| FBA-2 | |
|---|---|
 Found Aircraft FBA-2C1 BushHawk | |
| 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-2 is a 1960sCanadian four/five-seat cabinmonoplane that was produced byFound Aircraft.
TheFound FBA-2 is 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-2B but 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]
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 Canada in March, 1999 and by theFederal 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]
The E350 is an evolutionary development of the basic FBA-2 aimed at the personal use market. The Expedition E350 wasFAAtype 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 aLycoming 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 itsHamilton, 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.[needs update] It is also planned to produce the E-350 in its joint venture plant inChina withBeijing General Aviation Company. The joint venture will be known asBeijing Pan-Pacific Aerospace Technology.[4][5][6]
Data from Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1965-66[7]
General characteristics
Performance
