Fairchild F-24 Argus
Serial Number:
G-AIZE
Period:
WWII
Collection Ref: 73/A/1097
Location: RAF Museum Cosford, Transport & Training
The four-seat Fairchild F24, sporting and training aeroplane,
made its first flight in 1932. The design attracted attention from the
civilian American market and improved models soon began to appear.
With the appearance of the F24W series, the aircraft's potential as a
light military transport was recognised by the United States Army. An
initial contract for 161 aircraft for the United States Army Air Force
(USAAF) was placed in 1941. However, all the aircraft were re-allocated
to the Royal Air Force under the American Lend-Lease Act which allowed
war materials ordered for the United States armed forces to be given to
other nations for the duration of the war. Further contracts led to the
delivery of more than 600 aircraft to the United Kingdom. Known in the
USAAF as the Forwarder, those arriving in Great Britain were given the
official name Argus.
The Argus was used in the light communications role by the RAF and found
a particular niche ferrying pilots of the Air Transport Auxiliary.
The Museum's aircraft was used during the war as a hack for the US 8th
Air Force. After purchase from private owners in 1973, it spent many years
in deep storage, before restoration for the Museum by the Medway Aircraft
Preservation Society in 1999.
