Pictures of F-AZCI Fairchild 24R C/N #998

Here is an extraordinary picture, taken in 2002, at Paris-Le Bourget, exceptionnaly VFR flight were authorized to land to participate in a festival for the week-end!

F-AZCI, is proudly standing in front of Ariane rocket, in front of the "Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace"...

What could be greater?

Here is the true story of an exceptionnal historic aircraft

Running out from Hagerstown Fairchild's Factory as Construction Number #998, with the order serial 44-83037, by the mid year 1944.

This plane is a UC-61K "Forwarder" for the USAAF. (UC, standing for Utility Cargo).

Issued under the land-lease program build in order to help allied forces around the world, this plane was part of a production batch lot affected by the USAAF to the Royal Air Force with RAF marks beginning with "KK" series, and all of them were sent to north africa but 3 planes, were sent to United Kingdom, under the name "ARGUS III".

Those three planes were the lasts of this lot, KK379, KK380 and KK381.

C/N#998 was then KK380, affected to ATA unit (Air Transport Auxiliary), used by several units untill the army crossed Europe to Germany, this aircraft was "Home Census" on 21-3-46, going back from RAF to USAAF inventory.

Then KK380, becomes back 44-83037 and was stored in south Germany on american airbase.

Being sold as all other planes in storage in Germany in the beginning of July 1948, 44-83037 was then registered to the french civilian register under registering marks F-BEXC (and under type F24R-46 as there was no other civil types corresponding to this plane).

The buyer of F-BEXC was not somebody unknown to the aviation history: LOUIS BREGUET himself, did sign the registering act to the french register!

Louis Breguet's Fairchild was based in Villacoublay (nowadays stricly military airbase restricted area, were french president airplanes are based), in the south suburban of Paris.

This was at that time near to Breguet's office, so he could take his plane to fly to his other plants and home around Toulouse in the south-west of France.

F-BEXC was bought by the well known french connoisseur Jean Salis and Jean-Pierre Lafille, based in La Ferté-Alais in 1970. Being refreshed, this plane begins a new life as airshow star.

More than airshow, this plane begins to fly as a movie star, in movies such as "La 7e compagnie au clair de lune" (a french comedy about french army, and french "resistance" action during WWII) were KK380 under his RAF paint scheme is used as she maybe be used by that time, as secret flights actions.

Look at the scene beginning around 4min30 of this extract:
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x8ato4_best-of-cinema-la-7eme-compagnie-au_fun

In 1982 she turns in a first role, in the TV serie 4th season "Les Faucheurs de Marguerites" (a TV program dealing withh the history of aviation from very earrly age of aviation up to WWII).