Found FBA-2
title: "Found FBA-2" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1960s-canadian-civil-utility-aircraft", "high-wing-aircraft", "single-engined-tractor-aircraft", "aircraft-first-flown-in-1960", "found-aircraft", "nzaero-aircraft", "aircraft-with-fixed-tricycle-landing-gear", "single-engined-piston-aircraft"] topic_path: "geography/canada" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Found_FBA-2" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::data[format=table title="Infobox aircraft"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | FBA-2 |
| image | File:FoundFBA-2C1BushHawkC-GYWF.jpg |
| caption | Found Aircraft FBA-2C1 BushHawk |
| type | Cabin monoplane |
| national_origin | Canada |
| manufacturer | Found Aircraft |
| designer | S.R. Found |
| first_flight | 11 August 1960 |
| status | Production completed |
| number_built | 68 |
| developed_from | Found FBA-1 |
| variants | Found Centennial |
| :: |
|name = FBA-2 |image = File:FoundFBA-2C1BushHawkC-GYWF.jpg |caption = Found Aircraft FBA-2C1 BushHawk |type = Cabin monoplane |national_origin=Canada |manufacturer = Found Aircraft |designer = S.R. Found |first_flight = 11 August 1960 |introduction = |retired = |status = Production completed |primary_user = |more_users = |produced = |number_built = 68 |unit cost = |developed_from = Found FBA-1 |variants = Found Centennial
The Found FBA-2 is a 1960s Canadian four/five-seat cabin monoplane that was produced by Found Aircraft.
Design and development
The Found FBA-2 is an all-metal development of the company's first design, the Found FBA-1. The prototype aircraft, the FBA-2A, 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.
Bush Hawk-XP
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
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/95/Expedition-E350.jpg" caption="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 at a cruise speed of 156 kn and is powered by a Lycoming IO-580 powerplant producing 315 hp. 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 planned to relaunch production of the five-seat type in the first half of 2017, but this date was not achieved. 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 :Minor 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)
|ref=Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1965-66 |prime units?=imp General characteristics
|genhide=
|crew=1 |capacity=4 passengers |length m= |length ft=26 |length in=5 |span m= |span ft=36 |span in=0 |height m= |height ft=8 |height in=4 |wing area sqm= |wing area sqft=180 |empty weight kg= |empty weight lb=1550 |gross weight kg= |max takeoff weight lb=2950 |fuel capacity=56 impgal Powerplant
|eng1 number=1 |eng1 name=Avco Lycoming O-540-A1D |eng1 type=air-cooled flat-six engine |eng1 kw= |eng1 hp=250
|prop blade number=2 |prop name=Hartzell constant-speed |prop dia m= |prop dia ft=7 |prop dia in=4
Performance
|perfhide=
|max speed kmh= |max speed mph=147 |max speed kts= |max speed note=at sea level |cruise speed kmh= |cruise speed mph=129 |cruise speed note=at 5000 ft (econ cruise, 60% power) |stall speed mph=48 |stall speed note=(power off, 35 degree flaps) |range km= |range miles=610 |range nmi= |ceiling m= |ceiling ft=16000 |climb rate ms= |climb rate ftmin=1100 |more performance=
|avionics=
References
Citations
Bibliography
- The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985). London: Orbis Publishing.
References
- ''Air Pictorial'' August 1964, p. 233
- Found Aircraft Development. "Found Aircraft - A Brief History".
- Expedition Aircraft. "Expedition Aircraft".
- Grady, Mary. (December 2008). "Canada's Expedition E350 Gets FAA OK".
- Sarsfield, Kate. "Pacific Aerospace's Chinese venture ready for 21 October inauguration". [[Flight Global]].
- Niles, Russ. (13 November 2016). "Found Expedition To Resume Production". AVweb.
- Pacific Aerospace. (1 November 2016). "Pacific Aerospace: Pacific Aerospace to Build the E-350 Expedition". www.aerospace.co.nz.
- Taylor 1965, pp. 23–24.
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