The Fokker F-10 was an enlarged development of the

Fokker F.VII The Fokker F.VII, also known as the Fokker Trimotor, was an airliner produced in the 1920s by the Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker, Fokker's American subsidiary Atlantic Aircraft Corporation, and other companies under licence. Design and d ...

airliner, built in the late 1920s by the

Fokker Aircraft Corporation of America Atlantic Aircraft Corporation, also known as Fokker-America and Atlantic-Fokker, was a US subsidiary of the Dutch Fokker company, responsible for sales and information about Fokker imports, and eventually constructing various Fokker designs."The ...

. It carried 12 passengers, four more than the F.VII, and had a larger wing and more powerful engines.

Operational history

Fokker built 65 for commercial and military service. After the crash of a Transcontinental & Western Air F-10 in 1931, killing Notre Dame football coach

Knute Rockne Knut (Norwegian and Swedish), Knud (Danish), or Knútur (Icelandic) is a Scandinavian, German, and Dutch first name, of which the anglicised form is Canute. In Germany both "Knut" and "Knud" are used. In Spanish and Portuguese Canuto is used whi ...

and seven others, which was caused by the deterioration of the wooden wing spar, the type was temporarily grounded, and it was required to undergo more frequent and rigorous inspection. Its public image was also greatly damaged, leading to its early retirement from U.S. airlines.

Variants

;F-10 :Initial production variant ;F-10A :Improved and revised 14-passenger variant powered by three

Pratt & Whitney Wasp The Pratt & Whitney Wasp was the civilian name of a family of air-cooled radial piston engines developed in the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s.Gunston 1989, p.114. The Pratt & Whitney Aircraft Company (P&W) was founded in 1925 by Frederick B. Rentsch ...

radial engines, often called the ''Super Trimotor''. ;C-5 :United States Army designation for the evaluation of one re-engined F-10A powered by three

Wright R-975 Wright is an occupational surname originating in England. The term 'Wright' comes from the circa 700 AD Old English word 'wryhta' or 'wyrhta', meaning worker or shaper of wood. Later it became any occupational worker (for example, a shipwright i ...

radials. ;LB-2 :Light bomber version. ;RA-4 :United States Navy designation for the evaluation of one F-10A.

Operators

Civil operators

; *

American Airways American Airlines is a major US-based airline headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It is the largest airline in the world when measured by fleet size, scheduled passengers carried, and revenue passenge ...

TWA Trans World Airlines (TWA) was a major American airline which operated from 1930 until 2001. It was formed as Transcontinental & Western Air to operate a route from New York City to Los Angeles via St. Louis, Kansas City, and other stops, with ...

Pan Am Pan American World Airways, originally founded as Pan American Airways and commonly known as Pan Am, was an American airline that was the principal and largest international air carrier and unofficial overseas flag carrier of the United States ...

* Universal Airlines *

Western Air Express Western Airlines was a major airline based in California, operating in the Western United States including Alaska and Hawaii, and western Canada, as well as to New York City, Boston, Washington, D.C., and Miami and to Mexico City, London and N ...

(launch customer ) * Boston-Maine Airways ; * Mexicana * Aerovias Centrales

Military operators

; *

United States Army Air Corps The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical r ...

designations C-5 and C-7A.

Accidents and incidents

* On June 10, 1929, a Pan Am F-10, registration NC9700 and named ''Cuba'', struck telephone wires and crashed while taking off from Santiago de Cuba bound for Havana, killing two of five on board. The aircraft failed to gain altitude due to a waterlogged runway. * On March 31, 1931, a Transcontinental & Western Air F-10 crashed near

Bazaar, Kansas Bazaar is an unincorporated community in Chase County, Kansas, United States. It is located about halfway between Strong City and Matfield Green near the intersection of K-177 highway and Sharps Creek Rd. History A post office was establish ...

after a wing separated in flight, killing all eight on board, including football coach

. * On March 19, 1932, an American Airways F-10A, registration NC652E, struck power lines in heavy fog and crashed into an orchard near

Calimesa, California Calimesa (portmanteau of ''California'' and ''Mesa'', Spanish for "table") is a city in Riverside County, California, United States in the Greater Los Angeles area. The population was 7,879 at the 2010 census, up from 7,139 at the 2000 census. It ...

, killing all seven on board. * On September 8, 1932, an American Airways F-10, registration NC9716, crashed into a mountain in poor weather near

Salt Flat, Texas Salt Flat is a ghost town in northeastern Hudspeth County, Texas, United States. It lies along the concurrent U.S. Routes 62 and 180 north of the Census-designated place (CDP) of Sierra Blanca, the county seat of Hudspeth County. Its elevation ...

, killing three of four on board.

Specifications (F-10)

References

External links

* A contemporary technical article on the Fokker F-10. (Though the article does not mention the long-winged F-10A, the table of specs at the end appear to be for this version. Specs in the rest of the article are for the original F-10.) {{USAF bomber aircraft F 10 1920s United States airliners Trimotors High-wing aircraft