Canadian Car and Foundry FDB - 1 The Gregor FDB - 1 was a Canadian biplane fighter , designed in 1938 by Michael Gregor and manufactured by Canadian Car and Foundry . Despite being an advanced and innovative design , incorporating all - metal construction with flush riveting , retractable undercarriage and a sleek shape , the FDB - I was overtaken by events and , after being unable to find a buyer , was lost in a fire in 1945 . Design and development . In 1938 , American and Russia n expatriate designer Michael Gregor approached Canadian Car & Foundry , at the time , that country ' s leading manufacturer of rolling stock , which had limited experience building airplanes , but wanted to enter that field . Instead of building its own designs , Can - Car was producing Curtiss , de Havilland , Consolidated , Bristol and Hawker products under license . In 1936 , Grumman and Canadian Car & Foundry or " Can - Car " concluded an agreement for production of 50 revised Grumman SF - 1 carrier fighters , with 700 hp . Wright R - 1820 - 78 radial power - plants and known as GE - 23s or Grumman Exports 23s , that would be put together in Canada ( although some were actually assembled in Spain ) . In 1938 , there were many aviation observers who doubted the supposed merits of the emerging monoplane over the proven performance of reliable biplanes . Most of the major powers ' front line fighter units employed biplanes . The Soviet Union , despite having recently developed the Polikarpov I - 16 ( the first successful production monoplane fighter with retracting gear ) , still depended heavily on biplanes . Great Britain ' s RAF and Nazi Germany ' s Luftwaffe had likewise embraced the monoplane but , respectively , continued to deploy the Gloster Gladiator and the Heinkel He 51 biplane fighters . In Fascist Italy , the series of Fiat CR . 32 in operation and the Fiat CR . 42 biplane fighters were entering service while the U . S . Navy operated biplane fighters exclusively . Similar in size and dimensions to Grumman ' s F2F Navy fighter and also designed to operate from aircraft carriers as a dual fighter / bomber , Michael Gregor ' s FDB - 1 had an empty weight of 2 , 880 lb and a gross of 4 , 100 lb . As in many other gull wing fighters , pilot ' s view while flying straight and level was excellent , but marginal when landing and extremely poor when looking downward during that critical phase . Hydraulically operated landing gear retracted flush into large wells on either side of fuselage , ahead of the lower wing . Twenty - eight foot span top wing featured nearly full span slats measuring 10 ft ( 3 m ) per side , plus all - metal split flaps of 4 ft ( 1 m ) , 3 in per side , positioned between root and ailerons . Bottom wing span of 23 ft ( 7 m ) , 10 in also incorporated longer split flaps of 7 ft ( 2 m ) , 9 in per side . Like many a Soviet and Polish contemporary that had preceded it , biplanes as well as high - wing monoplanes – the center section of the top wing on Gregor ' s trim fighter had a gull - wing configuration , attached at right angles to the fuselage for less drag . This was supposed to afford improved visibility too , particularly straight ahead in level flight . The compact 21 ft ( 6 m ) , 8 in fuselage of the Model 10 FDB - I utilized a monocoque shell of circular cross section , covered by flush - riveted , stressed skin . The all - metal wings were fabric covered behind the front spar and metal - framed control surfaces were also fabric covered . An anticipated range of 985 miles ( 1 , 585 km ) was based on 95 gallons of fuel carried in a pair of semicircular - shaped tanks mounted side - by - side in the fuselage , between the wheel wells . The structure was extremely robust and capable of withstanding stress forces 60 percent above requirements . A pair of fuselage - mounted . 50 cal . machine guns , synchronized to fire through the Hamilton Standard ' s nine ft propeller arc , were part of the design , but armament was never installed . Additionally , two 116 lb bombs were to have been carried , one under each lower wing . Streamlining on the FDB - 1 was accentuated . The engine was snugly faired into a NACA cowling reminiscent of earlier Seversky fighter designs , also heavily influenced by Gregor , who left that company early in 1937 . The rearward sliding center section of cockpit ' s canopy , spacious for such a small airframe , was a unique Gregor innovation . The FDB - 1 clean lines partly were accomplished by the attachment and support of wings via substantial faired " V " interlane struts . Flying and landing wires and cables were replaced by a single faired strut running between the root of the top wing rear spar and the foot of the " V " strut where it joins the lower wing at its front spar . A system of tubes moved the control surfaces , except for the rudder , which was partially operated by cables . Operational history . Testing . When rolled out , the Gregor FDB - 1 , as it was called , for Fighter Dive Bomber , was not only robust and solid , it also looked exceptionally sleek . Registered " CF - BMB " , the letters embossed in white over a high gloss metallic dark gray paint job , the dual purpose aircraft ' s only other markings were ten horizontal white bands on its rudder . Early in 1938 , in a spirit of Commonwealth cooperation , a wooden model of Gregor ' s new Model 10 fighter was sent to Hawker Aircraft ' s wind tunnel facility at Kingston upon Thames , England . Manufacture of the prototype began at Thunder Bay , on the north shore of Lake Superior , shortly thereafter . The aircraft , c / n 201 , was completed by mid - December 1938 , " amid an atmosphere of war jitters , well salted with tales of German spies visiting the factory in disguise . " On its first flight test on 17 December 1938 Can - Car Test pilot George Adye put the FDB - 1 through a preliminary flight test program carried out at Can - Car ' s Bishopfield Airport , Thunder Bay , on Lake Superior . Ayde immediately noted the upper gull wing was a major defect as on takeoff and landing , a pilot ' s vision was severely limited downward and forward . Ted Smith who tested the FDB - 1 in 1941 was more succinct when describing visibility over the gull wing , " blind as hell . " While expressing enthusiasm over its maneuverability , Ayde warned that the controls were far too sensitive and the angles of the lowered flaps too great . His assessment was correct ; on a subsequent landing , the prototype flipped on its back , although the damage was kept to a minimum due to its rugged construction . Among the new devices incorporated within the FDB - 1 was an anti - spin parachute in its tail cone . The pilot activated the parachute from the cockpit by a three - position switch . The first opened the cone , the second deployed the chute behind the aircraft , and the third released the connecting cable . Recorded top speed was only 261 mph ( 420 km / h ) at 13 , 100 ft ( 3 , 990 m ) , with the old P & W R - 1535 - 72 engine of 700 hp , which had powered the Grumman F2F - 1 . But that aircraft , with a slightly lower empty weight , had only reached a top speed of 230 mph ( 370 km / h ) . With the installation of an improved P & W R - 1535 - SB4 - G of 750 hp , top speed was expected to rise to 300 mph ( 500 km / h ) . Meanwhile , Gregor had already programmed his fighter to accept the 1200 hp . P & W R - 1830 Twin Wasp then being installed in Grumman ' s new monoplane fighter , the XF4F - 3 ; and with it , he fully anticipated a top speed of 365 mph ( 587 km / h ) . and aircraft was highly maneuverable . Initial rate of climb was an exceptional 3 , 500 ft ( 1 , 070 m ) . per min , compared to Grumman F2F ' s 2 , 050 ft ( 625 m ) per min . with same engine . Service ceiling was estimated at 32 , 000 ft ( 9 , 800 m ) , 5 , 000 ft ( 1 , 520 m ) higher than the F2F ' s . FDB - 1 had a cruise of 205 mph ( 330 km / h ) , a low - speed capability of 72 mph ( 116 km / h ) clean and , with flaps and slats open , 58 mph ( 93 km / h ) . All these figures were reached without armament , ammunition , armor plate and other military equipment including self - sealing fuel tanks . Designed , built and tested in less than eight months , the FDB - 1 Model 10 was sent to Saint - Hubert Air Base , near Montreal , for preliminary service testing with the Royal Canadian Air Force . After extensive trials , pilot evaluations complained of severe canopy vibration at speed and during strenuous aerobatics , and it was recommended hat all testing be restricted until this bothersome defect had been remedied . Unfortunately for Gregor and Can - Car , further tests undertaken by the RCAF showed that his first projections were extremely optimistic and doubted further refinements would make a difference . Nevertheless , the FDB - 1 did demonstrate amazing maneuverability ; below 15 , 000 ft ( 4 , 600 m ) , in spite of an adversary ' s superior speed , no contemporary single - seat , low - wing monoplane could successfully engage Gregor ' s design which climbed like a " homesick angel , " with an initial rate of 3 , 500 ft ( 1 , 070 m ) per min , one third better than the new Hurricane and Spitfire . Test pilot Ted Smith thought that the FDB - 1 was intended for " mountain " fighting once he sampled its phenomenal climbing ability . Other contemporary biplane fighters . In retrospect , however , it appears that even with an upgraded engine , the FDB - 1 would have performed no better than the best operational biplane fighter of World War II , the Italian Fiat C . R . 42 with its 840 hp . Fiat A . 74 RC 38 air - cooled radial engine . The C . R . 42 had made its maiden flight early in 1939 and , at a time when many prospective customers still preferred biplanes , it was ordered by Belgium , Hungary and Sweden . Nearly 1 , 800 were completed through the end of 1942 . The Fiat biplane , with a pair of . 50 caliber cowl guns and , later , four . 50 caliber machine guns and a pair of 220 lb bombs under each wing , reached a top speed of 267 mph ( 430 km / h ) at 17 , 500 ft ( 5 , 330 m ) . Gregor ' s prototype was never tested with armament . Although Great Britain had already turned to monoplane fighters , the RAF employed the Gloster Gladiator for the first three years of the Second World War . Its armament was four . 30 caliber machine guns mounted to fuselage sides and below the lower wings . Top speed was 256 mph ( 412 km / h ) . It entered service in January 1937 and a total of 587 Gladiators had been completed when production ended in 1940 . Over 200 Gladiators were exported to Belgium , China , Greece , Finland , the Baltic states , Portugal , Norway and Sweden . Disposition . In a last - ditch effort to generate some interest in its new fighter , Can - Car entered the Model 10 in the January 1940 New York - to - Miami air race . Shortly after takeoff , a lack of oil pressure forced the FDB - 1 to land in New Jersey , thereby disqualifying it . Two months later , during testing , its landing gear collapsed at Saint - Hubert . Although Mexican authorities were interested in the aircraft , the Canadian government refused an export license and there were no other prospective customers for a biplane fighter in an age of monoplanes . In a fit of pique , Gregor was quoted as saying : " They ' ll start this war with monoplanes , but they ' ll finish it with biplanes . " He was wrong . Neither his prediction nor his aircraft were to survive the test of time . After several years of sitting forlornly in storage , the Model 10 FDB - 1 was destroyed in a hangar fire at Montreal ' s Cartierville Airport , and Michael Gregor swiftly followed it into obscurity . Specifications Gregor FDB - 1 . Aviation in Canada .