The Fleetwings Sea Bird (or Seabird ) was an American-built amphibious aircraft of the 1930s.
7-672: The Sea Bird was an amphibious utility aircraft designed under contract in 1934–1935 by James C. Reddig for Fleetwings , Inc., of Bristol, Pennsylvania. While the aircraft's basic configuration had a precedent in the design of the Loening "Monoduck" developed by the Grover Loening Aircraft Company as a personal aircraft for Mr. Loening (for whom Reddig worked from 1925 to 1933), the Sea Bird was unusual because of its construction from spot-welded stainless steel . It
14-607: A United States Navy attack aircraft competition, with five aircraft being flown. The contract went to the Douglas AD-1 Skyraider and the Martin AM Mauler . By 1951, it was being suggested that aviation operations at the company had ceased. The Kaiser-Fleetwings Co. still existed as late as 1960, when it manufactured the launch canister for the Echo 1 balloon satellite at its Bristol factory. The plant
21-595: The Ireland "Privateer" amphibian, and ribs, flaps and tail surfaces for Grover Loening Aircraft Company , and moved to a larger location in a hangar on lower Roosevelt Field , Long Island. In 1934, it purchased the former Keystone Aircraft facility on the Delaware River in Bristol, Pennsylvania , and moved its operations there. The corporate structure of Fleetwings, Inc., was dominated by the de Ganahl family. In
28-460: The additional capacity to offer welding services, it pursued research and technology specifically related to the welding of stainless steel. In 1929, the company reorganized as Fleetwings, Inc. , in Garden City, New York , to develop stainless-steel aircraft structures. The company progressed to manufacturing components for other aircraft manufacturers, including ribs and control surfaces for
35-460: The mid-1930s, its board of directors included Carl de Ganahl, Charles F. de Ganahl, Chloe de Ganahl, Joe de Ganahl and Frank de Ganahl. During the company's history, Carl, Cecil and Frank de Ganahl each served as President at various times. The company became Kaiser-Fleetwings in when it was purchased in March, 1943, by Henry J. Kaiser 's Kaiser Industries. Kaiser-Fleetwings' entered its XBTK-1 in
42-577: The oil support industry in Louisiana , including operation by J. Ray McDermott & Co. Data from Specifications of American Airplanes General characteristics Performance Fleetwings Fleetwings , later Kaiser-Fleetwings , was an American aircraft company of the 1930s and 1940s. Fleetwings started in 1926 (under a different name) as a business based on a patented mechanical timing device, which proved particularly suited to controlling automated welding equipment. After developing
49-461: Was a high-wing, wire-braced monoplane with its engine housed in a nacelle mounted above the wings on struts. The pilot and passengers sat in a fully enclosed cabin. Fleetwings initially planned to manufacture 50 production units, but at a price approaching $ 25,000 during the Depression, there proved to be no sustainable market. The Sea Bird found use with private pilot owners and saw service with
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