The Fokker F27 Friendship is a turboprop airliner developed and manufactured by the Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker . It is the most numerous post-war aircraft manufactured in the Netherlands; the F27 was also one of the most successful European airliners of its era.
24-446: F27 or F-27 may refer to: F-27 Sport Cruiser , a trimaran sailboat design Fokker F27 Friendship , a 1955 Dutch turboprop airliner Fairchild F-27 , a 1958 American variant of the turboprop airliner HMS Lynx (F27) , a 1955 British Royal Navy Leopard -class Type 41 anti aircraft frigate Fluorine-27 (F-27 or F), an isotope of fluorine [REDACTED] Topics referred to by
48-479: A longer fatigue life, improved aerodynamics, and a lighter structure; Fokker became the first such company after de Havilland to employ such means. In 1953, the proposed airliner received the name Friendship . A total of four prototypes were produced, two of these being flyable aircraft that were used for the test flight programme and were paid for by the Netherlands Institute of Aircraft Development ;
72-644: A mixture of ATR 42 and ATR 72 aircraft by the end of 2009, the last of these aircraft were subsequently donated to the Hickory Aviation Museum . As of July 2010 a total of 65 F27s were in commercial service with almost 30 different airlines. By July 2013, only 25 Friendships remained in service, operated by 13 different airlines; most of these were F27-500s, with two -400s and a solitary -600 series aircraft in service. Italian cargo airline MiniLiner operated six F27s and Air Panama had four in its fleet. The United States Army Parachute Team has operated
96-409: A single C-31A Troopship for conducting its skydiving exhibitions since 1985. As of July 2018, 10 aircraft remain in service operated by 7 airlines. Finland Data from The Observers Book of Aircraft General characteristics Performance Related development Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era Related lists Wright Cyclone series Wright Cyclone
120-730: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Fokker F27 Friendship The F27 was developed during the early 1950s with the intent of producing a capable successor to the earlier piston engine -powered airliners that had become commonplace on the market, such as the Douglas DC-3 . A key innovation of the F27 was the adoption of the Rolls-Royce Dart turboprop engine, which produced substantially less vibration and noise which provided improved conditions for passengers; another major comfort feature
144-502: The DC-3, the F27 possessed superior levels of efficiency, enabling faster flight times, greater passenger comfort and a higher level of reliability. In 1960, the base purchase price for an RDa.6-powered F27 was £239,000. By the end of the production run for the Fokker F27 in 1987, a total of 592 units had been completed by Fokker (additionally, another 207 F-27s and FH-227s had been produced in
168-628: The F27 was manufactured in the United States by the latter; Fairchild went on to independently develop a stretched version of the airliner, which was designated as the Fairchild FH-227 . During the 1980s, Fokker developed a modernised successor to the F27, the Fokker 50 , which eventually replaced it in production. In the aftermath of the Second World War , twin-engine all-metal monoplanes such as
192-484: The F27 were developed and made available for commercial operators. Several military transport models were also produced. Fokker also chose to design a dedicated model of the F27 for conducting maritime reconnaissance missions. During 1952, Fokker established a relationship with the US aircraft manufacturer Fairchild , which was interested in the upcoming F27. In 1956, Fokker signed a licensing deal with Fairchild, under which
216-619: The F27. The Fokker 50 ultimately replaced the F27 in production. In November 1958, the first production aircraft, an F27-100 model, was delivered to Irish airline Aer Lingus ; it performed its first revenue flight in the following month. Other early customers of the Friendship included Braathens SAFE and Luxair in Europe; New Zealand National Airways Corporation ; Trans Australia Airlines and its Australian competitors Ansett and East-West Airlines ; and Turkish Airlines . Initial sales for
240-423: The US by Fairchild), more than any other western European civil turboprop airliner at the time. In later service, many aircraft have been modified from their original configurations for passenger service to perform cargo or express-package freighter duties instead. The last major cargo user of the F27 in the United States was FedEx Express , using it as a cargo "feeder" aircraft. These were retired and replaced by
264-460: The design team chose to incorporate various new technologies into the tentative design. Fokker evaluated several potential configurations for the airliner, including the use of Wright Cyclone radial engines , before finally settling upon a high- wing aircraft, which was furnished with a pair of Rolls-Royce Dart turboprop engines and a pressurised cabin which contained a total of 28 passengers. The Dart engine had already proven successful on
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#1732837750669288-612: The early 1980s, Fokker decided to develop a modernised successor to the F27 Friendship, designated as the F27 Mark 050 and marketed as the Fokker 50 . Although originating from the F27-500 airframe, the Fokker 50 was virtually a new aircraft, complete with Pratt & Whitney Canada engines and modern systems, which led to its general performance and passenger comfort being noticeably improved over
312-473: The early models of the Vickers Viscount , while a high-mounted wing had been selected as it produced a higher lift coefficient than a lower counterpart, it also enabled easier ground loading due to a lower floor level and provided unfettered external views to passengers without any weight increase. In the aircraft's construction, Fokker used an innovative metal-to-metal bonding technique, Redux , resulting in
336-563: The latter was authorised to manufacture the F27 in the USA. On 12 April 1958, the first American-built aircraft conducted its first flight. Production of Fairchild built aircraft would continue until July 1973. Fairchild proceeded to independently develop a stretched version of the airliner, designated as the FH-227 . The majority of sales completed by Fairchild fell within the North American market. In
360-485: The maximum number of passengers which could be carried to 32. These aircraft were also powered by the Dart Mk 528 engine, which was capable of generating greater thrust. Throughout the F27's production life, Fokker proceeded to adapt the design for various purposes and roles. Via modifications such as the adoption of improved engines, rearranged loading doors, elongated fuselages, and other changes, several different models of
384-416: The other two prototypes were for static and fatigue testing. On 24 November 1955, the first prototype, registered PH-NIV , performed its maiden flight . The second prototype and initial production machines were 0.9 m (3 ft) longer than the first prototype in order to address a revealed tendency for slightly tail-heavy handling as well as to provide additional space for four more passengers, raising
408-600: The purchase Charles Lawrance came to Wright as the Vice-President. Later that year the US Navy awarded Wright a contract to develop two new air-cooled radial engines. The first, called the P-1, was a 9-cylinder single row design of 1,652 cu in (27.07 L) displacement that was derived from an earlier Lawrence design, it produced 400 hp (300 kW). The second, the P-2, had
432-741: The same 1,652 cu in (27.07 L) displacement as the P-1, but was an improved design that produced 435 hp (324 kW). Neither engine entered production, with the Navy selecting the superior Pratt & Whitney R-1340 Wasp , so in 1926 work started on the improved 1,750 cu in (28.7 L) design, which became the R-1750 Cyclone. R-1300 Cyclone 7 (1942) R-1750 Cyclone (1926) R-1820 Cyclone (1932) R-2600 Cyclone 14 (Twin Cyclone) (1935) R-3350 Cyclone 18 (Duplex Cyclone) (1937) R-4090 Cyclone 22 Note:
456-448: The same term This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title formed as a letter–number combination. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=F27&oldid=1029425601 " Category : Letter–number combination disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description
480-539: The successful Douglas DC-3 airliner dominated commuter aviation. Over 10,000 DC-3s had been manufactured during wartime, which led to the type being highly available and thus encouraging its adoption by hundreds of operators across the world. By the early 1950s, various aircraft manufacturers had begun considering the post-war requirements of the civil aviation market and several commenced work upon projects aiming to produce designs for new aircraft which would be viewed as best meeting these requirements; Dutch firm Fokker
504-501: The type were slow, which led to Fokker seeking financial support from banks and from the Dutch government in order to maintain production of the airliner while more customers were sought. In 1960, demand for the F27 increased rapidly as multiple airlines placed sizable orders for the type. This is in part due to the spreading reputation of the type, having been found by operators that, in comparison to its piston-engine wartime counterparts like
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#1732837750669528-425: Was cabin pressurisation . Innovative manufacturing techniques were also employed in the aircraft's construction. On 24 November 1955, the F27 made its maiden flight ; on 19 November 1958, the type was introduced to revenue service. Shortly after its introduction, the F27 was recognised as being a commercial success. Under a licensing arrangement reached between Fokker and the U.S. aircraft manufacturer Fairchild ,
552-418: Was amongst the companies pursuing development of such an aircraft. By 1951, figures within Fokker were urging that design work be undertaken on a prospective 32-seat airliner intended as a direct replacement for the popular DC-3. Fokker sought the opinions of existing DC-3 operators on what performance increases and refinements they would expect of a new model of commuter aircraft. On the basis of this feedback,
576-594: Was the name given to a family of air-cooled radial piston engines designed by the Wright Aeronautical Corporation and used in numerous American aircraft in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. The Wright Aeronautical Corporation was formed in 1919, initially to develop liquid-cooled Hispano-Suiza V8 engines under license. In 1923 the Wright purchased the Lawrance Aero Engine Company , and with
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