This perky, versatile FBA-2C aircraft will climb at 1,400 feet per minute with wheels and at 1,200 feet per minute with floats. Best climb speed for the bush aircraft is 80mph. It has been operated in the sub-Arctic during winter months.

The FBA-2C has been under development by Found Brothers Aviation Ltd. For more than 10 years. It is designed to operate in areas where service and repair facilities are non-existent and where replacement parts might take considerable time in arriving. Temporary repairs can be made with materials at hand. Even a major disassembly can be accomplished in the field with relatively simple equipment.

First in Canada

FBA-2C is the first private venture aircraft of its type and category designed, developed, and produced in Canada by a Canadian company. Found has been operating in Toronto for 18 years.

Basic price of the plane is approximately $18,500 in Canadian currency. This does not include taxed, radio, floatation or ski gear.

Low Cost

The company estimates the cost of a completely equipped aircraft with ski and float landing gear at approximately $28,000.

Georgian Bay Airways of Parry Sound, Ontario, has operated two production aircraft since early in the year and is buying four more to replace its current fleet of Cessna 180s. A logging firm in British Columbia has also taken delivery of a production unit on floats.

Found’s plant in Rexdale, Ontario, contains about 12,000 square feet of floor space capable of producing 60 planes a year. The company plans to produce 30 aircraft in the 12-month period from July 1964 to July 1965. Final assembly of the aircraft is done at the company’s flight center at Toronto International Airport. A larger plant will be necessary as sales increase.

The FBA-2C is powered by a 250-hp Lycoming O-540-AIC engine. Fuel is carried in two 25 ½ imperial gallon tanks located in the inboard sections of the wing. These feed a 1 ½ gallon collector tank located immediately forward at the co-pilot’s rudder pedals. The collector tank contains enough fuel to keep the engine operating for more than five minutes even if the aircraft is in such a position that fuel will not feed from wing tanks. Fuel capacity is 56 gallons.

Range of the plane with a 10-percent fuel reserve is 610 miles. The FBA-2C will climb 10,000 feet in 11 minutes at 90-percent gross weight. A test pilot’s report says the airplane will clear a 50-foot barrier in 800 feet with a full load.

FBA-2C can carry a 1200-pound load and get out of rough bush spots with a short take-off space, climbing at 1,200 feet per minute with floats. Best climbing speed is 80mph.

With floats, skis, or wheels, FBA-2C can take off in close quarters without trouble. The plane’s floats are bolted onto two attach points on each side of the fuselage. Landing gear cross-member and tail wheel are removed during operations with floats.

16,000 Foot Service Ceiling

The aircraft’s service ceiling is 16,000 feet. Maximum speed at 90-percent gross weight is 147mph, cruise speed at 75-percent power at 5,000 feet is 142mph and cruise speed at 60-percent power at the same altitude is 129mph.

The aircraft has been certified by the Air Service Branch or Canada’s Department of Transport and has been operated in the sub-Arctic during the winter months.

The plane is easy to fly, offers good visibility, is difficult to stall and can make 30 to 35-degree landing approaches with full 31 degrees of flap. During the aircraft’s development period, a maximum setting of 40-degrees was tried and able to fly a 45-degree landing approach.

The plane’s large flap area gives good aerodynamic braking and flying speed is killed almost instantly. It is possible to point the airplane’s nose at a given sport and land within 400 to 500 feet of runway.

The take-off run on floats is 1,000 feet with the aircraft coming off the water at about 60mph.

Specifications

FBA-2C’s specifications include: wing span 36 ft.; length, 25 ft. 6 in.; height, 7 ft. 9 in.; maximum gross weight, 2,950 pounds; propeller, McCauley 74 in. or Hartzell 88 in. constant speed performance.

The fuselage is welded steel tubing covered by thin aluminum skin. Its skin is not structural and the tubular framework carries the fuselage loads. All components are fully corrosion-proofed during manufacture.

Cantilever wing allows both front and rear cabin doors to open 180 degrees and lie flat against the fuselage. The company expects this feature will find favour with the bush operators since it will speed loading and unloading when the plane is on floats.**