Фоккер F.VII: Голландтық ұшақтар тарихы мен жетістіктері

Transport aircraft family by Fokker

The Fokker F. VII, also known as the Fokker Trimotor, was an airliner produced in the 1920s by the Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker, Fokker's American subsidiary Atlantic Aircraft Corporation, and several other companies under license. It was an airliner that could carry 6 12 people, depending on the version, and it used a variety of engines; early versions had one engine but three was more common. This was an important airliner in the 1920s and 1930s; it was popular and made in several versions and used for record breaking flights. A variant of this aircraft, the F 10, was involved in famous aviation accident in that period that led to safety reforms in the USA. It was also used for an attempt to reach the North Pole, although there was a debate if it did reach all the way there: the aircraft was at least flown in arctic conditions in this attempt. Less controversially, it was flown in the first flight across the Pacific from Australia to the United States, and earlier it was used in flight from the United States to Hawaii. In the 1930s, the aircraft began to fall out favor as newer designs that were larger, faster, and more streamlined entered service. Some major variations on this design included the Fokker F 10, which was bit bigger and could carry 4 additional passengers, and the Fokker F. VIII, which omitted the central engine to be twin engined aircraft. The Fokker F. VII was also license produced by several countries including SABCA, Avia, Avro, and others.

The F. VII was designed as a single engined transport aircraft by Walter Rethel. Five examples of this model were built for the Dutch airline KLM. One of these aircraft, registered H NACC, was used in 1924 for the first flight from the Netherlands to the Dutch East Indies. In 1925, while living in the US, Anthony Fokker heard of the inaugural Ford Reliability Tour, which was proposed as a competition for transport aircraft. Fokker had the company's head designer, Reinhold Platz, convert a single engine F. VIIA airliner to a trimotor configuration, powered by 200 hp Wright Whirlwind radial engines. The resulting aircraft was designated the Fokker F. VIIA 3m. Following shipment to the US, it won the Ford Reliability Tour in late 1925. The Trimotor's structure consisted of a fabric covered steel tube fuselage and a plywood skinned wooden wing. The Fokker F. VIIB 3m had a slightly increased wing area over the F. VIIA 3m, with power increased to 220 hp per engine, while the F.10 was slightly enlarged, carrying 12 passengers in an enclosed cabin. The aircraft became popularly known as the Fokker Trimotor. The Fokker F. VIII (F.8) was similar, but a twin engine configuration rather than a trimotor, and it was bigger. The Fokker F. IX (F 9) had a similar configuration as the F. VII, but it was quite a bit larger and carried 20 passengers.

The eight to 12 passenger Fokker was the aircraft of choice for many early airlines, both in Europe and the Americas, and it dominated the American market in the late 1920s. However, the popularity of the Fokker quickly waned after the 1931 crash of a Transcontinental & Western Air Fokker F.10, which resulted in the death of Notre Dame football coach Knute Rockne. The investigation revealed problems with the Fokker's plywood laminate construction, resulting in a temporary ban from commercial flights, more stringent maintenance requirements, and a shift to all metal aircraft such as the similar Ford Trimotor and later Boeing 247 and Douglas DC 2.

F. VII Single engined transport aircraft, powered by Rolls Royce Eagle or Napier Lion 12 cylinder inline engines, accommodation for two crew and six passengers; five built. One converted to use Bristol Jupiter 9 cylinder radial and two to use Gnome Rhône built Jupiter VI engine. F. VIIA (F. VIIA 1m) Single engined transport aircraft; the capacity was increased to carry 8 passengers and the aircraft received a new, simplified undercarriage with suspension and aerodynamic improvements (the ailerons were contained within the profile of the wing and capped by rounded wing tips, the aircraft was equipped with an adjustable stabilizer). Flown on 12 March 1925. First aircraft had a V 12 Packard Liberty engine, but a further 39 F. VIIA examples had mostly Bristol Jupiter or Pratt & Whitney Wasp radial engines. F. VIIA 3m The result of an attempt to improve the reliability of the aircraft by installing two additional underwing engines; flown on 4 September 1925. The first two aircraft were otherwise identical to the F. VIIA. From the third aircraft, the fuselage was 31 in (80 cm) longer and was powered by 200 hp (149 kW) Wright J 4 Whirlwind radial engines. Probably only 18 were built, while many F. VIIA were upgraded to the F. VIIA 3m standard. F. VIIB 3m Main production variant with heavier engines (offered were the Wright Whirlwind, Armstrong Siddeley Lynx or Titan Major radial engines) as well as a greater wing span and modified wing geometry; 154 built, including those built under licence. F 9 American built version of the Fokker F. VIIB 3m; built by the Atlantic Aircraft Corporation in the United States. F 10 Enlarged version of the Fokker F. VII airliner, able to carry up to 12 passengers; built by the Atlantic Aircraft Corporation in the United States. C 2 Military transport version of the Fokker F.9, powered by three 220 hp (164 kW) Wright J 5 radial piston engines, accommodation for two pilots and ten passengers; three built in 1926 for the US Army Air Corps. C 2A Military transport version for the US Army Air Corps, with greater wingspan, powered by three 220 hp (164 kW) Wright J 5 radial piston engines, accommodation for two pilots and ten passengers; eight built in 1928. XC 7 One C 2A fitted with three 330 hp (246 kW) Wright J 6 9 radial piston engines. Re designated C 7 when four C 2A examples were similarly reconfigured. C 7 Military transport conversion of C 2A for the US Army Air Corps by re engining with 300 hp (220 kW) Wright R 975 engines. XC 7 prototype and four C 2As re designated in 1931. C 7A Six new production C 7 (Wright R 975) aircraft with larger wings, new vertical fin design, and fuselages patterned after the commercial F.10A. XLB 2 Experimental light bomber version of the C 7, powered by three 410 hp (306 kW) Pratt & Whitney R 1380 Wasp radial piston engines; one built. TA 1 Military transport version for the US Navy and Marine Corps; three built. TA 2 Military transport version for the US Navy; three built. TA 3 Military transport version for the US Navy, powered by three Wright J 6 radial piston engines; one built. RA 1 Re designation of the TA 1. RA 2 Re designation of the TA 2. RA 3 Re designation of the TA 3.

On 21 June 1926, a KLM F. VII (H NACL) force landed at Seabrook Beach, Sandgate near Hythe, Kent, due to fuel exhaustion caused by pilot error; all five on board survived, but the aircraft was written off. On 9 July 1926, a KLM F. VII (H NACC) struck ground in fog at Wolvertem, Belgium, killing both pilots. On 8 June 1927, a Fokker/Atlantic F. VIIB 3m (NC55) of Colonial Air Transport crashed on landing at Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey; no casualties. At 9:44pm on 31 August 1927, the oil tanker SS Josiah Macy reported the last known sighting of F. VIIA St. Raphael (G EBTQ) on a trans Atlantic attempt from RAF Upavon, England to Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, piloted by Leslie Hamilton and Frederick F. Minchin, with Princess Anne of Löwenstein Wertheim Freudenberg as passenger. On 4 July 1928, Belgian financier Alfred Lowenstein disappeared during a flight over the English Channel as a passenger in Fokker F. VIIA 3m (G EBYI), in unknown circumstances. On 15 August 1928, a Pan Am F. VIIA 3m, General Machado (NC53) ditched in the Gulf of Mexico off Egmont Key, Florida. On 4 July 1929, a Fokker F. VIIA 3m (G EBYI) force landed near Mongalla, Sudan. Owner and pilot was Donald H Drew, three passengers included Glen Kidston, no casualties. Aircraft damaged beyond repair. On 11 September 1930, a Sabena F. VII (OO AIN) crashed on climbout from Croydon Airport due to an in flight fire, killing both pilots. On 30 October 1930, a Fokker F. VIIb/3m (CH 161) of Balair struck a chimney, and crashed in fog on approach to Essen/Mülheim Airport; three crew injured, three passengers unhurt. See also Commons Category:Fokker F. VIIb/3m of Balair
On 6 December 1931, a KLM F. VIIb/3m (PH AFO) crashed at Bangkok after failing to take off, killing five of seven on board. On 3 April 1940, a BOAC Avro 618 Ten (G AASP, Hercules) crashed on takeoff from Cairo; there were no casualties, but the aircraft was written off.