FBA 21

Last updated
Models 21 and 23
FBA 21 in flight L'Aeronautique December,1926.jpg
FBA 21
RoleFlying boat airliner
Manufacturer FBA
First flightAugust 1925

The FBA 21 and 23 were small flying boat airliners built in France in the mid-1920s. Their development was an attempt by FBA to develop a commercial version of their FBA 19 bomber which had failed to attract orders from military buyers. Retaining the same basic design as their predecessor, the Model 21 added an enclosed cabin for four passengers. Unfortunately for FBA, they aroused as little interest as their military counterparts, and only a handful were built in a number of slight variations, including one example of a dedicated mail plane.

Contents

In 1926, Maurice Noguès had recently joined Compagnie des Messageries Transaériennes (CMT) and was looking for an aircraft to use on a new Paris-Saigon route. Accordingly, FBA rebuilt one of the Type 21s to optimise it for long-distance flight and redesignated it the Type 23. The W-12 engine was replaced with a radial, and the aircraft was generally lightened to allow for greater fuel capacity. Painted bright orange, the aircraft was extensively tested throughout late 1926, and apart from an early mishap while being flown by Noguès himself, flew over 6,000 km (3,700 mi) without incident. Nevertheless, the CMT contract went to the CAMS 53 and no further examples of the type were built.

Variants

FBA 21 photo from L'Aerophile February,1926 FBA 21 L'Aerophile February,1926.jpg
FBA 21 photo from L'Aérophile February,1926
21/1 HMT.5
amphibian airliner with Hispano-Suiza 12Ga W-12 engine (3 built)
21/2
amphibian airliner with Lorraine 12Eb W-12 engine (2 built)
21/3
flying boat airliner with Gnome et Rhône 9Ab radial engine (1 converted from 21/1)
21/4 HT.3
amphibian mailplane with Lorraine 12Ed W-12 engine (1 converted from 21/2)
23
long-distance flying boat airliner with Gnome et Rhône 9Ab radial engine (1 converted from 21/1)

Specifications (21/1)

FBA 21 3-view drawing from L'Aerophile February,1926 FBA 21 3-view L'Aerophile February,1926.png
FBA 21 3-view drawing from L'Aérophile February,1926

Data from Jane's all the World's Aircraft 1928, [1] Aviafrance:FBA 21/1 [2]

General characteristics

Performance

Related Research Articles

Amiot 143

The Amiot 143M was a late 1930s French medium bomber designed to meet 1928 specifications for a bomber capable of day/night bombing, long-range reconnaissance and bomber escort.

Farman F.220

The Farman F.220 and its derivatives were thick-sectioned, high-winged, four engined monoplanes from Farman Aviation Works. Based on the push-pull configuration proven by the F.211, design started in August 1925 and the first flight of the prototype was on 26 May 1932. The definitive F.222 variant was the biggest bomber to serve in France between the world wars. One variant was designed as an airliner.

Potez 650

The Potez 650 was a French-built military transport aircraft that saw service in World War II. Derived from the Potez 62 airliner, the 650 was specifically built for paratrooper units.

Potez 25

Potez 25 was a French twin-seat, single-engine biplane designed during the 1920s. A multi-purpose fighter-bomber, it was designed as a line aircraft and used in a variety of roles, including fighter and escort missions, tactical bombing and reconnaissance missions. In the late 1920s and early 1930s, Potez 25 was the standard multi-purpose aircraft of over 20 air forces, including French, Polish and American. It was also popular among private operators, notably mail transport companies.

Bréguet 521 Bizerte

The Bréguet 521 Bizerte was a long-range military reconnaissance flying boat built by the French aviation company Breguet.

Bernard 190 1928 French airliner

The Bernard 190 or Bernard-Hubert 190 was a French airliner of 1928. It was a high-wing cantilever monoplane of conventional configuration, based on the Bernard 18. Compared with its predecessor, it kept the same basic design but featured redesigned tail surfaces, an enlarged cabin, and offered its flight crew a completely enclosed cockpit. Also like its predecessor, the basic airliner model provided the basis for a long-range aircraft to be used in record attempts, the 191GR.

CAMS 55

The CAMS 55 was a reconnaissance flying boat built in France in the late 1920s which equipped the French Navy throughout the 1930s.

Potez 62

Potez 62 was a French twin-engine civil airliner, designed by Henry Potez in 1934.

Bréguet 270

The Bréguet 27 was a 1930s French biplane military reconnaissance aircraft, built for the Armée de l'Air and for export to Venezuela and China.

Farman F.120

The Farman F.120 and its derivatives were a family of multi-engine airliners and bombers of the 1920s built by the Farman Aviation Works in France.

Morane-Saulnier MS.230

The Morane-Saulnier MS.230 aircraft was the main elementary trainer for the French Armée de l'Air throughout the 1930s. Almost all French pilots flying for the Armée de l'Air at the outbreak of World War II had had their earliest flight training in this machine. It was the equivalent of the Stearman trainer in the United States air services and the de Havilland Tiger Moth in the British Royal Air Force.

FBA 290

The Franco-British Aviation Model 290 was a French four-seat amphibian flying boat built by the Franco-British Aviation Company (FBA) as a replacement for the Model 17 in French naval service.

Farman F.300

The Farman F.300 and F.310 were airliners built in France in the early 1930s. They were high-wing strut braced monoplanes with fixed tailskid undercarriage with a trimotor layout popular with several manufacturers of the time. The cockpit and passenger compartment were fully enclosed. Most saw service in Farman's own airline, whose twelve F.300 variants made up half its fleet in 1931.

FBA 17

The FBA 17 was a training flying boat produced in France in the 1920s.

Gourdou-Leseurre GL.30

The Gourdou-Leseurre GL.30 was a racing aircraft built in France in 1920 which formed the basis for a highly successful family of fighter aircraft based on the same design.

Potez 32

The Potez 32 and its military version the Potez 33 was a single-engine French monoplane transport built by Potez and based on the Potez 29 biplane.

Latécoère 380

The Latécoère 380 was a flying boat airplane built in France in 1928 for use on Aéropostale's mail routes to South America. The plane later saw military service as a maritime patrol aircraft.

Levasseur PL.7

The Levasseur PL.7 was a torpedo bomber developed in France in the late 1920s. It was a development of Levasseur's PL.4 reconnaissance aircraft and intended to replace their PL.2 then in service with the Aéronavale. It was a single-bay biplane of largely conventional design, but incorporating safety features for naval operation, including jetissonable main undercarriage units, a watertight, boat-shaped fuselage, and small floats on the undersides of the lower wings.

Lioré et Olivier LeO H-190

The Lioré et Olivier H-190 was a flying boat airliner produced in France in the late 1920s. Conventional for its day, it was a single-bay biplane with un-staggered wings, its single engine mounted tractor-fashion underneath the upper wing and supported on struts in the interplane gap. Early examples had the pilot's open cockpit located aft of the wing, but this was later relocated forward of the wing.

Lioré et Olivier LeO 25

The Lioré et Olivier LeO 25 was a bomber aircraft produced in France in the late 1920s.

References

  1. Grey, C.G., ed. (1928). Jane's all the World's Aircraft 1928. London: Sampson Low, Marston & company, ltd. p. 103c.
  2. Parmentier, Bruno. "F.B.A. 21/1" (in French). Paris. Retrieved 20 February 2018.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)

Further reading