The Fairchild GK-1 was a military variant of the Fairchild Model 24 which was a four-place monoplane designed and built in the early 1930’s. The Model 24 was a direct descendant of Fairchild’s Model 22, an airplane that was designed to capture the market for both business and personal use. Fairchild had been hit hard during the Great Depression, as airline purchases were virtually non-existent. Their reaction to this was to cater their aircraft towards the personal and business market with the introduction of the Model 22 and then the Model 24. Known for its roomy interior, ease of handling, lower cost, and rugged airframe, the Model 24 proved to be quite a success for Fairchild. Beginning in 1936, the U.S. Navy ordered several Model 24’s, designating them GK-1’s and using them for trainer aircraft and research. In 1941 the U.S. Army Air Force also ordered several Model 24’s, designating them the UC-61, with many of them ultimately going to Great Britain through the Lend Lease Program. Production of the Model 24 ceased in 1948, but the airplane would remain popular after WW ll with private pilots and several air forces worldwide, including Finland, Canada, Australia, and Israel.
The Museum’s Fairchild GK-1, BuNo 7033, was built in Hagerstown, Maryland in 1940 and procured by the United States Navy between 1940-1942 for use as a four-seat transport aircraft. The airplane is on loan to the Museum from the National Museum of Naval Aviation in Pensacola, Florida.