Fokker F.VII
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| Fokker F.VII | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Fokker Trimotor | |
| Type | Passenger & military transport |
| Manufacturer | Atlantic Aircraft Company |
| Designed by | Anthony Fokker |
| Maiden flight | 1924 |
| Retired | 1931 in US commercial service |
| Primary user | KLM, TWA, Pan Am, United States (USAAC), Richard E. Byrd, Charles Kingsford Smith |
The Fokker F.VII was a small airliner produced by Anthony Fokker's Atlantic Aircraft Company, and later by other companies under licence. The original experimental design of 1924 was a single-engined high-winged monoplane, but Fokker modified it with two additional engines to enter (and win) the inaugural Ford Reliability Tour in 1925. Consequently the production versions F.VIIa/3m, F.VIIb/3m and F.10 all had three engines, and the aircraft became popularly known as the Fokker Trimotor.[1]
The 8- to 12-passenger F.VII was the aircraft of choice for many early airlines, both in Europe and the Americas. Along with the similar Ford Trimotor, it dominated the American market in the late 1920s. However, the popularity of the Fokker quickly came to an end after the 1931 death of Notre Dame football coach Knute Rockne in the crash of TWA Flight 599. The subsequent investigation, which revealed problems with the Fokker's plywood-laminate construction, resulted in the banning of the aircraft on commercial flights, and the rise of all-metal aircraft such as the Boeing 247 and Douglas DC-2.[2]
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[edit] Pioneers and Explorers
The F.VII was used by many explorers and aviation pioneers, including:
- Richard E. Byrd claimed to have flown over the North Pole in the Fokker F.VIIa/3m Josephine Ford on May 9, 1926, a few days before Roald Amundsen accomplished the feat in the airship Norge.[3]
- Two lieutenants of the US Army Air Corps, Lester Maitland and Albert Hegenberger, made the first flight from the continental United States to Hawaii in the Fokker C-2 Bird of Paradise in June 1927.[3] That same month, Richard E. Byrd, Bernt Balchen and two others flew the C-2 America across the Atlantic, crash-landing off the coast of France.[4] It was the third successful non-stop transatlantic flight by a heavier-than-air craft.
- Sir Charles Kingsford Smith's F.VIIb/3m Southern Cross was the first aircraft to cross the Pacific from the United States to Australia in June 1928, and the first to cross the Tasman Sea, flying from Australia to New Zealand and back in September of that year.[5]
- Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly across the Atlantic on June 17, 1928, as a passenger aboard the Fokker F.VIIb/3m Friendship.[3]
- A group of U. S. Army Air Corps flyers, led by then Major Carl Spaatz, set an endurance record of over 150 hours with the Question Mark, a Fokker C-2 over Los Angeles on January 1 to January 7, 1929. The purpose of this mission was to experiment with aerial refueling.[6]
[edit] Licenced Copies
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[edit] Military Operators
Czechoslovakia
Finland (one F.VIIa)
Netherlands
Poland
Spain
United States - USAAC (designations include C-2, C-5 and C-7.[7])
Yugoslavia
[edit] Specifications
[edit] F.VIIb/3m
Data from [8]
General characteristics
- Crew: 2
- Capacity: 8 passengers
- Length: 47 ft 11in (14.60m)
- Wingspan: 71 ft 2in (21.70 m)
- Height: 12 ft 8 in (3.90 m)
- Empty weight: 6,725 lb (3,050 kg)
- Loaded weight: 11,570 lb (5,200 kg)
- Powerplant: 3× Wright J-5 Whirlwind radial engines, 300 hp (224 kW) each
Performance
- Cruise speed: 92 kts (170 km/h)
[edit] F.10
Data from [8]
General characteristics
- Crew: 2
- Capacity: 12 passengers
- Length: 50 ft 7 in (15.41 m)
- Wingspan: 79 ft 1 in (24.10 m)
- Height: 12 ft 8 in (3.86 m)
- Empty weight: 7,716 lb (3,500 kg)
- Loaded weight: 13,007 lb (5,900 kg)
- Powerplant: 3× Pratt & Whitney Wasp radial engines, 420 hp (313 kW) each
Performance
- Cruise speed: 105 kts (195 km/h)
- Range: 691 nm (1,280 km)
[edit] References
- ^ Aeronautics Learning Laboratory
- ^ Centennial of Flight information on CAA investigation of Flight 599
- ^ a b c Famous Fokker Flights
- ^ The Trans-Atlantic Flight of the 'America'
- ^ The Pioneers - Charles Kingsford Smith
- ^ USAF Historical Studies Office article about the Question Mark
- ^ Cargo Aircraft Designations
- ^ a b Aero Favourites
