老莱茵飞行与车辆制造厂 (FFA)
On the Swiss shore of Lake Constance, the old Dornier works built a supersonic fighter that Switzerland cancelled after two crashes; its engineers carried its wing to Bill Lear, and the Learjet followed.
Flug- und Fahrzeugwerke Altenrhein (FFA): the company and the aircraft that made its name
Dornier’s Swiss outpost
Altenrhein, on the Swiss bank of Lake Constance, was where Dornier built aircraft beyond the reach of German post-war restrictions, including the giant Do X flying boat of 1929. After the Second World War the works lay idle. In 1948 Claudio Caroni, a lawyer from Locarno, took them over and split them from Dornier as Flug- und Fahrzeugwerke Altenrhein, a name that promised aircraft and vehicles alike.
The P-16 and the Learjet
FFA built Morane-Saulnier-based fighters for the Swiss Air Force and shared in licence production of the Vampire and Venom. From 1947 it designed its own jet, the P-16, a ground-attack fighter that could use short alpine strips. The first prototype flew on 25 April 1955; the second broke the sound barrier in 1956; 100 were ordered in 1958. Then a pre-production aircraft crashed on 25 March 1958, the second loss, and the government withdrew the order in favour of the Hawker Hunter.
Trains, buses and the Bravo
FFA kept flying two more P-16s at its own expense. Nobody bought them, but Bill Lear studied the design, several of its engineers went to work for him, and the Learjet 23 borrowed heavily from it. FFA meanwhile built railway coaches for Swiss Federal Railways, trolleybus bodies, cable-car cabins and Diamant sailplanes, and with SIAI-Marchetti the AS 202 Bravo trainer, of which over 200 were built. In 1987 Dornier bought back the name and the railway side went to Schindler.
Flug- und Fahrzeugwerke Altenrhein (FFA) in numbers
公司
- 简而言之
- 成立于1948年
- Former Dornier works at Altenrhein, Lake Constance
- Taken over and renamed by Claudio Caroni, 1948
- Aircraft, railway coaches, buses, cable-car cabins
- Name bought back by Dornier, 1987
生产
- 最出名的是
- P-16，AS 202 Bravo
- P-16 fighter prototypes (5 built)
- AS 202 Bravo trainer with SIAI-Marchetti
- Diamant sailplanes
- Licence work on Vampire and Venom
今天
- 现在
- Defunct since 1987
- Railway division passed via Schindler to Stadler Rail (1997)
- One P-16 survives
这些数字
- P-16 order (cancelled)
- 100架飞机1958
- P-16 built
- 5 (2 prototypes, 3 pre-production)
- AS/SA 202 Bravo built
- 214 (34 of the 202/15, 180 of the 202/18)
Every notable Flug- und Fahrzeugwerke Altenrhein (FFA) aircraft
Photos: Ank Kumar / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
| 飞机 | 角色 | 首航 | 建造 | 地位 | 笔记 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 多尼尔 Do X | Giant flying boat (built at Altenrhein under Dornier) | 1929 | 3 | 已退休 | Built at the works before FFA existed |
| D-3803 | 活塞战斗机 | 已退休 | Based on Morane-Saulnier designs; replaced by surplus P-51s | ||
| FFA P-16 | Ground attack fighter | 1955 | 5 | 已退休 | Supersonic in a dive 1956; order for 100 cancelled 1958 |
| FFA AS 202 Bravo | 轻型训练器 | 1969 | 214 | 在服役 | Joint with SIAI-Marchetti; mainly military customers |
| FFA Diamant | 滑翔机 | 已退休 |
Flug- und Fahrzeugwerke Altenrhein (FFA) aircraft in the world’s air forces
2 air forces in the Order of Battle fly or flew Flug- und Fahrzeugwerke Altenrhein (FFA) types. 其中1家目前还有一台在役。.
| 空军 | 在服役 | 以前飞过 |
|---|---|---|
| 乌干达人民国防军空军 | FFA AS 202 Bravo | |
| 瑞士空军 | FFA P-16 和 EFW N-20 Aiguillon |
Where Flug- und Fahrzeugwerke Altenrhein (FFA) built, who led it, what it achieved
工厂
- Altenrhein works · Altenrhein, St. Gallen — Former Dornier works on Lake Constance with airfield
人们
- Claudio Caroni · owner from 1948 — Locarno lawyer (1907–1984) who took over the derelict Dornier works
- Bill Lear · American industrialist — Examined the P-16; its design influenced the Learjet 23
纪录和第一
- P-16 second prototype exceeded the speed of sound, 15 August 1956
Flug- und Fahrzeugwerke Altenrhein (FFA), year by year
Dornier Do X, built at Altenrhein, first flies
P-16 fighter project begins
Claudio Caroni takes over the works; FFA formed
Two P-16 prototypes ordered
P-16 first flight
First P-16 prototype lost
P-16 goes supersonic
Pre-production P-16 crashes; order for 100 withdrawn
Last P-16 flights
AS 202 Bravo first flight
Dornier buys back the name; railway side to Schindler
Before and after Flug- und Fahrzeugwerke Altenrhein (FFA)
Everything people ask about Flug- und Fahrzeugwerke Altenrhein (FFA)
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Around Flug- und Fahrzeugwerke Altenrhein (FFA)