FBA Type H

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 {{cvt|150|or|170|hp}}, though a minority had {{cvt|160|hp}} Lorraine 8Ns. Some Italian built Type Hs also used the higher-power Hispano motor but more had {{cvt|180|hp}} Isotta Fraschini V.4B or {{cvt|150|hp}} engines of the same make, both six-cylinder inlines.{{cite book |title= World Encyclopaedia of Aero Engines|last=Gunston|first=Bill|edition=2| year=1989|publisher=Patrick Stephens Ltd |location=Wellingborough |isbn=1-85260-163-9|page=82}}

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.{{cite magazine|date=24 November 1932 |title=From other lands|magazine=Flight|volume=X|issue=15|pages=401–2|url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1918/1918%20-%200404.html}}

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.{{cite book |title=French aeroplanes before the Great War |url=https://archive.org/details/frenchaeroplanes00opdy |url-access=limited |last=Opdycke |first=Leonard E. |pages=[https://archive.org/details/frenchaeroplanes00opdy/page/n130 132]–3, 208–9|year=1999|publisher=Shiffer Publishing Ltd|location=Atglen, PA, USA |isbn=0-7643-0752-5|author-link=Leonard E. Opdycke}}

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

;Type D:One Type H was built as a fighter aircraft to class D specifications, equipped with a {{convert|37|mm|in|abbr=on|2}} Hotchkiss gun and powered by a {{cvt|150|hp}} Hispano-Suiza 8A or {{cvt|175|hp}} Hispano-Suiza 8Aa. Although this was a landplane, its fuselage retained its basic flying boat form. Avion Cannon was its common name, though was also called the FBA 1 Ca2, or Type D cannon fighter.{{cite book |last1=Green |first1=William |first2= Gordon|last2= Swanborough |title=The Complete Book of Fighters |date=1994|publisher=Salamander Books|location=Godalming, UK|isbn=1-85833-777-1|page=202}}{{cite book |last1=Davilla |first1=Dr. James J. |last2=Soltan |first2=Arthur M. |title=French aircraft of the First World War |date=January 2002 |publisher=Flying Machines Press |isbn=1891268090 |page=264}}

;Type S:The Aviation Maritime issued a Type S specification for a light patrol bomber to be powered by a {{cvt|200|hp}} Hispano-Suiza 8Bb or {{cvt|210|hp}} Hispano-Suiza 8Bbd. Schreck modified a Type H with larger folding wings and longer hull. Entering service in 1917 the Type S flying boats remained in service until 1923, until replaced by Latham and Blanchard flying boats.{{cite book |last1=Davilla |first1=Dr. James J. |last2=Soltan |first2=Arthur M. |title=French aircraft of the First World War |date=January 2002 |publisher=Flying Machines Press |isbn=1891268090 |page=262}}

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.{{cite book|last=Ogden|first=Bob|title=Aviation Museums and Collections of Mainland Europe|year=2006|publisher=Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd|isbn=0-85130-375-7 |page=29}} Four ex-Italian, Isotta Fraschini powered Type Hs were used by the British Royal Navy as training machines.{{cite book |title= British Naval Aircraft 1912-58|last=Thetford|first=Owen| year=1958|publisher=Putnam Publishing |location=London |page=365}}{{cite book |title= British Military Aircraft Serials 1878-1987|last=Robertson|first=Bruce| year=1979|edition= 5th|publisher=Midland Counties Publications |location=Leicester |isbn=0-904597-61-X|page=103}}

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.{{cite magazine|date=27 September 1929|title=Mapping the great open spaces of the "New France"|magazine=Flight|volume=XXI|issue=39|pages=1049–51|url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1929/1929-1%20-%201192.html}}

File:FBA H.png

;{{BEL}}

• Belgian Air Force - Five aircraft

;{{EST}}

• Estonian Air Force - One aircraft

;{{FRA}}

• French Navy

;{{flag|Kingdom of Italy}}

• Corpo Aeronautico Militare 962 aircraft

;{{flag|Peru}}

• Peruvian Air Force - Three aircraft

;{{flag|Serbia}}

• Serbian Air Force and Air Defence - Three aircraft

;{{ESP}}

• Spanish Air Force

;{{UK}}

• Royal Naval Air Service - Four aircraft

;{{USA}}

• United States Navy

;{{flag|Uruguay}}

• Uruguayan Air Force - One aircraft

;{{flag|Kingdom of Yugoslavia}}

• Yugoslav Royal Navy

{{Aircraft specs

|ref=French aircraft of the First World War{{cite book |last1=Davilla |first1=Dr. James J. |last2=Soltan |first2=Arthur M. |title=French aircraft of the First World War |date=January 2002 |publisher=Flying Machines Press |isbn=1891268090 |pages=260–262}}

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|crew=Three, pilot and two observers/gunners

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|length m=9.92

|span m=14.12

|height m=3.1

|wing area sqm=40

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|empty weight kg=984

|gross weight kg=1420

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|eng1 number=1

|eng1 name=Hispano-Suiza 8A

|eng1 type=V-8 water-cooled piston engine

|eng1 hp=150

|prop blade number=2

|prop name=Wooden fixed-pitch pusher propeller

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|max speed kmh=150

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|range km=450

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|ceiling m=4900

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|guns=1 × {{cvt|0.303|in|order=flip}} Lewis gun fixed to fuselage, or mounted on post in nose cockpit

|bombs={{cvt|200|kg}} of bombs

}}

{{aircontent

|see also=

|related=

• FBA Type A

|similar aircraft=

• Donnet-Denhaut flying boat
• Lohner L

|lists=

• List of maritime patrol aircraft
• List of flying boats and floatplanes
• List of World War I Entente aircraft

}}

{{Reflist}}

• Gerdessen, Frederik. "Estonian Air Power 1918 – 1945". Air Enthusiast, No. 18, April – July 1982. pp. 61–76. {{ISSN|0143-5450}}.
• {{cite journal |last1=Isaic|first1=Vladimir|title=Les hydravions FBA-H en Yugoslavie |journal=Avions: Toute l'aéronautique et son histoire |date=August 1994 |issue=18 |pages=10–11 |trans-title=Yugoslav FBA-H Flying Boats |language=fr |issn=1243-8650}}

{{Commons category|FBA Type H}}

• [http://www.airwar.ru/enc/flyboat/fbah.html Уголок неба]
• [http://www.aviafrance.com/3570.htm aviafrance.com]

{{FBA aircraft}}

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Category:1910s French patrol aircraft

Category:Flying boats

Category:FBA aircraft

Category:Single-engined pusher aircraft

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Category:Aircraft first flown in 1915