Fokker Universal

Fokker Universal
Type:	Passenger plane , cargo plane
Design country:	United States
Manufacturer:	Atlantic Aircraft Corporation
First flight:	1926
Commissioning:	1926
Production time:	1926 to 1931
Number of pieces:	44

The Fokker Universal (also referred to as the Fokker F.9 ) was the first aircraft produced in the United States based on the designs of the aircraft developer Anthony Fokker , who came from the Netherlands and emigrated to the USA . The manufacturer was the Atlantic Aircraft Corporation founded by Fokker (later the Fokker Aircraft Company ) in Teterboro , New Jersey , which had previously manufactured other aircraft types under license.

development

In the first draft from 1925, the Fokker Universal was to be powered by a 149 kW (200 hp) Wright J-4 engine or a 164 kW (220 hp) Wright J-5 engine. In the final version, which Robert BC Noorduyn was commissioned to develop , the Wright J-6 with 246 kW (330 PS) was installed.

The two fuel tanks were built into the wings. As was customary at the time, the pilot sat in an open cockpit; the closed passenger compartment behind the pilot's seat could accommodate four to six passengers or a corresponding amount of cargo (427 kg).

The aircraft sold for approximately $ 14,000 in 1927. 44 machines were produced, about half of which were sold to Canada. The American polar explorer Richard Evelyn Byrd used a machine, which is also eponymous for the Fokker Rocks , on his first Antarctic expedition (1928–1930). The type was further developed into the Fokker Super Universal .

The "Spirit of Charron Lake"

A Fokker Universal with the registration number G-CAJD fell into Lake Charron in the Canadian province of Manitoba during a snow storm on December 10, 1931. After a 30-year search for the aircraft - called "The Ghost of Charon Lake" - a team from the Western Canada Aviation Museum (since December 2014: Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada) found it on the bottom of the lake in 2005 discovered. In July 2006 the engine and some other parts of the machine were salvaged. In another action in 2007, more parts were recovered and temporarily stored in the museum. A decision on the further use of these parts has not yet been made (as of January 2017).

Users

 Australia

• Ansett Airways

 Canada

• Canadian Airways
• Canadian Colonial Airways
• Department of Marine and Fisheries (now Fisheries and Oceans Canada)
• Western Canada Airways

 Cuba

• Cuban Navy

 Honduras

• Honduran Air Force

 Hungary

• Hungarian Air Force

 United States

• National Parks Airways
• Pacific Air Transport
• Pure Oil
• Standard Air Lines

Technical specifications

Three-sided view showing the float version

Parameter	Data
crew	1
Passengers	4-6 (or 427 kg cargo)
length	10.13 m
span	14.56 m
height
Wing area	31.68 m²
Wing extension
payload
Empty mass	996 kg
Max. Takeoff mass	1818 kg
Cruising speed	158 km / h
Top speed
Service ceiling	3658 m
Range	805 km
Engines	Wright J-6 radial engine, 330 hp (246 kW)

Web links

Commons : Fokker Universal  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Antarctic Explorers: Richard E. Byrd. Information on southpole.com (accessed January 30, 2017).