Found FBA-2
FBA-2 | |
---|---|
General information | |
Type | Cabin monoplane |
National origin | Canada |
Manufacturer | Found Aircraft |
Designer | |
Status | Production completed |
Number built | 68 |
History | |
First flight | 11 August 1960 |
Developed from | Found FBA-1 |
Variants | Found Centennial |
TheFound FBA-2is a 1960sCanadianfour/five-seat cabinmonoplanethat was produced byFound Aircraft.
Design and development
[edit]TheFound FBA-2is an all-metal development of the company's first design, theFound FBA-1.The prototype first flew on 11 August 1960. It is a high-wing monoplane with a fixed tricycle undercarriage. The production version was to be theFound FBA-2Bbut the aircraft was produced with a conventional tail-wheel landing gear as theFound FBA-2C.The first production FBA-2C first flew on 9 May 1962. It is powered by an Avco Lycoming O-540-A1D engine and had a slightly longer cabin and enlarged cabin doors than the prototype. Originally, float or ski landing gear was available through third parties, and later became a factory option. Production ended in 1965 to concentrate on building the newer and largerCentennial 100.Thirty-four had been built.[1]
Bush Hawk-XP
[edit]In 1996 the design was acquired by Found Aircraft Development who developed an improved model the FBA-2C2 Bush Hawk-XP. This model was certified byTransport Canadain March, 1999 and by theFederal Aviation Administrationin March, 2000. This version was manufactured between 2000-2007, after which it was replaced by a new version of the same basic airframe designated the Expedition E350 and the Expedition E350XC.[1]
Expedition E350
[edit]The E350 is an evolutionary development of the basic FBA-2 aimed at the personal use market. The Expedition E350 wasFAAtype certifiedin December 2008. The aircraft can be equipped with four or five seats and has a full fuel payload in excess of 900 pounds. It has a range of 700 nmi (1,296 km) at a cruise speed of 156 kn (289 km/h) and is powered by aLycoming IO-580powerplant producing 315 hp (235 kW). The E350 has been designed with rugged landing gear for operating from unprepared surfaces and has STOL performance.[2][3]
Pacific Aerospaceacquired the E-350 program in early 2016 from Found Aircraft. In September 2016, the E-350 Expedition tooling was shipped to itsHamilton, New Zealandplant. Pacific Aerospace planned to relaunch production of the five-seat type in the first half of 2017, but this date was not achieved. It is also planned to produce the E-350 in its joint venture plant inChinawithBeijing General Aviation Company.The joint venture will be known asBeijing Pan-Pacific Aerospace Technology.[4][5][6]
Variants
[edit]- FBA-2
- Prototype, one built.
- FBA-2C
- Initial production variant, 26 built.
- FBA-2C1 Bush Hawk 300
- Improved variant with a 300hp Lycoming IO-540L, one built.
- FBA-2C1 Bush Hawk XP
- Production variant of the Bush Hawk 300, 31 built.
- FBA-2C2 Bush Hawk 300XP
- Minor changes, 6 built.
- FBA-2C3 Expedition E350
- Tricycle landing gear first flown in 2006, 3 built.
- FBA-2C4 Expedition E350XC
- Tail-wheel, one built.
- FBA-2D
- Proposed variant powered by a 290hp Lycoming engine, not built.
Specifications (FBA-2C)
[edit]Data fromJane's All The World's Aircraft 1965-66[7]
General characteristics
- Crew:1
- Capacity:4 passengers
- Length:26 ft 5 in (8.05 m)
- Wingspan:36 ft 0 in (10.97 m)
- Height:8 ft 4 in (2.54 m)
- Wing area:180 sq ft (17 m2)
- Empty weight:1,550 lb (703 kg)
- Max takeoff weight:2,950 lb (1,338 kg)
- Fuel capacity:56 imp gal (67 US gal; 250 L)
- Powerplant:1 ×Avco Lycoming O-540-A1Dair-cooledflat-sixengine, 250 hp (190 kW)
- Propellers:2-bladed Hartzell constant-speed, 7 ft 4 in (2.24 m) diameter
Performance
- Maximum speed:147 mph (237 km/h, 128 kn) at sea level
- Cruise speed:129 mph (208 km/h, 112 kn) at 5,000 ft (1,500 m) (econ cruise, 60% power)
- Stall speed:48 mph (77 km/h, 42 kn) (power off, 35 degree flaps)
- Range:610 mi (980 km, 530 nmi)
- Service ceiling:16,000 ft (4,900 m)
- Rate of climb:1,100 ft/min (5.6 m/s)
References
[edit]Citations
[edit]- ^abFound Aircraft Development."Found Aircraft - A Brief History".Archived fromthe originalon 8 June 2008.Retrieved2008-02-20.
- ^Expedition Aircraft."Expedition Aircraft".Archived fromthe originalon 31 May 2009.Retrieved2009-01-01.
- ^Grady, Mary (December 2008)."Canada's Expedition E350 Gets FAA OK".Retrieved2008-12-31.
- ^Sarsfield, Kate."Pacific Aerospace's Chinese venture ready for 21 October inauguration".Flight Global.Retrieved2016-10-15.
- ^Niles, Russ (13 November 2016)."Found Expedition To Resume Production".AVweb.Retrieved14 November2016.
- ^Pacific Aerospace (1 November 2016)."Pacific Aerospace: Pacific Aerospace to Build the E-350 Expedition".www.aerospace.co.nz.Retrieved21 February2019.
- ^Taylor 1965, pp. 23–24.
Bibliography
[edit]- TheIllustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft(Part Work 1982-1985).London: Orbis Publishing.
- Taylor, John W. R.(1965).Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1965-66.London: Samson Low, Marston.