Canadian Car and Foundry FDB-1

Canadian Car and Foundry · Canada · first flew 1938 · fighter

The FDB-1 was a Canadian single-seat fighter prototype developed by Canadian Car and Foundry in the late 1930s, notable for being designed under the supervision of Elsie MacGill, the first woman to earn an aeronautical engineering degree in Canada. It featured an inverted gull wing and fully retractable undercarriage.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	Low-mounted, tapered
E — Engines	1 × piston, nose-mounted
F — Fuselage	6.6 m fuselage
T — Tail	Conventional

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Single-seat monoplane fighter prototype from Canada, late 1930s
Inverted gull wing with retractable undercarriage
Designed by Elsie MacGill — first female aircraft designer in Canada

Notable for its inverted gull wing configuration, enclosed cockpit, and retractable undercarriage — unusual features for a Canadian-designed fighter of the period.

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

First flown in 1938, the FDB-1 showed promising performance but was not adopted by the Royal Canadian Air Force, which chose instead to license-build American and British designs. Only one prototype was built.

Variants

A single prototype only; no production variants were developed.

Where you'll see it

Never entered service with any air arm; the project was abandoned after initial testing.

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