Found FBA 2

Design and development

The Found FBA-2 is an all-metal development of the company's first design, the Found 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 the Found FBA-2B but the aircraft was produced with a conventional tail-wheel landing gear as the Found 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 larger Centennial 100. Thirty-four had been built.

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 by Transport Canada in March, 1999 and by the Federal 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.

Expedition E350

The E350 is an evolutionary development of the basic FBA-2 aimed at the personal use market. The Expedition E350 was FAA type 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 a Lycoming 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.

Pacific Aerospace acquired the E-350 program in early 2016 from Found Aircraft. In September 2016, the E-350 Expedition tooling was shipped to its Hamilton, New Zealand plant. Pacific Aerospace plans to relaunch production of the five-seat type in the first half of 2017. It is also planned to produce the E-350 in its joint venture plant in China with Beijing General Aviation Company. The joint venture will be known as Beijing Pan-Pacific Aerospace Technology.

Variants

FBA-2

Prototype, one built.

FBA-2C

Initial production variant, 26 built.

FBA-2C1 Bush Hawk 300

Improved variant with a 300hp Lycoming IO-540L, one built.

FBA-2C1 Bush Hawk XP

Production variant of the Bush Hawk 300, 31 built.

FBA-2C2 Bush Hawk 300XP

Minior changes, 6 built.

FBA-2C3 Expedition E350

Tricycle landing gear first flown in 2006, 3 built.

FBA-2C4 Expedition E350XC

Tail-wheel, one built.

FBA-2D

Proposed variant powered by a 290hp Lycoming engine, not built.

Specifications (FBA-2C)

Data from Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1965-66

General characteristics

Crew: 1

Length: 26 ft 5 in (8.05 m)

Wingspan: 36 ft 0 in (10.97 m)

Height: 8 ft 4 in (2.54 m)

Wing area: 180.0 ft² (16.72 m²)

Empty weight: 1,550 lb (703 kg)

Max. takeoff weight: 2,950 lb (1,338 kg)

Powerplant: 1 × Avco Lycoming O-540-A1D flat-six piston, 250 hp (187 kw)

Performance

Maximum speed: 147 mph (128 knots, 237 km/h) at sea level

Cruise speed: 129 mph (112 knots, 208 km/h) (economy cruise at 5,000 ft (1,525 m))

Range: 610 miles (530 nmi, 980 km)

Service ceiling: 16,000 ft (4875 m)

Rate of climb: 1,100 ft/min (5.6 m/s)