FBA type B
| FBA type B | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Type: | Flying boat |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
1914 |
| Commissioning: |
1915 |
| Production time: |
January to September 1915 |
| Number of pieces: |
230 |
The FBA Type B was a biplane - flying boat of Donnet-Lévêque type, which during the First World War in France and in the United Kingdom was produced. It was an evolution of FBA Type A .
History and construction
The beginning of 1914 the prototype of the FBA type B with a 100 was PS strong rotary engine of Gnome in Argenteuil built. The Swiss Ernest Burri took part in the Schneider Trophy with this flying boat . He took second place with an average speed of 82 km / h. Burri and the winner, Howard Pixton, were the only ones to make it to the finish line.
The nine-cylinder rotary engine was suspended between the wings and drove a propeller in a pusher configuration . The two seats for the pilot and the observer were arranged side by side. In order to better stow the flying boat in a hangar of an aircraft mother ship, the wings were foldable.
In the summer of 1914, the FBA Type B was presented to the French Navy, but without an order. It was not until December 1914 that 40 units were requested. The Royal Naval Air Service also orders 40 aircraft. Other users of the flying boat were Russia , Portugal and Italy . From January to September 1915 150 FBA Type B flying boats were produced in Argenteuil and another 80 under license from Norman Thompson Flight Company in Bognor Regis . The flying boat was used for reconnaissance and as a bomber. The FBA Type B was mostly not armed or only armed with a Lewis machine gun. Only a few units had a Canon revolver de 37 . Because of this, they were easy prey for German fighter planes.
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Data |
|---|---|
| crew | 2 |
| length | 9.14 m |
| span | 13.71 m |
| height | 2.92 m |
| Wing area | 32.00 m² |
| Empty mass | 574 kg |
| Takeoff mass | 907 kg |
| drive | 1 × rotary motor Gnome Monosoupape 9 Type B-2 with 100 PS (74 kW) |
| propeller | 1 |
| speed | 96 km / h |
| Range | 300 km |
| Max. Summit height | 3500 m |
| Armament | 150 kg bombs |
literature
- Justin D. Murphy: Military Aircraft, Origins to 1918: An Illustrated History of Their Impact , 2005, p. 190
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Stella Pixton: Howard Pixton: Test Pilot and Pioneer Aviator , 2014, pp. 165-168, 171, 175