The
Fokker F27 Friendship is a
turbopropTurboprop engines are a type of aircraft powerplant that use a gas turbine to drive a propeller. The gas turbine is designed specifically for this application, with almost all of its output being used to drive the propeller...
airlinerAn airliner is a large fixed-wing aircraft for transporting passengers and cargo. Such planes are owned by airlines....
designed and built by the
DutchThe Netherlands is a country in Northwestern Europe, constituting the major portion of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is a parliamentary democratic constitutional monarchy. The Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east...
aircraftAn aircraft is a vehicle which is able to fly by being supported by the air, or in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil An aircraft is a vehicle which is able to fly by being supported...
manufacturer
FokkerFokker was a Dutch aircraft manufacturer named after its founder, Anthony Fokker. The company operated under several different names, starting out in 1912 in Schwerin, Germany, moving to the Netherlands in 1919. During its most successful period in the 1920s and 1930s, it dominated the civil...
.
Design and development
Design of the Fokker F27 started in the 1950s as a replacement to the successful DC-3
airlinerAn airliner is a large fixed-wing aircraft for transporting passengers and cargo. Such planes are owned by airlines....
. The manufacturer evaluated a number of different configurations before finally deciding on a high-
wingA wing is a surface used to produce lift for flight through the air or another gaseous or fluid medium. The wing shape is usually an airfoil. The word originally referred only to the foremost limbs of birds, but has been extended to include the wings of insects , bats, pterosaurs, and aircraft.A...
twin
Rolls-Royce DartThe Rolls-Royce RB.53 Dart was a long-lived British turboprop engine designed, built and manufactured by Rolls-Royce Limited. First produced in the late 1940s, it powered the first Vickers Viscount maiden flight in 1948...
engine layout with a
pressurised cabinCabin pressurization is the active pumping of compressed air into an aircraft cabin when flying at altitude to maintain a safe and comfortable environment for crew and passengers in the low outside atmospheric pressure....
for 28 passengers.
The first
prototypeA prototype is an original type, form, or instance of something serving as a typical example, basis, or standard for other things of the same category...
, registered PH-NIV, first flew on November 24, 1955. The second prototype and initial production machines were 0.9 m (3 ft) longer, addressing the first aircraft's slightly tail-heavy handling and also providing space for four more passengers, bringing the total to 32. These aircraft also used the more powerful Dart Mk 528 engine.
Production
The first production model, the F27-100, was delivered to
Aer LingusAer Lingus is the national flag carrier of Ireland. Headquartered at Dublin Airport, it operates a fleet of Airbus aircraft serving Europe and North America and northern Africa...
in November 1958. Other early Friendship customers included
BraathensBraathens ASA, until 1997 known as Braathens S.A.F.E. or Braathens South American and Far East Air Transport A/S, is a defunct Norwegian airline that operated from 1946 until it merged with Scandinavian Airlines Norway to become SAS Braathens in 2004. The airline was based in Oslo, first at...
SAFE,
LuxairLuxair is the flag carrier airline of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. It operates scheduled services to 50 destinations in Europe, North Africa, the Mediterranean and Middle East, plus charter and seasonal summer services...
, Ansett,
Trans Australia AirlinesTrans Australia Airlines or TAA , was one of the two major Australian domestic airlines between its inception in 1946 and its sale to Qantas in May 1996. During that period TAA played a major part in the development of the Australian air transport industry...
and
Turkish AirlinesTHY - Turkish Airlines, Inc. is the national airline of Turkey, headquartered in Istanbul. It operates a network of scheduled services to 120 international and 37 domestic cities , serving a total of 158 airports, in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas...
.
In 1956, Fokker signed a licensing deal with the US aircraft manufacturer Fairchild for the latter to construct the F27 in the USA. The first U.S.-built aircraft flew on April 12, 1958. Fairchild also independently developed a stretched version, called the
FH-227The Fairchild F-27 and Fairchild Hiller FH-227were versions of the Fokker F27 Friendship twin-engined turboprop passenger aircraft manufactured under license by Fairchild Hiller in the United States...
. Most sales by Fairchild were made in the North American market.
At the end of the Fokker F27s production in 1987, 793 units had been built (including 207 in the USA by Fairchild), which makes it the
most successfulMany measures of successful aircraft type are possible, including fitness to task, safety record, outstanding performance in any of several dimensions, longevity in service, or numbers produced. Many worthy aircraft designs, through one circumstance or another, have been commercial failures, or...
western European civil turboprop airliner.
Many aircraft have been modified from passenger service to cargo or express-package freighter roles and remain in service in 2009.
In the early 1980s, Fokker developed a successor to the Friendship, the Fokker 50. Although based on the F27-500 airframe, the Fokker 50 is virtually a new aircraft with
Pratt & Whitney CanadaPratt & Whitney Canada is a Canadian aircraft engine manufacturer. PWC's headquarters are in Longueuil, Quebec, just outside Montreal. It is a division of the larger US-based Pratt & Whitney , itself a business unit of United Technologies...
engines and modern systems. Its general performance and passenger comfort were improved over the F27.
Variants
- F27-100 - was the first production model; 44 passengers.
- F27-200 - uses the Dart Mk 532 engine.
- F27-300 Combiplane - Civil passenger/cargo aircraft.
- F27-300M Troopship - Military transport version for Royal Netherlands Air Force
The Royal Netherlands Air Force , Dutch Koninklijke Luchtmacht , is the military aviation branch of the Netherlands Armed Forces. Its ancestor, the Luchtvaartafdeeling of the Dutch Army was founded on 1 July 1913, with just four pilots...
.
- F27-400 - "Combi" passenger/cargo aircraft, with two Rolls-Royce Dart 7 turboprop engines and large cargo door.
- F27-400M - Military version for US Army with designation C-31A Troopship.
- F27-500 - The most ubiquitous Fokker F27 model the -500, had a 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) longer fuselage
The fuselage is an aircraft's main body section that holds crew and passengers or cargo. In single-engine aircraft it will usually contain an engine, although in some amphibious aircraft the single engine is mounted on a pylon attached to the fuselage which in turn is used as a floating hull...
, a return back to the Dart Mk 528 engine, and accommodation for up to 52 passengers. It first flew in November 1967.
- F27-500M - Military version.
- F27-500F - A version of the -500 for Australia with smaller front and rear doors.
- F27-600 - Quick change cargo/passenger version of -200 with large cargo door.
- F27-700 - A F27-100 with a large cargo door.
- F27 Maritime - Unarmed maritime reconnaissance version.
- F27 Maritime Enforcer - Armed maritime reconnaissance version.
- FH-227
The Fairchild F-27 and Fairchild Hiller FH-227were versions of the Fokker F27 Friendship twin-engined turboprop passenger aircraft manufactured under license by Fairchild Hiller in the United States...
- Fairchild Hiller stretched version.
Operators
Notable accidents
Full list of accidents
- TAA Fokker Friendship disaster
The TAA Fokker Friendship disaster is the second largest loss of life in an Australian aircraft accident, with 29 deaths, after the Bakers Creek air crash in 1943. It occurred on 10 June 1960 at Mackay, Queensland, Australia. The twin-engined passenger plane, a Fokker Friendship belonging to Trans...
- June 10, 1960 (Mackay, QueenslandFor other uses of Mackay please see Mackay Mackay is a city on the eastern coast of Queensland, Australia, about north of Brisbane, on the Pioneer River...
, AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
): 29 fatalities - this is still the deadliest civilian Australian aircraft accident in history. The investigation was not able to determine a probable cause of this accident.
- On August 4, 1984, a Biman Bangladesh Airlines
Biman Bangladesh Airlines is the flag carrier of Bangladesh, with its main hub at Zia International Airport in Dhaka, the capital of the country. It also operates flights from Shah Amanat International Airport in Chittagong and earns revenue from the connecting service to Osmani International...
flight from ChittagongChittagong is Bangladesh's main seaport and its second-largest city. The capital of the eponymous district and division, it is situated in the southeastern portion of the country, and was built on the banks of the Karnaphuli River, which ends nearby, in the Bay of Bengal. The city has a...
crashed in the swamps near Zia International AirportZia International Airport is the largest airport in Bangladesh located in Kurmitola, north of Dhaka, with Dhaka Cantonment on one side and Uttara Residential Area on the other. It started operations in 1981, and was named after Bangladesh's former president, Ziaur Rahman...
.[17] All 45 passengers and 4 crew of the Fokker F27The Fokker F27 Friendship is a turboprop airliner designed and built by the Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker.-Design and development:Design of the Fokker F27 started in the 1950s as a replacement to the successful DC-3 airliner...
died. The flight was piloted by Kaniz Fatema Roksana, the country's first female commercial pilot.
- On December 8, 1987, the Alianza Lima air disaster in which a Naval Fokker F27 that was transporting the Alianza Lima
Alianza Lima is a football club based in La Victoria District of Lima, Peru. The team plays in the Primera División Peruana and are one of the most successful and popular clubs in Peruvian football, having won twenty two first division titles and generally topping the popularity charts of national...
footballAssociation football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of eleven players using a spherical ball...
club crashed in Lima, PeruPeru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean.Peruvian territory was home to the Norte Chico...
, killing the whole team.
- October 19 1988 – Thirty-four died in a Vayudoot
Vayudoot was an airline in India established in January, 1981 as a subsidiary of Air India and Indian Airlines. This airline was originally conceived to serve the north-east region of India where the surface transport facilities were inadequate and surface routes were circuituous.-History &...
F-27 crash near GuwahatiGuwahati is a major city in eastern India, often considered as the gateway to the North-East Region of the country and is the largest city within the region. Dispur, the capital of the Indian state of Assam is situated within the city. Guwahati is one of the most rapidly growing cities in India...
, IndiaIndia, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west, and the Bay of Bengal...
. Tail No. VT-DMC.http://www.dayafterindia.com/apr205/cover_story.htmhttp://www.airdisaster.com/cgi-bin/airline_detail.cgi?airline=Vayudoothttp://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CE5DE133BF936A25751C0A966958260
- November 11,2002, a Laoag Air Flight 585 F27 crashed into Manila Bay, killing 20 people.
- On February 20, 2003, a military Fokker F27 crashed in northwestern Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located at the crossroads of South Asia, the Middle East, and Central Asia...
killing Pakistan Air ForcePakistan Air Force is the air arm of the Pakistan Armed Forces and is primarily tasked with the aerial defence of Pakistan with a secondary role to provide air support to the Pakistan Army and the Pakistan Navy. The PAF also has a tertiary role to provide strategic air transport and logistics...
Chief, Air Chief Marshal Mushaf Ali MirAir Chief Marshal Mushaf Ali Mir was chief of air staff of the Pakistan Air Force from 20 November, 2000 until his death on February 20, 2003 when the PAF Fokker F-27 he was traveling in, crashed near Kohat, Pakistan...
, his wife and 15 others.
- On 10 February 2004, Kish Air
Kish Air is an airline based in Tehran, Iran. It operates international, domestic and charter services as a scheduled carrier. Its main base is Mehrabad Airport, Tehran.-History:...
Flight 7170, operated by a Fokker 27 Mk.050, crashed at Sharjah International AirportSharjah International Airport is located in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.It is an important cargo airport and home base of the low-cost carrier Air Arabia.It is also one of the largest ingress points for Afghan heroin transported by air....
killing 43 people. Three survived with serious injuries. The cause was that the propellors were put into reverse pitch while the aircraft was in flight.
- Pakistan International Airlines
Pakistan International Airlines Corporation, more commonly known as PIA , is the flag carrier airline of Pakistan, headquartered in Karachi. It is the 31st largest airline in Asia, operating scheduled services to 23 domestic destinations and 36 international destinations in 25 countries across...
flight PK-688Pakistan International Airlines Flight 688 was scheduled to operate from Multan to Lahore and Islamabad at 12:05 pm on 10 July 2006. It crashed into a field after bursting into flames a few minutes after takeoff from Multan International Airport...
carrying 45 people crashed 2-3 minutes after take off from Multanis a city in the Punjab Province of Pakistan and capital of Multan District. It is located in the southern part of the province. Multan District has a population of over 3.8 million—according to 1998 census—and the city itself is the sixth largest within the boundaries of Pakistan...
airport on July 10, 2006. There were no survivors. Engine fire was suspected as the cause of the crash.
- On April 6, 2009, an Indonesian Air Force
The Indonesian Air Force is the air force branch of the Indonesian National Armed Forces.The Indonesian Air Force has 27,850 personnel equipped with 346 aircraft including Su-27 and Su-30...
F27 crashed in BandungBandung Indonesian: Kota Bandung) is the capital of West Java province in Indonesia, and the country's fourth largest city, and 2nd largest metropolitan area, with 7.4 million in 2007. Located 768 m above sea level, Bandung has relatively year-around cooler temperature than most other Indonesian...
, IndonesiaThe Republic of Indonesia is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia comprises 17,508 islands. With an estimated population of around 237 million people, it is the world's fourth most populous country, with the world's largest population of Muslims.Indonesia is a republic, with an...
killing all 24 occupants on board. The cause of the incident was said to be heavy rain. The plane reportedly crashed into a hangar during its landing procedure and killed all on board. The casualties include: 6 crews, an instructor and 17 special forces trainee personnel
Specifications (F27-500)
See also
External links