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The Fokker Universal was the first
aircraft An aircraft ( aircraft) is a vehicle that is able to flight, fly by gaining support from the Atmosphere of Earth, air. It counters the force of gravity by using either Buoyancy, static lift or the Lift (force), dynamic lift of an airfoil, or, i ...
built in the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
that was based on the designs of Dutch-born
Anthony Fokker Anton Herman Gerard "Anthony" Fokker (6 April 1890 – 23 December 1939) was a Dutch aviation pioneer, aviation entrepreneur, aircraft designer, and aircraft manufacturer. He produced fighter aircraft in Germany during the First World War such ...
, who had designed aircraft for Germany during
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
. About half of the 44 Universals that were built between 1926 and 1931 in the United States were used in
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
. Among the famous pilots who flew the Fokker Universal were
Punch Dickins Clennell Haggerston "Punch" Dickins (12 January 1899 – 2 August 1995) was a pioneering Canadian aviator and bush pilot.Walter Gilbert Walter Gilbert (born March 21, 1932) is an American biochemist, physicist, molecular biology pioneer, and Nobel laureate. Education and early life Walter Gilbert was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on March 21, 1932, into a Jewish family, the so ...
.


Design and development

Anthony Fokker established the Atlantic Aircraft Corporation at the
Teterboro Airport Teterboro Airport is a general aviation relief airport situated in the boroughs of Teterboro, Moonachie, and Hasbrouck Heights in Bergen County, New Jersey.Teterboro Teterboro ( ) is a borough in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 61, a decrease of 6 (−9.0%) from the 2010 census count of 67, which in turn reflected an increase ...
,
New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...
. One of his first ventures for the new company was building other aircraft under license. In 1926, he formulated plans to create an original aircraft designed for utility and air transport. The design was spearheaded by
Robert Noorduyn Robert Bernard Cornelis Noorduyn (April 6, 1893 – February 22, 1959) was a Dutch-born Americans, American aircraft designer and manufacturer. He is best known for the Noorduyn Norseman, a legendary Canada, Canadian bush plane produced in th ...
and based on conventional
Fokker Fokker (; ) was a Dutch aircraft manufacturer that operated from 1912 to 1996. The company was founded by the Dutch aviator Anthony Fokker and became famous during World War I for its fighter aircraft. During its most successful period in the 19 ...
designs. The mixed-material construction featured a welded steel tube frame for the
fuselage The fuselage (; from the French language, French ''fuselé'' "spindle-shaped") is an aircraft's main body section. It holds Aircrew, crew, passengers, or cargo. In single-engine aircraft, it will usually contain an Aircraft engine, engine as wel ...
and
tail The tail is the elongated section at the rear end of a bilaterian animal's body; in general, the term refers to a distinct, flexible appendage extending backwards from the midline of the torso. In vertebrate animals that evolution, evolved to los ...
surfaces that were covered in fabric as well as a large
wing A wing is a type of fin that produces both Lift (force), lift and drag while moving through air. Wings are defined by two shape characteristics, an airfoil section and a planform (aeronautics), planform. Wing efficiency is expressed as lift-to-d ...
constructed of wood with a wingspan of 14.55 m, mounted above the fuselage. Although the overall design was quite "clean," all cables, horns and attachments were mounted externally, adding considerably to the drag. When the Fokker Universal (known within Fokker as the Model 4) was first developed in 1925, it had a 149 kW (200  hp)
Wright J-4 The Wright R-790 Whirlwind was a series of nine-cylinder air-cooled radial aircraft engines built by Wright Aeronautical Corporation, with a total displacement of about and around . These engines were the earliest members of the Wright Whirlwin ...
or a 164 kW (220 hp) J-5 engine. The later Standard Universal version was powered by a 246 kW (330 hp)
Wright J-6-9 The Wright R-975 Whirlwind was a series of nine-cylinder air-cooled radial aircraft engines built by the Wright Aeronautical division of Curtiss-Wright. These engines had a displacement of about and power ratings of . They were the largest memb ...
engine. Two gasoline tanks were mounted in the wings near the forward edge. As typical of the era, the pilot sat in an open
cockpit A cockpit or flight deck is the area, on the front part of an aircraft, spacecraft, or submersible, from which a pilot controls the vehicle. The cockpit of an aircraft contains flight instruments on an instrument panel, and the controls th ...
forward of the wing’s leading edge. The enclosed cabin below and to the rear of the pilot held four to six passengers or could be fitted for cargo hauling. Cargo capacity was estimated to be approximately 427 kg (940 lb); fuel capacity was 280 L (78 US gal) or 213 kg (468 lb) They were sold new at the factory in 1927 for $14,200. At a time when Fokker America was mostly producing local versions of aircraft designed in the Netherlands, the Universal reversed this situation by becoming an American-designed aircraft produced by the parent company as the Fokker F.XI (although Fokker F.XI and Universal were not identical).


Operational history

Powered by the newly developed, air-cooled
Wright R-790 Whirlwind The Wright R-790 Whirlwind was a series of nine-cylinder air-cooled radial aircraft engines built by Wright Aeronautical Corporation, with a total displacement of about and around . These engines were the earliest members of the Wright Whirlwin ...
radial engine which proved to be reliable, the Universal became widely regarded as a good choice for small air carriers and operators. The rugged utility aircraft proved it could haul cargo or passengers and its unique shock absorber system made of
bungee cord file:Bungee Cord PICT6882a.jpg, Bungee cords equipped with metal hooks A bungee cord (sometimes spelled bungie; also known as a shock cord or an ocky strap) is an elastomer, elastic cord composed of one or more elastic strands forming a core, usua ...
s enabled it to land on bumpy and uneven landing strips. Configurations could be readily changed from landplane to
seaplane A seaplane is a powered fixed-wing aircraft capable of takeoff, taking off and water landing, landing (alighting) on water.Gunston, "The Cambridge Aerospace Dictionary", 2009. Seaplanes are usually divided into two categories based on their tech ...
equipped with floats or if fitted with skis, the Universal could be used on rough ice and snow surfaces. An order for 12 Universals was placed by
Western Canada Airways Canadian Airways Limited was a Canadian regional passenger and freight air service based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. It was founded by James Armstrong Richardson Sr. in 1926 as Western Canada Airways (WCA), was fully established in 1930 following ...
when its owner,
James Armstrong Richardson, Sr. James Armstrong Richardson Sr. (August 21, 1885 – June 26, 1939) was an influential business person in Canada in both business and aviation during the early part of the 20th century. He lived most of his life in Winnipeg. Early life James ...
judged that the Standard Universal was the best available transport for use in the northern regions of
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
.Molson 1974, p. 20. Six more Universals (G-CAHE - CAHJ) were ordered by the Canadian Government for use in the Hudson Strait Expedition (1927–1928) to study ice formation and navigation in the
Hudson Strait Hudson Strait () in Nunavut links the Atlantic Ocean and the Labrador Sea to Hudson Bay in Canada. This strait lies between Baffin Island and Nunavik, with its eastern entrance marked by Cape Chidley in Newfoundland and Labrador and Nunavut ...
prior to the building of the port of
Churchill, Manitoba Churchill is a subarctic port town in northern Manitoba, Canada, on the west shore of Hudson Bay, roughly from the Manitoba–Nunavut border. It is most famous for the many polar bears that move toward the shore from inland in the autumn, leadi ...
. While not specifically designed for long-distance flights, the Universal was suitable for pioneering work.
Charles Lindbergh Charles Augustus Lindbergh (February 4, 1902 – August 26, 1974) was an American aviator, military officer, and author. On May 20–21, 1927, he made the first nonstop flight from New York (state), New York to Paris, a distance of . His aircra ...
had wanted to fly a Universal on his transatlantic flight but officials at the Atlantic Aircraft Corporation who reviewed his request in 1926, thought that Lindbergh's plans were too risky. More concerned about the company's reputation rather than the pilot's well-being, they would not sell him an aircraft. The Universal provided steady if unspectacular service with more than half of the Universals utilized for bush flying while more than a dozen United States, Canadian and foreign airlines flew it as a passenger/cargo transport. A further development, the '' Super Universal'' was larger and more refined with a fully enclosed cockpit. The follow-up design soon supplanted the Universal on the Atlantic Aircraft Corporation's production lines. Universals continued to fly well into the 1930s but were primarily relegated to cargo work.


Surviving aircraft

Fokker Standard Universal ''G-CAJD'' is also known as "The Ghost of Charron Lake". It was lost in a snow storm on 10 December 1931. After a 30-year search for the rare bush plane, it was discovered in 2005. A
Western Canada Aviation Museum The Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada (formerly the Western Canada Aviation Museum) is an aviation museum in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. History The Western Canada Aviation Museum was incorporated in 1974.Ogden 1986, p. 26. In November of ...
search team (the Fokker Aircraft Recovery Team, F.A.R.T.), using sophisticated side scan sonar technology, finally located the aircraft literally "parked" on the lake bottom. In July 2006, the Ghost's engine was returned to Winnipeg, along with several artifacts. In October, the underwater
archaeology Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...
team returned to the recovery site and towed the tail section to shallower waters. A further expedition was undertaken in 2007 to recover more of the Fokker for future display at the museum. Larger and smaller components are presently in storage at the Western Canada Aviation Museum. A decision as to restoration or conservation of the recovered material has not been made at present."The Ghost of Charron Lake"
prairiedogguide.tripod.com, Retrieved 23 October 2010

.
Western Canada Aviation Museum The Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada (formerly the Western Canada Aviation Museum) is an aviation museum in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. History The Western Canada Aviation Museum was incorporated in 1974.Ogden 1986, p. 26. In November of ...
, Retrieved 23 October 2010
The wreckage of Fokker Universal OE-DAA was rebuilt for Sir Reginal Ansett and painted as VH-UTO (First aircraft of Ansett Airlines) As of 2024 it is the centrepiece of the Sir Reginald Ansett Transport Museum of Hamilton Victoria Australia Fokker Universal c/n 408, G-CAHE was abandoned on the shores of Cooking Lake, Alberta and gradually fell apart. Parts of the fuselage, engine, and horizontal stabilizer were collected and donated to the City of Edmonton Artifact Centre; these components are on display at the Alberta Aviation Museum. Fokker Universal c/n 434, NC7029 was recovered from a field in New York by the Connecticut Aeronautical Historical Association (now the
New England Air Museum The New England Air Museum (NEAM) is an American aerospace museum located adjacent to Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, Connecticut. The museum consists of three display hangars with additional storage and restoration hangars. Its ...
). The remains include the fuselage (broken in two sections), landing gear, engine, and small fragments of the wings. The remains were then transferred to the
Canada Aviation and Space Museum The Canada Aviation and Space Museum () (formerly the Canada Aviation Museum (''Musée de l'aviation du Canada'') and National Aeronautical Collection (''Collection aéronautique nationale'')) is Canada's national aviation history museum. The m ...
in Ottawa, Canada, who in turn transferred them to the Alberta Aviation Museum in 2024.


Operators

; * Ansett Airways *
MacRobertson Miller Airlines MacRobertson Miller Airlines (MMA) was a Western Australian airline that operated between 1927 and 1993. It served a changing roster of destinations in Western Australia and the Northern Territory, concentrated on services between Perth and ...
; *
Canadian Airways Canadian Airways Limited was a Canadian regional passenger and freight air service based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. It was founded by James Armstrong Richardson Sr. in 1926 as Western Canada Airways (WCA), was fully established in 1930 following ...
*
Canadian Colonial Airways Colonial Airlines was a United States trunk carrier, a scheduled airline that operated from 1928 to 1956 with bases at LaGuardia Airport (LGA) in New York City and at Montréal/Saint-Hubert Airport in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, before merging in ...
*
Department of Marine and Fisheries Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO; ) is a department of the Government of Canada that is responsible for developing and implementing policies and programs in support of Canada's economic, ecological and scientific interests in oceans and inland ...
(now Fisheries and Oceans Canada) *
Western Canada Airways Canadian Airways Limited was a Canadian regional passenger and freight air service based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. It was founded by James Armstrong Richardson Sr. in 1926 as Western Canada Airways (WCA), was fully established in 1930 following ...
* Peace River Airways * Independent Airways * United Air Transport ; *
Cuban Navy The Cuban Revolutionary Navy () is the navy of Cuba. History The Constitutional Navy of Cuba was the navy of Cuba that existed prior to 1959. During World War II, it sank the German submarine U-176, German submarine ''U-176'' on 15 May 1943. ...
; *
Honduran Air Force The Honduras Air Force (, sometimes abbreviated to FAH in English) is the air force of Honduras. As such it is the air power arm of the Honduras Armed Forces. History The first Honduras military flying took place on 18 April 1921 in a Bristo ...
; *
Hungarian Air Force The Hungarian Air Force (, ), is the air force branch of the Hungarian Defence Forces. The primary focus of the present Hungarian Air Force lies in defensive operations. The flying units operate are organised into a single command; under the A ...
(Fokker F.XI) ; *
Colonial Air Transport Colonial Air Transport was an early airline that flew between New York City and Boston, Massachusetts. History It was established as Bee Line on 16 March 1923 and operated out Naugatuck, Connecticut; in 1926, the airline was re-organised in New ...
* National Parks Airways *
Pacific Air Transport Pacific Air Transport was an early US airline, formed in 1926 for carrying mail as well as passengers. It was acquired two years later by Boeing Air Transport. Early history Pacific Air Transport (PAT) was formed in January 1926 by Vern C. Gorst ...
*
Pure Oil Pure Oil Company was a major American petroleum company founded in 1914. History Early history Three companies operating in the United States have used the Pure Oil name. The first began as a group of independent oil refiners, producers, and p ...
*
Standard Air Lines Standard Air Lines was an airline founded by Jack Frye, Paul E. Richter and Walter A. Hamilton in . The three had founded Aero Corporation of California in 1926 in Los Angeles and Standard was made a subsidiary of Aero in 1927. History Stand ...


Specifications (Fokker Universal)


References

;Notes ;Bibliography * Binnie, N. "Site to Shelf: Recovery of a Historic Aircraft from Charron Lake, Manitoba." ''CCI (Canadian Conservation Institute) Newsletter 38 ''(English and French versions), p. 10-12, 2007. * Dierikx, Marc. ''Fokker: A Transatlantic Biography''. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1997. . * Molson, K.M. ''Pioneering in Canadian Air Transport''. Winnipeg: James Richardson & Sons, Ltd., 1974. . * Nevin, David. ''The Pathfinders (The Epic of Flight Series)''. Alexandria, Virginia: Time-Life Books, 1980. . * Postma, Thijs. ''Fokker: Aircraft Builders to the World''. London: Jane's, 1979. . * Seagrave, Sterling. ''The Bush Pilots (The Epic of Flight Series)''. Alexandria, Virginia: Time-Life Books, 1983. .


External links


Fokker Universal



Alberta Aviation Museum
{{Fokker aircraft 1920s United States airliners
Universal Universal is the adjective for universe. Universal may also refer to: Companies * NBCUniversal, a media and entertainment company that is a subsidiary of Comcast ** Universal Animation Studios, an American Animation studio, and a subsidiary of N ...
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