Fairchild (1) F-24 Argus
The Fairchild 24 was a four-seat cabin monoplane first flown in 1932 as an economical civilian tourer, but it found a second career after 1941 when the United States Army ordered the F24W version as a light communications aircraft. Lend-Lease diverted the entire first contract, and more than 600 further examples, to the Royal Air Force, which named the type Argus rather than using its American designation Forwarder. Argus aircraft flew liaison duties and ferried Air Transport Auxiliary pilots between factories and airfields throughout the war. Production continued after 1945 under Dallas-based Temco, which built 280 more, bringing total Fairchild 24 output to roughly 1,800 aircraft.
Did you know?
American-built but British-named: Lend-Lease sent the Fairchild 24 to the RAF, where it carried the name Argus.
Specifications
| Length | 7.2 m (24 ft) |
|---|---|
| Wingspan | 11 m (36 ft) |
| Height | 2.2 m (7 ft) |
| Persons on board | 2 |
| Maximum take-off weight | 1.1 t |
| Range | 410 NM (759 km) |
| Service ceiling | 14,000 ft (4,267 m) |
| Optimum ceiling | 10,000 ft (3,048 m) |
| Units built | 2,232 |
Curated by CatchFlights from manufacturer documents, ICAO Doc 8643 and reference works; values are left out where no source could confirm them. Sources are listed on our credits page.
In CatchFlights
In CatchFlights the Fairchild (1) F-24 Argus starts as a Rare catch. The tier is an editorial judgement of how special a sighting of this type is. The more often you catch it, the closer it moves to Common for you.
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