Fletcher FBT-2
| Fletcher FBT-2 | |
|---|---|
| Type: | Training aircraft / drone |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
1941 |
| Number of pieces: |
11 |
The Fletcher FBT-2 was a military trainer aircraft made by the American manufacturer Fletcher Aviation .
History and construction
The FBT-2 was a low wing aircraft with a fixed tail wheel landing gear . Teachers and students sat behind one another under a closed cockpit hood. The aircraft was made entirely of plywood and the wings, as well as the tail unit, were interchangeable. A prototype was built for military tests, the USAAF did not place an order as a training aircraft, but as a remote-controlled target drone under the designation XPQ-11 . The prototype of the FBT-2 was equipped with a nose wheel landing gear and a radio remote control receiver for this purpose . Two batches of 50 drones each were ordered, but canceled in favor of the PQ-8 Cadet before deliveries could begin . The USAAF, however, still took the PQ-11 , which was already under construction , but without engines; instead, bomb charges were mounted in its bow to be used as the XBG-1 for glide bomb experiments.
variants
- FBT-2 - Beginner's training aircraft with a Wright R-760 piston engine and tail wheel landing gear , 1 built
- CQ-1 - remote-controlled drone with nose wheel landing gear (1 converted from the FBT-2)
- PQ-11 - Aircraft target display drone with nose wheel landing gear and Pratt & Whitney R-985 radial engine (10 built but not finished)
- XBG-1 - glide bomb with 900 kg warhead (10 converted from unfinished PQ-11)
Military use
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Data (FBT-2) |
|---|---|
| crew | 2 |
| length | 7.09 m |
| span | 9.14 m |
| height | ? m |
| Wing area | ? m² |
| Empty mass | ? kg |
| Max. Takeoff mass | ? kg |
| Top speed | 280 km / h |
| Cruising speed | 280 km / h |
| Service ceiling | 5800 m |
| Range | 540 km |
| Engines | 1 × Wright R-760-E2 piston engine with 212 kW |
See also
literature
- Michael JH Taylor: Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation . Studio Editions, London 1989, p. 392.