The FBA Type H was a French reconnaissance flying boat produced in large numbers in France and Italy during World War I by Franco-British Aviation.

Design and development

A development of the FBA Type A, the Type H shared the same basic pusher biplane configuration, but was a larger and heavier machine based on a Donnet-Lévêque design and powered by a water-cooled engine in place of the earlier type's rotary. Most French-built Type H aircraft had water-cooled V-8 Hispano-Suiza 8A variants with powers of 150 or, though a minority had 160 hp Lorraine 8Ns. Some Italian built Type Hs also used the higher-power Hispano motor but more had 180 hp Isotta Fraschini V.4B or 150 hp engines of the same make, both six-cylinder inlines. The aircraft was a two bay biplane with the smaller span lower wing positioned just above the central fuselage on four supporting struts. There was no stagger and simple parallel interplane struts separated the bays; an extra, outward leaning pair supported the overhanging upper plane on each side. Ailerons were mounted only on this upper wing. The single pusher engine was mounted on struts just below the upper wing, its two blade propeller turning in a cut-out in the wing trailing edges. The hull of the Type H was, like that of its predecessors, a single step design. A pair of flat bottomed floats, mounted below the outer interplane struts, stabilized the aircraft on the water. Two flight crew members were accommodated side-by-side and a front gunner sat separately in the nose. The rounded, finless rudder mounted above the high tailplane distinguished the Type H from earlier FBA flying boats, which had angular vertical tails.

Production

Aside from its production in France, the type was also built extensively under licence in Italy by several firms, most importantly by SIAI.

Variants

Operational history

The Type H was the major production version of the FBA series and was operated by several air arms during the latter part of the First World War. The great majority served with French and Italian forces. The Escadrille des Hydroavions of the Belgian Air Force was also equipped with the type and one survives on display in the Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and of Military History in central Brussels. Four ex-Italian, Isotta Fraschini powered Type Hs were used by the British Royal Navy as training machines. From 1926 to at least 1929 twelve FBA Hs were used in Canada by the Compagnie Aerienne Franco Canadienne to make an aerial photographic survey of both cities and countryside.

Operators

Specifications (Hispano 8A)