Constructed in 1936 by Mr. M.M. Wilder, with c/r NC16817. He was a member of the Civil Air Patrol and based this plane at Coastal Base 2, Rehoboth, DE, during WWII. Mr. Wilder was awarded the Air Medal for his service at Coastal Patrol Base 2. 28 Sep '72: George L. Weiss, Ft. Washington, MD. In 1991 Mr. Weiss donated this plane to the Air Force Museum and flew it there; at the time he was a retired Lt. Colonel. The plane was then repainted as it appeared while flying with the CAP during WWII. 

The F-24 C8F was powered by a Ranger L-440 engine of 145 hp. 40 examples were built in 1936. You could buy one for $5390 - about $120,000 in 2024 money. Photo by: Alfred Eisenstaedt / Life

Airworthy Fairchild 24 at Planes of Fame Air Museum. First produced in 1932 for personal and business use, the Model 24 was available with inline and radial engines. It was a popular aircraft and over two thousand were built. The sturdy undercarriage construction allowed for operation from unimproved grass airfields. Twin floats could also be fitted to the aircraft. The C8F was one of 40 built that was powered by a 145-hp Fairchild Ranger inline engine. During WW2 this aircraft served as a trainer at Coffeyville Army Air Field in Kansas.

NC16817 is on display at the USAF Museum in the WW2 gallery. This a/c served during the war at CAP Coastal Base 2, Rehoboth, Delaware and has been restored with the markings it wore then.

In this tightly packed hangar, it was unfortunately impossible to get an uncluttered shot of this 1936 built gem.