A characteristic structure provided the basis for the success of the early Fokker aircraft: a welded steel-tube fuselage covered with fabric, and thick-profiled wooden wings which in later types were built on the cantilever principle (without external bracing).
In 1919, one of the very first airplanes designed for airline operations was marketed: the Fokker F.2. This high-wing monoplane could carry four passengers in a well-furnished cabin, and with its 185 hp engine cruised at 100 miles per hour. The F.2 was the forerunner of a long line of airliners which were used in all parts of the world. Fokker designed and produced the more powerful F.3 and - to meet an American requirement - the 11-seat F.4. Flown by US Army Air Service pilots, this aircraft set new world records for endurance, distance and speed. The climax of its career came in 1922 when an F.4 flown by Oakley Kelly and John McReady made the first non-stop coast-to-coast flight across America, covering the 2,850 miles in 26 hours 51 minutes. The plane is preserved in the National Air and Space Museum in Washington.
In 1924 the F.7 made its appearance. This airliner, with accommodation for eight passengers, pioneered the air route between the Netherlands and the then Dutch East Indies. It was the progenitor of a very successful series of derivatives. The F.7a came into being in 1925 and was the world's first airliner with an air-cooled engine. It set up world records for altitude and distance, while carrying useful payloads.
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1921 - Fokker goes America
Anthony Fokker founded an American branch of his company as early as 1921, marking the start of an important contribution to the development of air traffic in the New World. In 1924 Fokker's foothold in the USA assumed the form of an independent company, the Atlantic Aircraft Corporation (later named Fokker Aircraft Corporation and then General Aviation Corporation), which eventually had plants in Teterboro, New Jersey, Brighton Mills, New Jersey, and Glendale, West Virginia. In the late twenties the US Fokker concern had grown to become one of the largest aircraft manufacturers in the world. In addition to civil transports, a long line of military aircraft was developed in the early twenties. They were sold in large numbers, many being built under licence abroad. To mention only a few: the C.1, C.4 and C.5 reconnaissance types, the D.10, D.11 and D.13 fighters, the S.1, S.2, S.3 and S.4 primary trainers and the T.1, T.2 and T.3 torpedo floatplanes.
1925 - Fokker F.7 Trimotor most successful airliner
In 1925, the F.7 was developed into the F.7a-3m Trimotor and the long span F.7b-3m, which virtually laid the foundation for many of today's major air networks. The Fokker Trimotor became the most successful airliner of those early days of commercial aviation. Most of the larger airlines in Europe, the US and Australasia operated these types. Licences to build them were sold to manufacturers in seven European countries and they were also produced in Fokker's own American plants. In addition to their multi-engined safety, reliability and passenger comfort, these Fokker Trimotors made many famous and historic flights.
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1925 - Fokker wins Ford Reliability Tour
Flying the F.7a-3m prototype, Anthony Fokker succeeded in winning the 1925 Ford Reliability Tour, thus establishing his name in American aviation. One year later, Admiral Richard Byrd and Floyd Bennett made the first flight over the North Pole with the "Josephine Ford". In 1927, only six weeks after Lindbergh, Byrd crossed the Atlantic in the Trimotor "America" and in the following year, Australian Charles Kingsford Smith made his daring flight across the Pacific from San Francisco to Australia in the famous "Southern Cross". Amelia Earhart was the first woman to fly the Atlantic in the "Friendship" in 1928. The US Army officers Spaatz, Eaker and Quesada, flew the Fokker Trimotor "Question Mark" for more than 150 hours in an early but striking demonstration of air-to-air refuelling. Kingsford Smith continued his round-the-world expedition in the "Southern Cross", flying from Australia to England in 1929, and the following year to San Francisco, his original starting point. Meanwhile, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines had inaugurated a regular F.7b-3m service between the Netherlands and the East Indies, at the time the longest air route in the world.
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The Thirties: 1930 - 1939
By 1930, 54 airlines were operating Fokker aircraft, and licences for their manufacture were sold to 22 countries. Anthony Fokker withdrew from the American theater in 1931, finding outlets in the Netherlands for his tremendous energy. Successes in the field of military aircraft continued with fighters such as the D.16, D.17 and D.21, the C.10 reconnaissance aircraft, the catapult-launched C.11W floatplane, the C.14W floatplane trainer, the T.4 and T.8W floatplane torpedo bombers and the T.5 bomber. Highlight in this era was the G.1 twin-engined, twin-boom fighter.
The sturdy Trimotor was further developed into the F.12 and F.18 long distance airliners. This series culminated in the large four-engined F.22 and the mammoth F.36 which, with a capacity of 32 passengers, was at the time one of the world's largest airliners.
After 1934, the Fokker company concentrated on the design and production of military aircraft, at the same time acting as European marketing office for the Douglas DC-2 and DC-3 all-metal planes. Fokker's first own all-metal aircraft, the T.9 bomber, flew in 1939 and design work began on the F.24, intended as a DC-3 replacement.
Anthony Fokker died in December 1939 in the U.S.A. at the early age of 49, but his illustrious name lived on through the company he had created.
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Fokker - after the Second World War II
In the Second World War the Fokker factory was totally destroyed and the F.24 project had to be shelved. The company rose from its ashes in 1945 and a nucleus of Fokker employees began design and production of a series of small military trainers, the S.11, S.12, S.13 and S.14 Mach Trainer, the company's first jet design. In 1951, the company moved to a new factory erected at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, where several hundreds of Hawker Sea Furies, followed later by Gloster Meteor and Hawker Hunter jet fighters built under licence. In the sixties, Fokker produced 350 Lockheed Starfighters, wing center sections of the Breguet Atlantic military patrol aircraft and center-fuselages of the Northrop NF-5.
The Fifties: introduction of the Fokker F27 Friendship
By the early fifties, the company was preparing for a re-entry into the civil airliner market. This led to the introduction of the Fokker F27 Friendship in 1958. The F27 has become the world's best selling turboprop airliner. When production ended in 1986, a total of 786 Friendships had been sold worldwide. The Fokker F28 Fellowship, the F27s jet sister aircraft, was first delivered in 1969. The twin-turbofan also found its way into the world airliner market with 241 sold when production was stopped in 1987.
The F27 was first introduced into Africa by Sudan Airways in 1962, followed in the same year with other African airlines as DETA, Mozambique, TAAG and East African Airways. East African Airways broke up into Kenya Airways, Air Tanzania and Uganda Airlines. One of these first hour F27s in Africa is still flying around with Airkenya in scheduled airline services to the Kenyan game reserves and the coastal holiday resorts Mombasa and Malindi. Next to the civil airliners Fokker developed military and maritime variants of the Fokker F27. In total some 112 Fokker F27 Friendships were sold to African operators.
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The Fokker F28
The first F28s in Africa were sold to Nigeria Airways (8) in 1972, soon to be followed by Ghana Airways and Ivory Coast. A number of F28s were sold in special governmental/VIP configuration. Eventually 35 Fokker F28s were sold to African operators.
On July 22nd, 1978 the Fokker F28 Mk3000 "Lijubantsendzele" was delivered to Royal Swazi National Airways Corporation and has since then set a remarkable record of on-time reliable and dependable service for an aircraft operating under these conditions.
By the end of the 1970's the operation of Fokker Aircraft in Africa spanned the whole continent. One could board the F28 of Royal Swazi at Matsapha and fly around from country to country in a full circle and returning to Matsapha only to have flown in the various Fokker Aircraft of African operators all over the continent.
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Fokker 50, Fokker 70 & Fokker 100: new standards in aviation
Today, the Fokker 50 PropJetLine and Fokker 70 and Fokker 100 JetLine form the mainstay of Fokker's business. These three new-generation airliners are setting new standards in aviation in terms of technology, economy and passenger comfort. They can boast an impressive order list comprising prestigious customers.
First time F27 operators Sudan Airways and Kenya Airways were amongst the first airlines to order the new Fokker 50, recently followed by the Government of Tanzania. With the Fokker 100 the same pattern developed and satisfied F28 operators Air Ivoire and Air Gabon introduced the Fokker 100 into Africa.
Since the 2nd World War Fokker has sold more than 1200 civil aircraft worldwide. More than 1000 of them are in day-to-day operation with 232 operators in 76 countries world-wide. In Africa alone more than 120 Fokker aircraft are in operation with 38 operators in 27 countries.
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Fokker Aircraft Support: a dedicated support organization
To support all these operators of Fokker Aircraft Fokker has a dedicated Product Support organisation to provide such services as: maintenance and flight-operations training, documentation, technical field support, maintenance and engineering support, spares support, 24-hours AOG (Aircraft-on-ground) etc., tailormade to the needs of large customers like American Airlines or Swissair and the specific needs of such smaller African carriers like Air Ivoire or Royal Swazi.
As well as being an acknowledged specialist in short-to-medium-haul airliners, Fokker is involved in most aspects of modern aerospace: co-production of the Lockheed F-16 fighter, aircraft repair, overhaul and modification, participation in numerous space ventures, production of various aerospace related products and a wide range of research and development projects.
In April 1993 a contract was signed, finalising the participation of Deutsche Aerospace (Dasa) in Fokker. Such move is a significant contribution to the rationalisation of the European Aerospace industry. Fokker will become the lead-company in Design, Engineering, Manufacturing, Sales and Support of aircraft in the 60-130 seat range.
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1996 - Bankruptcies declared of:
N.V. Koninklijke Nederlandse Vliegtuigenfabriek Fokker,
Fokker Administration B.V.
Fokker Aircraft B.V.
1996 Fokker Aviation is founded by the Trustees Operating companies:
- Fokker Elmo
- Fokker Aerostructures
- Fokker Services
- Fokker Special Products
- Fokker Defence Marketing
1996 Stork acquires Fokker Aviation
1999 'Fokker Aviation' to continue as 'Stork Aerospace Group'
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