Franco-British Aviation Co.

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Before 1913, Louis Schreck, an engineer, had built a hydrapsilon and a biplane. Franco-British Aviation Co. Ltd. (FBA) was registered at Charing Cross Rd., London, England, January 1913; formed by Louis Schreck (possibly of the French Wright Co.) and Lieut. Jean de Conneau (flying pseudonym of Andre Beaumont), with capital mainly from British sources and intent to build flying boats in France from designs of existing French companies, Societe des Hydroaeroplanes Donnet-Leveque and Societe Anonyme des Anciens-Chantiers Teller (d'Artois). Later that year absorbed Societe des Hydroaeroplanes-Leveque, the residual of Societe des Hydroaeroplanes Donnet-Leveque now controlled by Leveque.

Continued the development of Donnet-Leveque aircraft under the FBA name, producing several thousand light single-engined pusher flying boats supplied to French Navy and to non-French Allied navies; nearly 1,000 additional built by Savoia in Italy. After WWI, operating from the factory at Argenteuil, Schreck, as "Constructeur" for FBA, continued to produce FBA-designated flying boats to which he also affixed his own name. Inactive since at least 1932, the firm was acquired by Societe des Avions Bernard in 1935, which then failed the same year.

While Gunston reports that in 1917 the firm was reformed as Hydravions Louis Schrek-FBA, SD states that the company's name did not change.

Sources


Names Franco-British Aviation Co. Ltd., FBA
Country France, GB
City Works at Quai de Seine, Argenteuil, and on the Seine at Juvisy (both former Donnet Leveque works); also works at Vernon (all three works were near Paris).
Affiliations
Keywords
Started aero 1913
Ended aero before 1932
Key people Louis Schreck, Jean de Conneau, Andre Beaumont
Wikidata id