Hudson disappeared on August 26 , 1951 , aboard Hudson ' s Fairchild 24 floatplane , flying from Seal River , Quebec . On June 6 , 1962 , helicopter pilot Ron Boyd discovered the wreckage about 100 kilometres ( 62 mi ) north of Cochrane , Ontario , about 35 miles off course . The cause of the crash was deemed to have been a combination of pilot inexperience , poor weather and overloaded cargo .