Fleetwings Sea Bird
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Fleetwings Sea Bird | |
|---|---|
 F-401 prototype, Golden Wings Museum, Blaine, Minnesota |
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| Type | Amphibious utility aircraft |
| Manufacturer | Fleetwings |
| Designed by | James C. Reddig |
| Maiden flight | 1936 |
| Number built | 1 prototype; 5 production |
The Fleetwings Sea Bird (or Seabird) 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.
[edit] Variants
- F-4 Sea Bird - 4-seat prototype (1 built)
- F-5 Sea Bird - 5-seat production aircraft (5 built)
[edit] Specifications
General characteristics
- Crew: One pilot
- Capacity: 3 passengers (F-4 prototype); 4 passengers (F-5 production model)
- Length: 32 ft 0 in (9.74 m)
- Wingspan: 40 ft 6 in (12.33 m)
- Height: 12 ft 6 in (3.80 m)
- Wing area: 235 ft² (21.8 m²)
- Empty weight: 2,450 lb (1,112 kg)
- Gross weight: 3,750 lb (1,702 kg)
- Powerplant: 1 × Jacobs L-5, 285 hp (212 kW)
Performance
- Cruise speed: 135 mph (216 km/h)
- Range: 540 miles (870 km)
[edit] References
- Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions, 392.
- "A Shot-Welded Stainless Steel Amphibian" (22 October 1936). Flight: 424.
- aerofiles.com
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