The aircraft was powered by a 225 hp (168 kW) Jacobs L-4 radial engine and had a luxury five-seat interior as standard.

The company predicted that the Model 45 would have only limited market appeal in that form, therefore only the prototype was built.

In 1997, Greg Herrick requested drawings of a Fairchild 45 tail section for an ongoing restoration project.

The effort led to the "Herrick amendment" added to the FAA Air Transportation Modernization and Safety Improvement Act of 2012.

[1] The amendment released the ATC type certificate information for 1,257 aircraft first certified in 1927 through the beginning of World War II in 1939.