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Fleetwings Sea Bird

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Length
  
9.74 m

Manufacturer
  
First flight
  
1936

Fleetwings Sea Bird Fleetwings Sea Bird Golden Wings museum39s shiniest airplane AOPA

The Fleetwings Sea Bird (or Seabird) was an American-built amphibious aircraft of the 1930s.

Contents

Design and production

Fleetwings Sea Bird Fleetwings Seabird

The Sea Bird was an amphibious utility aircraft designed in 1934-5 by James C. Reddig for Fleetwings, Inc., of Bristol, PA. While the aircraft's basic configuration had a precedent in the design of the Loening "Monoduck" developed by the Grover Loening Aircraft Company as a personal aircraft for Mr. Loening (for whom Reddig worked from 1929-1933), the Sea Bird was unusual because of its construction from spot-welded stainless steel. It was a high-wing, wire-braced monoplane with its engine housed in a nacelle mounted above the wings on struts. The pilot and passengers sat in a fully enclosed cabin. Fleetwings initially planned to manufacture 50 production units, but at a price approaching $25,000 during the Depression, there proved to be no sustainable market.

Operational history

Fleetwings Sea Bird Fleetwings Seabird

The Sea Bird found use with private pilot owners and saw service with the oil support industry in Louisiana including operation by J. Ray McDermott.

Variants

  • F-4 Sea Bird - 4-seat prototype (1 built)
  • F-5 Sea Bird - 5-seat production aircraft (5 built)
  • Specifications

    Data from Specifications of American Airplanes

    General characteristics

    Fleetwings Sea Bird CFBGZ

  • Crew: 1
  • Capacity: 3 passengers
  • Length: 31 ft 5 in (9.58 m)
  • Wingspan: 40 ft 6 in (12.34 m)
  • Height: 12 ft 6 in (3.81 m)
  • Wing area: 235 sq ft (21.8 m2)
  • Empty weight: 2,320 lb (1,052 kg)
  • Gross weight: 3,450 lb (1,565 kg)
  • Fuel capacity: 52 US gal (43 imp gal; 200 L)
  • Powerplant: 1 × Jacobs L-5 7-cyliner air-cooler radial engine, 285 hp (213 kW)
  • Performance

    Fleetwings Sea Bird httpsuploadwikimediaorgwikipediacommonsthu

  • Maximum speed: 150 mph (241 km/h; 130 kn) at sea level
  • Cruise speed: 133 mph (214 km/h; 116 kn)
  • Range: 400 mi (348 nmi; 644 km)
  • Service ceiling: 15,000 ft (4,600 m)
  • Rate of climb: 900 ft/min (4.6 m/s)

  • Fleetwings Sea Bird Fleetwings F401 Seabird amphibious utility aircraft

    Fleetwings Sea Bird Fleetwings Seabird plan Free download Outerzone

    References

    Fleetwings Sea Bird Wikipedia