Fleet Fleet Model 2

Fleet Model 2
Source Wikimedia FlugKerl2

The Fleet Model 1 (originally the Consolidated Model 14 Husky Junior) and its derivatives are a family of two-seat trainer and sports biplanes produced in the United States and Canada in the 1920s and 1930s. They all shared the same basic design and varied mainly in their powerplants.

The Fleet Model 1 and its derivatives were all orthodox biplanes with staggered, single-bay wings of equal span and fixed tailskid undercarriage. Accommodation was provided for two in tandem, originally sharing a single open cockpit, but in most examples in separate open cockpits. The fuselage was made of welded steel tube with triangular-layout Warren truss construction pattern side structures typical of the time, and the wings had a wooden spar with duralumin ribs, the entire aircraft being fabric-covered.

Originally created as a means for Consolidated to enter the civil market, the company abandoned this ambition shortly before the completion of the first prototype. The manufacturing rights were purchased by designer and Consolidated company president Reuben Fleet to put into production under his new enterprise, Fleet Aircraft. It was an immediate success, and in the first year of production alone, over 300 machines were sold. Consolidated quickly responded by buying Fleet Aircraft and retaining it as a subsidiary while opening a second production line at Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada. The Canadian manufacturing was a great success, with some 600 examples built for the Royal Canadian Air Force as the Fleet Fawn (Model 7) and Fleet Finch (Model 16).,/p>

The Model 2 was the first genuine production success, with 203 aircraft completed — a substantial number for the era. Refined over the Model 1, it retained the same open-cockpit tandem trainer formula while incorporating lessons learned from early operational experience, it had a Kinner K-5 engine. The Model 2 sold widely across North America and established Fleet's reputation as a reliable supplier to both military and civilian customers. Wikipedia