Found Aircraft
Encyclopedia
Parry Sound, Ontario
Parry Sound is a town in Central Ontario, Canada, located on Parry Sound on the eastern shore of Georgian Bay. Parry Sound is located south of Sudbury and north of Toronto. It is the seat of Parry Sound District, a popular cottage country region for Southern Ontario residents. It is also the...
. Found originally formed in 1946 to produce a new bush plane
Bush plane
A bush airplane is a general aviation aircraft serving remote, undeveloped areas of a country, usually the African bush, Alaskan and Canadian tundra or the Australian Outback...
design, the FBA-1, but entered production in 1964 with the Found FBA-2
Found FBA-2
-References:* The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft . London: Orbis Publishing....
. The original company ceased production of the FBA-2 in 1967. In 1994 the company re-formed and starting in 1997 placed the FBA-2 back in production as the FBA-2C1 Bush Hawk and FBA-2C2 Bush Hawk-XP.
Two new and improved models are currently being developed for the private pilot market. Both will be built under their Expedition Aircraft brand, launched in 2007. The two models (the E350 and the E350XC) will be offered on both tricycle and conventional gear. The E350 is being marketed as a Cessna 206 competitor, featuring higher performance, four doors, and STOL performance. The Expedition E350 was FAA
Federal Aviation Administration
The Federal Aviation Administration is the national aviation authority of the United States. An agency of the United States Department of Transportation, it has authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of civil aviation in the U.S...
type certified
Type certificate
A Type Certificate, is awarded by aviation regulating bodies to aerospace manufacturers after it has been established that the particular design of a civil aircraft, engine, or propeller has fulfilled the regulating bodies' current prevailing airworthiness requirements for the safe conduct of...
in December 2008.
History
In 1946, Found Brothers AviationFound Brothers Aviation
Found Brother Aviation was a Canadian aircraft manufacturer from its formation in 1948 to its closure in 1968. The company has been succeeded by Found Aircraft.- History :...
was established by Nathan K. (Bud) Found and his brother Micky, to design and build the FBA-1 aircraft. The design was based on experience gained from bush operations north of Edmonton, and down the McKenzie River to the Arctic coast. It was designed to operate on wheels, tundra tire
Tundra tire
A tundra tire is a large low-pressure tire used on light aircraft to allow operations on rough terrain.-History:The tundra style tire has been independently invented at different times and places...
s, skis and floats and to withstand the rugged use encountered in the undeveloped regions of Canada’s bush country. The FBA-1 first flew in 1949 and was used as a proof of concept aircraft.
Design refinements were started in 1950 for the FBA-2. Due to limited funds, progress was slow and this aircraft, with a tricycle landing gear, first flew in 1959. This flight demonstrated the aircraft’s excellent handling qualities and, as a result, John David Eaton
John David Eaton
For other people named John Eaton, see John Eaton ."John David Eaton was the second son of Sir John Craig Eaton and Lady Eaton of Toronto....
(of Eaton's Department Stores
Eaton's
The T. Eaton Co. Limited was once Canada's largest department store retailer. It was founded in 1869 in Toronto by Timothy Eaton, an Irish immigrant. Eaton's grew to become a retail and social institution in Canada, with stores across the country, buying offices across the globe, and a catalogue...
) purchased two aircraft for Georgian Bay Airways in Parry Sound. Mr. Eaton also ended up being the major investor behind the development of the FBA-2C production model. Certification in Canada and the United States was obtained in 1964, with production starting that year.
The company had difficulty producing the hand-made aircraft in a profitable manner and production ceased in 1967, after only twenty-seven examples had been produced. During the following thirty years, the FBA-2C developed a legendary reputation as a safe, rugged, reliable, and economical aircraft. Nine FBA-2C's remain flying in Canada today, some having over 13,000 hours of operation.
The Centennial 100
Found Centennial
-References:* Taylor, John W.R. Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1969-70. London:Jane's Yearbooks, 1969.* The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft . London: Orbis Publishing....
was developed as an improved version of the Found FBA-2 in 1966-67. Only five were built.
In 1994, N.K. (Bud) Found regained control to the rights of the aircraft. In 1996, these rights were then transferred to Found Aircraft Development. This company, and its wholly owned manufacturing subsidiary, Found Aircraft Canada, were established to develop and produce the FBA-2C1 Bush Hawk, essentially a minor update to the original in order to comply with new regulations. In 1997, Transport Canada reinstated the FBA-2C's type certificate. After two years of redevelopment work to the design, the Bush Hawk was certified in Canada in March 1999 and the United States in March 2000.
Found Aircraft's largest customer to date is the United States Department of the Interior
United States Department of the Interior
The United States Department of the Interior is the United States federal executive department of the U.S. government responsible for the management and conservation of most federal land and natural resources, and the administration of programs relating to Native Americans, Alaska Natives, Native...
, which uses the aircraft mainly in its U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service division in Alaska.
Today, Found aircraft produces and sells the FBA-2C3 E350, which is an evolution of the 2C2 Bush Hawk, with tricycle landing gear, five seats and a Lycoming IO-580 engine producing 315 hp.
Aircraft on display
- The Canadian Air and Space MuseumCanadian Air and Space MuseumThe Canadian Air and Space Museum is an aviation museum featuring artifacts, exhibits and stories illustrating a century of Canadian aviation heritage and achievements...
at Downsview Airport in TorontoTorontoToronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, OntarioOntarioOntario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
has the FBA-2A prototype. - The Canada Aviation and Space Museum at the Rockcliffe Airport in OttawaOttawaOttawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, Ontario, has FBA-2C serial #4 in its Storage Wing.