Fokker F.11
Encyclopedia
The Fokker F.11 (known to the parent company in the Netherlands as the B.IV) was a luxury flying boat produced as an "Air Yacht" in the United States in the late 1920s. It was originally derived from the Fokker B.III that Fokker had been unable to sell in the Netherlands and had sent to its US subsidiary to see whether it would have better luck in that country. Although originally designed as a military aircraft, the B.III had been fitted with an enclosed cabin for the pilot, and a six-seat passenger cabin within the hull. Fokker America decided to redesign the aircraft further and convert it to monoplane configuration, mating a fuselage patterned on the B.III to the wings of the Fokker Universal
. In this configuration, a prototype flew in 1928, but when a decision was taken to produce the design in series, both the fuselage and the wing were so extensively redesigned that they no longer bore much resemblance to their B.III and Universal origins. Because the facilities to produce the duralumin
fuselages were not available in the United States, Fokker America arranged to have these constructed in the Netherlands, initially ordering 20.
By the time the first six aircraft had been constructed, however, it was already evident that the design was not going to sell. Fokker tried to make the aircraft more attractive to the US market by fitting a more powerful engine and increasing the seating capacity
to ten, but even so, total sales amounted to only four aircraft. One of the remaining F.11s was evaluated as a transport by the USAAC under the designation C-16, but the Army was not interested, and returned the machine to Fokker. The remaining fuselages in the Netherlands were scrapped, although at least two were used for exhibition and training purposes.
The hull of one F.11 (construction number 906) was recovered in the late 1970s from Canada, where it had crashed in 1935. It was placed on display at the Aviodome at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, going into storage at the Aviodrome
at Lelystad Airport
when the former closed down.
Fokker Universal
The Fokker Universal or "Standard" was the first aircraft built in the United States that was based on the designs of Dutch-born Anthony Fokker, who had designed aircraft for the Germans during World War I. About half of the 44 Universals that were built between 1926 and 1931 in the United States...
. In this configuration, a prototype flew in 1928, but when a decision was taken to produce the design in series, both the fuselage and the wing were so extensively redesigned that they no longer bore much resemblance to their B.III and Universal origins. Because the facilities to produce the duralumin
Duralumin
Duralumin is the trade name of one of the earliest types of age-hardenable aluminium alloys. The main alloying constituents are copper, manganese, and magnesium. A commonly used modern equivalent of this alloy type is AA2024, which contains 4.4% copper, 1.5% magnesium, 0.6% manganese and 93.5%...
fuselages were not available in the United States, Fokker America arranged to have these constructed in the Netherlands, initially ordering 20.
By the time the first six aircraft had been constructed, however, it was already evident that the design was not going to sell. Fokker tried to make the aircraft more attractive to the US market by fitting a more powerful engine and increasing the seating capacity
Seating capacity
Seating capacity refers to the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, both in terms of the physical space available, and in terms of limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that seats two to a stadium that seats...
to ten, but even so, total sales amounted to only four aircraft. One of the remaining F.11s was evaluated as a transport by the USAAC under the designation C-16, but the Army was not interested, and returned the machine to Fokker. The remaining fuselages in the Netherlands were scrapped, although at least two were used for exhibition and training purposes.
The hull of one F.11 (construction number 906) was recovered in the late 1970s from Canada, where it had crashed in 1935. It was placed on display at the Aviodome at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, going into storage at the Aviodrome
Aviodrome
The Nationaal Luchtvaart-Themapark Aviodrome is a large aerospace museum in The Netherlands that has been located on Lelystad Airport since 2003.-History:...
at Lelystad Airport
Lelystad Airport
Lelystad Airport is an airport south southeast of Lelystad, Netherlands.It is the biggest general aviation airport in the Netherlands and is also home to a large aviation museum, the Aviodrome. The museum's former KLM Boeing 747-200 which they have on display is a prominent feature on the...
when the former closed down.
Variants
- F.11 or B.IV - prototype with B.III hull, Universal wing and Pratt & Whitney WaspPratt & Whitney Wasp-External links:*...
engine, later replaced with Wright CycloneWright CycloneWright Cyclone was the name given to a family of air-cooled radial piston engines designed by Curtiss-Wright and used in numerous American aircraft in the 1930s and 1940s.-Background:...
(1 built)- F.11a or B.IVa - production version with redesigned fuselage and wing and Wright Cyclone engine (6 built)
- F.11AHB - F.11a modified with Pratt & Whitney Hornet and seating increased to ten (2 converted)
- F.11a or B.IVa - production version with redesigned fuselage and wing and Wright Cyclone engine (6 built)