FBA 21

Franco-British Aviation · France · first flew 1925 · airliner

The FBA 21 and 23 were small flying boat airliners built in France in the mid-1920s. They were a commercial version of the FBA 19 bomber with an enclosed cabin for four passengers.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	Mid-mounted, straight
E — Engines	1 × piston, wing-mounted
F — Fuselage	10.56 m fuselage
T — Tail	Conventional

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Spot it by:

Biplane flying boat with an enclosed cabin for four passengers
Single Hispano-Suiza 12Ga W-12 engine
Developed from the FBA 19 bomber

A biplane flying boat with an enclosed cabin. It is 10.56 m long with a wingspan of 15.4 m.

Specifications

The FBA 21 has a length of 10.56 m (35 ft).
It has a wingspan of 15.4 m (51 ft).
Its maximum speed is 190 km/h (118 mph).
Typical crew: 1.

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

The Model 21 first flew in August 1925. In 1926 FBA rebuilt one Type 21 as the Type 23 for Maurice Nogues, replacing the W-12 engine with a radial and lightening the aircraft for long-distance flight.

Variants

Only a handful were built in slight variations, including one dedicated mail plane. The Type 23 was a rebuilt Type 21 optimised for long-distance flight.

Where you'll see it

The airliners aroused little interest. The Type 23 was tested throughout late 1926 and flew over 6,000 km without incident, but the contract went to the CAMS 53.

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