Fokker F.VII

An enlarged variant of this aircraft, the F-10, was involved in a famous aviation accident in that period that led to safety reforms in the USA.

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 (150 kW) Wright Whirlwind radial engines.

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.

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 prototype at Schiphol airport.
The Napier Lion engine exposed in the nose of a F.VII
Seating arrangement in the 8-passenger F.VIIB-3m
The Southern Cross in 1943.
Fokker F.VIIB-3m (CH-190) operated by Ad Astra Aero
The Josephine Ford at The Henry Ford museum
The F.VII with a single inline Napier Lion engine.
F.VII retrofitted with a Bristol Jupiter radial engine in KLM livery.
The French-registered F.VIIA flown for CIDNA ( Compagnie Internationale de Navigation Aérienne ).
America before its journey across the Atlantic, which was a Civilian C-2 version
A C-2 of the United States Army
Avro 618 Ten
Historical poster with stylized Fokker F.VII for the Belgian airline SABENA
F.VIIA of Polish carrier LOT powered by a Lorraine-Dietrich 12Eb engine [ 15 ] built by Polish Skoda Works (PZS) [ 16 ]
Fokker F.VIIB-3m of Spanish state-owned airline CLASSA .
Pan Am Fokker F.VIIB-3m
Dutch bomber variant based on the F.VIIA-3m with bomb racks visible and large floodlights for landing in poor visibility; designated F.VIIA-3m/M.
The slightly enlarged Fokker C-2A flown by the US Army Air Corps.
Old Glory was used for an attempted transatlantic flight in 1927, but it was lost en route
Fokker F.VII/3m 3-view drawing from NACA Aircraft Circular No.74