Canadian Car and Foundry FDB-1
Canadian Car and Foundry · Canada · first flew 1938 · fighter
The Gregor FDB-1 was a Canadian single-seat biplane fighter and dive bomber designed in 1938 by Michael Gregor for Canadian Car and Foundry. It combined a flush-riveted all-metal fuselage and retractable undercarriage with a gull-wing upper wing, but arrived as the biplane fighter was being replaced by the monoplane.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Low-mounted, tapered |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × piston, nose-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | Upper wing centre section curves down to the fuselage in a gull configuration, with V interplane struts |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Single-seat biplane fighter-bomber prototype from Canada, December 1938
- Upper wing centre section curves down to the fuselage in a gull configuration, with V interplane struts
- Flush-riveted all-metal fuselage, NACA cowling and rearward-sliding canopy
A compact biplane with a gull-wing upper centre section, V interplane struts, a NACA-cowled radial engine and a sliding canopy. Retractable main wheels fold into wells on the fuselage sides ahead of the lower wing.
Specifications
- The Canadian Car and Foundry FDB-1 has a length of 6.6 m (22 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 8.53 m (28 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 420 km/h (261 mph).
- Typical crew: 1.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Designed and built in under eight months, the FDB-1 first flew on 17 December 1938 with test pilot George Adye. RCAF testers recorded 261 mph (420 km/h), well below the claims of the manufacturer and without military equipment fitted. The gull wing restricted downward and forward visibility, and the type was obsolete before it flew. Only one prototype was built.
Variants
A single prototype only. Gregor was redesigning it for the 1,200 hp Pratt & Whitney R-1830 Twin Wasp, but no production variant followed.
Where you'll see it
Never entered service. The sole example remained unsold and was lost in a fire in 1945.
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