General Aviation PJ-1

General Aviation FLB began in 1930 as Fokker model F. 15, designed according to the requirement of the u.s. coast guard twin-engine aircraft for rescue tasks on the open sea, and its author was proven by Alfred And. Gassner. The foundation became the previous Fokker seaplane, F.11-A, however, increased by about 15 % and with improved aerodynamics. Unlike F.11-And also it wasn't about amfibii. The hull was largely of anodized aluminum and alcladu, with the front part with the rigid structure divided in several watertight bulkheads and the rear of from the "step" the ship-borne dna to rewind on the contrary, a light shell. Wing then were still based on the fokkerovské classics and had a wooden skeleton covered with plywood. The skeleton of the tail surfaces and engine nacelles were made from welded steel tubes, the nacelles should be in front of the oil tank and in the rear part of the engines of the Wasp in a compression arrangement of the covered ring. Four fuel tanks were located in the wing. On the sides of the fuselage was placed the rotary faired landing gear, designed only for moving out of the water.

Coast guard to examine the several proposals from several manufacturers and eventually chose the F.15 (also AF.15 or GA.15). The first of the machines that were given the label just FLB (FLying Lifeboat, the flying lifeboat), was completed sometime at the end of the year 1931 and was adopted by the USCG in January 1932 as FLB-8. The remaining four specimens followed during the year of 1932. In the service got all the machines own name - FLB-51 (originally erroneously FLB-8) was Antares, FLB-52 Altair, FLB-53 Acrux, FLB-54 Acamar, and FLB-55 Arcturus. The three machines were placed into service at the base of the USCG in Cape May, New Jersey, the other two in Miami, Florida. In 1933, he was FLB-51 sent to the Naval air factory in Philadelphia, where he received new engines Pratt & Whitney R-1690 Hornet about 373 kW at the tight rings of the type NACA, this time facing forward. Although he was in this form FLB-51 faster about 24 km/h and raised and range, finally there was no more adapted.

In 1934 they were FLB renamed - General Aviation Corp. was meanwhile merged with the parent General Aviation Manufacturing Corp. and then with North American Aviation, and from the General Aviation FLB have become a General Aviation (or North American) PJ-1. Only FLB-51 was renamed to VM-2. In the service of these five strojůmělo very very impressive record of rescue events on the open sea, which would not otherwise be possible. Big claims and and deployment but have led to the fact that they were PJ-1 scrapped after less than ten years of operation. FLB-54 Acamar was eliminated in mid-1937, FLB-52 Altair at the beginning of 1940, FLB-53 Acrux on the end of the same year, and both of the remaining machines, FLB-51 Antares and FLB-55 Arcturus at the end of the year 1941.

Johnson, E. R. United States Naval Aviation, 1919-1941. McFarland, Jefferson 2011. ISBN 978-0-7864-4550-9.
Johnson, E. R. American Flying Boats and Amphibious Aircraft: An Illustrated History. McFarland, 2009. ISBN 0786439742.
Swanborough, G., Bowers, P. M. United States Navy Aircraft since 1911. Putnam Aeronautical Books, London 1990, ISBN 0-85177-838-0.
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