Fokker Commercial Aircraft. From the F.I. of 1918 up to the Fokker 100 of Today

220 Pages·1994·44.16 MB·English

by  Hein van Meerten

jjL f YE OLDE
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FROM THE OF 1918 UP TO
F.I
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THE FOKKER 100 OF TODAY
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wis
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SEVENTYFIVEYEARSOF
AIRCRAFT MAMFACRHLNG.
In 1994 Fokker Aircraft as one
of the worlds oldest surviving air-
celebrated its 75th
anniversary. In th<
Fokker has developed and built
if aircraft and a?
delivered more than 7000 military
and civil aircraft •mm
ition pioneer Anthony Fokker
founded his NV NEDERIANDSCHE i
VLIEGTUIGENFABRIEK" on 21 July
1919. but already in 1910 he built
his first own aircraft, the Spider. In
the first World War his factory in
Germany built some renowned
apes of fighters among which the
Dr.l tri-plane with which fighter hS^
pilot Yon Richthofen gained many >>*<:
vict<H
In 1919 Fokker built his first iX^.
commercial aircraft, the Fokker II
to take four passengers. The
on
Fokker II was one of the first
aircraft specially designed for civil B
aviation.
In 1921 Fokker founded a H
daughter-company in the United
States of America, which during ££;T&v.
the twenties fully developed into |k ;~'*.'»;*?
n L«x
one ofthe biggest aircraft factories
in the world. A first success in
America was the first non-stop M m
ast-to-coast" flight (from the
coastto thewest coast)with a 9mr <mM
iherlands built - Fokker IV in a»R f
w^sm mW.M mm
In 1924 the first Fokker MI was my. mi
Jm
built having room for eight
engers. The first flight from
The Netherlands to the Dutch- m
Indies was made with this aircraft.
The Fokker MI was the beginning "m\\
of a long row of successful
varieties. The three-engine planes
| represented Fokkers pinnacle in m
the area of passenger aircraft in
the period between both World V*#
!>?'
With the three-engine Fokker MM
Mis many a historic flight was
flown. Admiral Richard E. Byrd
and Floyd Bennett made the first
flight over the North Pole with
their "Josephine Ford" in 1926. In
192" Byrd crossed the Atlantic
Ocean with the three-engine
America". six weeks after
Lindbergh.
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Design:
Studio Frans and Erna Laarman
Lithography:
Basisscan, Amsterdam
Printing:
Haagse Drukkerij,The Hague
Production:
Public Relations Department of
the N.V. Koninklijke Nederlandse
Vliegtuigenfabriek Fokker,with
the cooperationof:
Typesetting/Layout:
Hein Piscaer,Jurgen Soerewijn
Studiophotography:Wim de Vries •>i'.
Production: Hein van Meerten
All pictures and illustrations with
the exception of artists' impres-
sions, are from the Historical
ArchiveofN.V. Royal Netherlands
Aircraft Factory Fokker and the
Dutch National Aerospace
Museum Aviodome, Schiphol,
Holland.
Copyright 1994 N.V. Koninklijke
Nederlandse Vliegtuigenfabriek
Fokker. I
No part of this book may be
reproduced inanyform,byprint,
photoprint, microfilm or any
other means, without written
permission fromthe publisher.
COMMERCIAL AIRCRAFT
From the F.I of 1918
up to
the Fokker 100 of today
Iv-i'
't m m I
Final editing:
Rene de Leeuw
With assistance from:
•s'^L&>
Peter Alting
'.#«
Hein van Meerten
Paul Moreu
S£
Peter van de Noort
IV
A«a Leo de Roo
Illustrations:
Serge Stone
English edition:
Ken Fulton
A publication ofthe Public Relations Department
ofthe N.V. Koninklijke Nederlandse Vliegtuigenfabriek Fokker
V
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I
1
PREFACE
For Fokker Aircraft, 1994 was the year of its
75th anniversary. OnJuly 21, 1919 Anthony Fokker, after
being active in Germany fora numberofyears, founded
the N.V. Nederlandsche Vliegtuigenfabriek, with fac-
tories in North Amsterdam and Veere.
ftHi
This book reviews all the commercial aircraft desig-
ned and built by Fokker during those seventyfive years.
From the F.I and F.II right up to today's Fokker 100. MM
Attention is paid not only to those aircraft that became
a reality, but also to the large number of projects that
did not get beyond the drawing board.
Vr**--*<
The book is in four parts. The first deals with the
commercial aircraft ofbetween the two world wars. Part
two describes the commercial aircraft designed and
built in Fokker's American factories in the 'twenties and V. I
early thirties. Then the period after the Second World
War is covered. The final part contains a construction
number list of all aircraft built, with a short history7 of
each type. I
For ease of access by the reader, the aircraft in each IMP"
part are presented numerically by designation. This
sequence sometimes differs from the chronological
order. Forexample, the F24 project, the history ofwhich
started before the Second World War, is included in
part 3 because it was of all-metal design and relates
closer to postwar aircraft such as the F27.
A special word of thanks goes to the following per-
sons who supplied valuable information for the com-
pilation of this book: Ir. G. P. M. Blum, H. Bosman and
Ir. C Wydooge, the last mentioned of whom unfortuna-
tely did not live to see publication.
The compilers
Spring 1994
^M Anthony Herman
"ft'-*."
Gerard Fokker
~4--: Part 1
DbHb The prewar
aircraft
H
?"
la i^H Part 2
The American
aircraft 107
QK^H H^H Part 3
!»&*?
The postwar
ran agBgBSgg
aircraft 139
«Rfer«s
MA
HBB&Si Part 4
Construction
it/*'
numbers 177
Anthony Herman
Gerard
THE SELF- abilities that he had to take him
through life. They were enough how-
MADE' AVIA- ever for him to become one of the
TION PIONEER world'smostfamousaviationpioneers.
FewDutchmenhavemeantasmuchto
aviationashedid.
Oneday in the roomofthedirector MOTORMECHANICSSCHOOL
ofa collegeinHaarlem, Hollandastu-
dent appeared from Class 4a. It was Because Herman Fokker insisted
Anthony Fokker again who had that his son should learn a trade, he
alreadybeenthecauseofanumberof sent him in the summer of 1910 to a
problems. He was now repeating the motor mechanics school in Bingen,
fourth grade and was the terrorofhis Germany. However within 24 hours,
teachers. Anthony realised that the school was
"What is itthistime?" no good - and he wrote to this effect
"I wouldlike totaketwoweeksva- to his parents. As an alternative, he
cation , sir". suggestedadrivingschoolinZahlbach
"Vacation?!You?!" nearMainz, Germany. In his letter he
"Yessir, Iwouldliketoworkonmy purposely did not mention that the
invention. Iaminthefourthgrade for school also gave instruction on flying
asecondtimeandthereisreallynoth- andaircraftconstruction.
ing moreforme to learnhere". Flying fascinated him. It was some-
Thedirectorheardtheboyandnod- thing new in which he could indulge
ded. his technical abilities. Although the
Ifheindeedgavepermissionforthis drivingschoolhadafewcarsatitsdis-
vacation is not entirely clear. Tonny posal, it had no aviation equipment.
understood the nodding as "yes" and Thestudentsthemselvesdesignedand
disappeared. The vacation continued builtaircraftundertheguidanceofthe
andheneverreturnedtocollege. chief of the aeronautics department,
TogetherwithhisfriendFritsCremer one Bruno Buechner, who knew as
who left college at the same time, much about aviation as his pupils.
Tonny Fokker worked for a whole Consequently the training was not
monthonhisinvention:aleak-freecar entirelysuccessful.
tire. It turned out to be a disappoint- Fokker and Lieutenant Franz von
menthoweverbecausewhena patent Daum,afellowpupiloftwiceFokker's
was applied for, it emerged that the age, decided therefore to start up on
discoveryoftheyouthfulDutchinven- their own. Von Daum was a well-off
tor had already been proposed by a officer who had money to finance an
Frenchman. engine. In addition, Fokker got 1,500
Anthony Herman Gerard Fokker Deutschmarks from his father which
was born on 6 April 1890 at Blitar, enabled him to start building his first
KediriinJavaintheDutchEastIndies. aircraft. This was a design using
He died forty nine years later on 23 numerous bracing wires and accord-
December 1939 in New York as the inglywascalledthe 'Spin' (Spider).
resultofaninfectionhecaughtaftera Theaircraftmade itsfirsthop atthe
relativelyminoroperationonhisnose. end of 1910. But the joy was short-
HisfatherHermanFokker, hadbuilt lived.VonDaumhitatreewhentrying
quite a fortune as a coffee planter in totake offandthe Spinwasdamaged
Java.WhenTonny-ashewascalledat beyond repair. The engine was still
home- wasfouryearsold, fatherand useable for a second Spin but this
motherFokkerdecidedtocontinuethe machine was also wrecked by von
educationoftheboyandhiseldersis- Daum. Atthis point, Fokkerbroke off
terin Holland. hiscollaborationwiththeofficer.
The family took up residence in LEARNINGTOFLY
1laarlemjustwestofAmsterdam.Here,
Tonnyhadtogo toschool ofcourse - Partoftheconstructionworkforthe
somethinghedidnotcarefor.Elemen- twoSpinshadbeencontractedoutby
tary school was a real ordeal for him, Fokker to an academically-trained
andcollegeacompletedisaster-inhis technicianJacob Goedecker. With his
opinion, "a waste oftime". He found assistance, Fokker built a third Spin
satisfactioninotherthings. andtaught himselftoflyon it.
Herman Fokker was a competent The enthusiastic letters he wrote
"do-it-yourself man, although this homeaboutthispersuadedhisfatherto
termdidnotexistattheturnofthecen- askhimtomakeademonstrationflight
tury.Hisdearsonwassoonascapable over Haarlem on the occasion of the
withtoolsashewas.Tonnywashandy Queen's birthday in 1911. Herman
with model trains, steam engines and Fokker, it should be said, was a
lateron, hisleak-free tire. memberofthelocalOrangecommittee ®
Adrivinglicenseandapilot'slicense organizingHaarlem'sfestivitiesforthat
ere the only paper evidence of his day.