When Sherman Fairchild bought controlling interest in Kreider-Reisner Aircraft, Hagerstown, Maryland, in 1929, the stage was set for the newly formed Fairchild Aircraft to become a major contributor to the country’s World War II efforts. In 1939, the company was awarded a contract to build 270 PT-19 trainers for the U.S. Army Air Corps. By the spring of 1944, Fairchild had manufactured more than 5,000 of the primary trainers, which became synonymous with the city of Hagerstown. When asked by the military to “put wings on a railroad boxcar,� Fairchild responded with various cargo aircraft including the C-82, the C-119, and the C-123. Fairchild’s contribution to the world of aviation unofficially ended in March 1984 with the delivery of the last of the A-10s contracted by the U.S. Air Force.