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The Found FBA-2 is a 1960s Canadian four/five-seat cabin monoplane that was produced by Found Aircraft.

FBA-2
Found Aircraft FBA-2C1 BushHawk
Role	Cabin monoplane Type of aircraft
National origin	Canada
Manufacturer	Found Aircraft
Designer	S.R. Found
First flight	11 August 1960
Status	Production completed
Number built	68
Developed from	Found FBA-1
Variants	Found Centennial

Design and development

The Found FBA-2 is an all-metal development of the company's first design, the Found 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 the Found FBA-2B but the aircraft was produced with a conventional tail-wheel landing gear as the Found 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 larger Centennial 100. Thirty-four had been built.[1]

Bush Hawk-XP

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 by Transport Canada in March, 1999 and by the Federal Aviation Administration in 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

The E350 is an evolutionary development of the basic FBA-2 aimed at the personal use market. The Expedition E350 was FAA type certified in 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 a Lycoming IO-580 powerplant 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 Aerospace acquired the E-350 program in early 2016 from Found Aircraft. In September 2016, the E-350 Expedition tooling was shipped to its Hamilton, New Zealand plant. 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 in China with Beijing General Aviation Company. The joint venture will be known as Beijing Pan-Pacific Aerospace Technology.[4][5][6]

Variants

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)

Data from Jane'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-A1D air-cooled flat-six engine, 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

Citations

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Found FBA-2.

Bibliography

• The Illustrated 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.

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