A young Sherman Fairchild quit college in 1917 to start a company to build aerial cameras. After 3 years, Fairchild built the first successful large, high-speed between-the-shutter camera that was a major breakthrough in aerial photographic technology. Having started an aerial photographic and mapping company, Fairchild found airplanes of the day not suitable for the photographic mission. Sherman decided to build one himself. During the design of the plane, Fairchild decided to build a multi-purpose plane suitable for other piloting needs and to market these airplanes to the public.

Fairchild was the founder of an organization that through the years of manufacturing civilian and military aircraft would employ more than 50,000 men and women. Fairchild airplanes included in book are: FC-1, FC-2, Fairchild 71, 21, 41, 42, Kreider-Reisner, 22, XC-31, 45, 91, 24, M-62 (PT-19, PT-23, PT-26), 46, C-82, C-119, T-31, C-123 and F-27. Includes 3-view scale drawings by Paul Matt.