The Fokker F.VII, also known as the Fokker Trimotor, was an airliner produced in the 1920s.
Fokker’s American subsidiary Atlantic Aircraft Corporation, and other companies built the F.VII under licence.
The F.VII was designed as a single engined transport aircraft by Walter Rethel.
Five examples of this model were built for the Dutch airline KLM.
One of these aircraft, registered H-NACC, was used in 1924 for the first flight from the Netherlands to the Dutch East Indies.
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 converted a single-engined F.VIIa airliner to a trimotor configuration, powered by 200 hp Wright Whirlwind radial engines.
The resulting aircraft was designated the Fokker F.VIIa/3m.
Following shipment to the US, it won the Ford Reliability Tour in late 1925.
The Trimotor’s structure consisted of a fabric-covered steel-tube fuselage and a plywood-skinned wooden wing.
The Fokker F.VIIb/3m had a slightly increased wing area over the F.VIIa/3m, with power increased to 220 hp per engine, while the F.10 was slightly enlarged, carrying 12 passengers in an enclosed cabin.
The aircraft became popularly known as the Fokker Trimotor.
Variants
F.VII
Single-engined transport aircraft, powered by a 360 hp (270 kW) Rolls-Royce Eagle or 450 hp (340 kW) Napier Lion engine, accommodation for two crew and eight passengers.
One converted to use 400 hp (300 kW) Bristol Jupiter and two to use 480 hp (360 kW) Gnome-Rhône Jupiter VI engine.
F.VIIa (F.VIIa/1m)
Single-engine transport aircraft, slightly larger than F.VII with new undercarriage and wing.
Flown on 12 March 1925.
First aircraft had a 420 hp (310 kW) V-12 Packard Liberty engine, but a further 39 F.VIIa examples had mostly radial Bristol Jupiter or Pratt & Whitney Wasp engines.
F.VIIa/3m
Version with two additional under wing engines, flown on 4 September 1925.
The first two aircraft were otherwise identical to the F.VIIa.
From the third aircraft, the fuselage was 31 in (80 cm) longer and was powered by 200 hp (149 kW) Wright J-4 Whirlwind radial engines.
Probably only 18 were built, while many F.VIIa were upgraded to the F.VIIa/3m standard.
F.VIIb/3m
Main production version with greater span; 154 built, including those built under licence.
F.9
American-built version of the Fokker F.VIIb/3m; built by the Atlantic Aircraft Corporation in the United States.
F.10
Enlarged version of the Fokker F.VII airliner, able to carry up to 12 passengers; built by the Atlantic Aircraft Corporation in the United States.
C-2
Military transport version of the Fokker F.9, powered by three 220 hp (164 kW) Wright J-5 radial piston engines, accommodation for two pilots and ten passengers; three built in 1926 for the US Army Air Corps.
C-2A
Military transport version for the US Army Air Corps, with greater wingspan, powered by three 220 hp (164 kW) Wright J-5 radial piston engines, accommodation for two pilots and ten passengers; eight built in 1928.
XC-7
One C-2A fitted with three 330 hp (246 kW) Wright J-6-9 radial piston engines.
Redesignated C-7 when four C-2A examples were similarly reconfigured.
C-7
Military transport conversion of C-2A for the US Army Air Corps by re-engining with 300 hp (220 kW) Wright R-975 engines.
XC-7 prototype and four C-2As redesignated in 1931.
C-7A
Six new production C-7 (Wright R-975) aircraft with larger wings, new vertical fin design, and fuselages patterned after the commercial F.10A.
XLB-2
Experimental light bomber version of the C-7, powered by three 410 hp (306 kW) Pratt & Whitney R-1380 radial piston engines; one built.
TA-1
Military transport version of the US Navy and Marine Corps; three built.
TA-2
Military transport version for the US Navy; three built.
TA-3
Military transport version for the US Navy, powered by three Wright J-6 radial piston engines; one built.
RA-1
Redesignation of the TA-1.
RA-2
Redesignation of the TA-2.
RA-3
Redesignation of the TA-3.
Licensed versions
SABCA
29 aircraft built.
Avia
18 aircraft built.
IMAM Ro.10
Three aircraft built in Italy as the IMAM Ro.10, powered by three 215 hp Alfa Romeo Lynx engines.
Plage i Laśkiewicz
Between 1929 and 1930, produced 11 examples of F.VIIb/3m, plus 20 of its own F.VIIb/3m bomber version.
