N.V. Koolhoven was an

aircraft manufacturer An aerospace manufacturer is a company or individual involved in the various aspects of designing, building, testing, selling, and maintaining aircraft, aircraft parts, missiles, rockets, or spacecraft. Aerospace is a high technology industry. ...

based in

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"N ...

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. From its conception in 1926 to its destruction in the

Blitzkrieg Blitzkrieg ( , ; from 'lightning' + 'war') is a word used to describe a surprise attack using a rapid, overwhelming force concentration that may consist of armored and motorized or mechanized infantry formations, together with close air su ...

in May 1940, the company remained the second major Dutch aircraft manufacturer (after

Fokker Fokker was a Dutch aircraft manufacturer named after its founder, Anthony Fokker. The company operated under several different names. It was founded in 1912 in Berlin, Germany, and became famous for its fighter aircraft in World War I. In 1919 ...

). Although many of its aircraft were as unsuccessful economically as they were brilliant from a design standpoint, the company managed to score several 'hits', amongst them the FK-58 single-seat monoplane fighter, the FK-50 twin-engine passenger transport, and the FK-41, built in England under licence by

Desoutter The Desoutter Aircraft Company was a British aircraft manufacturer based in Croydon. It was founded by Marcel Desoutter and produced aircraft during the late 1920s and the 1930s. History The company was formed in December 1928 to manufacture t ...

History

In 1920, aircraft designer Frederick 'Frits' Koolhoven returned from England to his native Netherlands. The postwar years had not been good to him; the British Aerial Transport Company for which he was chief designer went bankrupt and all other manufacturers were struggling for survival too hard to think of hiring. The Netherlands, Koolhoven hoped, would be better. But there he found that while the Netherlands' new airline

KLM KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, legally ''Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij N.V.'' (literal translation: Royal Aviation Company Plc.), is the flag carrier airline of the Netherlands. KLM is headquartered in Amstelveen, with its hub at nearby Amste ...

was a willing taker for all the aircraft it could get, the market was almost completely dominated by

. Out of other options, Koolhoven returned to his old job and worked as an automobile engineer for the

Spyker Spyker or Spijker was a Dutch carriage, automobile and aircraft manufacturer, started in 1880 by blacksmiths Jacobus and Hendrik-Jan Spijker. Originally located in Hilversum, the company relocated to Trompenburg, Amsterdam in 1898. Notable produ ...

automobile factory. In 1921, his luck began to change when a group of businessmen founded the ''N.V. Nationale Vliegtuig Industrie'' ("National Aircraft Industry, Incorporated") and hired him as their chief designer. The time was still not yet ripe for a second Dutch aircraft manufacturer and, as with BAT, N.V.I. produced technically advanced designs that attracted attention from all over the world, but received virtually no orders. The company lasted only four years. At the demise of N.V.I. Koolhoven had become sufficiently business-aware to convince several of the N.V.I. shareholders that the company would still be viable, if only ''he'' would have complete control of the operations. Enough of the shareholders agreed and even while N.V.I. was being dissolved, its assets were almost immediately taken over by a new company: ''N.V. Koolhoven vliegtuigen'' (Koolhoven aircraft, Inc.). For its first five years, 1925 to 1930, the company managed to stay afloat by making one-off purpose-built airplanes to order, slowly branching out into the private aircraft sector and trying to break into the military market. In 1930, the company finally struck gold with the FK-41 high-wing tourist monoplane. Although N.V. Koolhoven itself only built 7 FK-41's the airplane was built under licence in England as the

Desoutter Mk.I Desoutter is a British monoplane liaison aircraft manufactured by Desoutter Aircraft Company at Croydon Aerodrome, Surrey. Design and production In the late 1920s, Marcel Desoutter, a well known pilot, formed the Desoutter Aircraft Company Ltd ...

and later improved as the Mk.II. By 1933 the military market had picked up and Koolhoven increasingly built trainers and observation aircraft for the Dutch air force as well as several other countries. By 1938, with war looming, the company's order books continued to fill as air forces from all over Europe were virtually fighting over each plane that rolled off the production line. Even France found itself buying Koolhoven FK-58 fighters as its own aircraft industry was unable to keep up with the demand from the

Armée de l'Air The French Air and Space Force (AAE) (french: Armée de l'air et de l'espace, ) is the air and space force of the French Armed Forces. It was the first military aviation force in history, formed in 1909 as the , a service arm of the French Army; ...

. In 1938, the Koolhoven factory at Waalhaven covered 8,000 square meters and had 1,200 employees. While still no match for Fokker, Koolhoven had established itself firmly as the number two manufacturer in the Netherlands. The end came on 10 May 1940. As a prelude to the

German invasion of the Netherlands The German invasion of the Netherlands ( nl, Duitse aanval op Nederland), otherwise known as the Battle of the Netherlands ( nl, Slag om Nederland), was a military campaign part of Case Yellow (german: Fall Gelb), the Nazi German invasion of t ...

, the

Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...

set out to destroy as much as possible of the

Dutch Air Force , colours = , colours_label = , march = ''Parade March of the Royal Netherlands Air Force'' , mascot = , anniversaries = , equipment ...

on the ground. On the morning of that day, a massive armada of German bombers appeared over

Waalhaven Waalhaven Airport in 1932, with the Graf Zeppelin in the background. The Waalhaven is a harbour in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. It used to be home to an airport, Vliegveld Waalhaven (Waalhaven Airport). It was the second civilian airport in the Ne ...

and almost completely destroyed the airfield and its surrounding facilities. This included the Koolhoven factory and within a few hours, the company had been reduced to a pile of rubble and all drawings, models, and documentation of Koolhoven's projects were destroyed. Today, the only photographs remaining of Koolhoven's planes are newspaper clippings and private snapshots. Frederick Koolhoven died of a stroke on 1 July 1946. His company, although without means of production, continued to exist as a holding. Over the next ten years various attempts were made to start up new projects, but apart from the construction of two prototype

sailplane A glider or sailplane is a type of glider aircraft used in the leisure activity and sport of gliding (also called soaring). This unpowered aircraft can use naturally occurring currents of rising air in the atmosphere to gain altitude. Sailplan ...

s nothing happened and in 1956 N.V. Koolhoven Aeroplanes closed and was liquidated.

Aircraft

Apart from the Heidevogel of 1911, Koolhoven designed 59 aircraft, which he consecutively numbered FK-1 to FK-59. About half of these were design studies that were never built. Koolhoven designed projects FK-1 to FK-28 in England for

Armstrong Whitworth Sir W G Armstrong Whitworth & Co Ltd was a major British manufacturing company of the early years of the 20th century. With headquarters in Elswick, Newcastle upon Tyne, Armstrong Whitworth built armaments, ships, locomotives, automobiles and a ...

and

BAT Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera.''cheir'', "hand" and πτερόν''pteron'', "wing". With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most bi ...

, projects FK-29 to FK-34 for N.V.I. and projects FK-35 to FK-59 for his own company. The first 'true' Koolhoven airplane therefore would have been the FK-35. However, on formation of the N.V. Koolhoven, Frits Koolhoven took with him the design of the FK-30 "Toerist" light sportsplane originally designed for NVI, but not built. Several "Toerists" built by the new FK Koolhoven therefore constitute the earliest airplanes of that company, if not by production date, then at least by numbering. Th
website of the Koolhoven foundation
lists 26 Koolhoven designs, starting with the F.K.30 and then going from F.K.35 to F.K.59. It however also notes that the designs F.K.37, 38, 39 and 59 were never built, while only giving pictures of wooden models for the designs F.K.35 and F.K.36. Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation only lists the Koolhoven designs F.K.40, 41, 42, 43, 46, 48, 49, 51, 52, 53 and 58 but mentions a F.K.50-b bomber project, which the Koolhoven foundation site doesn't. The best-known of those designs are the F.K.41 high-wing monoplane, which was built under licence as the

Desoutter Mk.II Desoutter is a British monoplane liaison aircraft manufactured by Desoutter Aircraft Company at Croydon Aerodrome, Surrey. Design and production In the late 1920s, Marcel Desoutter, a well known pilot, formed the Desoutter Aircraft Company Lt ...

and the F.K.50 twin engine transport monoplane, two of which were used by the Swiss aircraft company . Amongst the military designs, the most successful were the

Koolhoven F.K.51 The Koolhoven F.K.51 was a 1930s Dutch two-seat basic training biplane built by the Koolhoven Company. Design and development The Koolhoven F.K.51 was the winning design in a 1935 Dutch government contest for a new trainer. Designed by Frederic ...

biplane A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While ...

reconnaissance aircraft, which saw service in extensive numbers in the Dutch air force from the mid-1930s until the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, the Koolhoven F.K.52 biplane which was used by the

Finnish Air Force The Finnish Air Force (FAF or FiAF; fi, Ilmavoimat, , Air forces; sv, Flygvapnet, , Air weapon) is one of the branches of the Finnish Defence Forces. Its peacetime tasks are airspace surveillance, identification flights, and production of Finnis ...

and the Koolhoven F.K.58 single-seat monoplane fighter. The latter was the plane ordered by

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

and flew in the

during the

Battle of France The Battle of France (french: bataille de France) (10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign ('), the French Campaign (german: Frankreichfeldzug, ) and the Fall of France, was the Nazi Germany, German invasion of French Third Rep ...

A complete list of the Koolhoven aircraft and projects is given below: *

Koolhoven Heidevogel The Koolhoven Heidevogel was one of the first Dutch aircraft, an improvement of the popular Farman type. Development Frits Koolhoven began as car dealer and racing driver but his entry into aviation came in partnership with Henri Wijnmalen whos ...

early experimental aircraft, one built, 1911 * Koolhoven F.K.30 "Toerist" (Tourist) Light high-wing sports monoplane, 1927 * Koolhoven F.K.35 Seaplane scout and fighter, available as low-wing monoplane or biplane, 1926 * Koolhoven F.K.36 Larger biplane version of the F.K.35, 1926 * Koolhoven F.K.37 Design for a 3-engined airliner for the

(not built) * Koolhoven F.K.39 Various design studies for a monoplane two-seat fighter (not built) * Koolhoven F.K.40 Airliner for 4 or 5 passengers, 1928 *

Koolhoven F.K.41 N.V. Koolhoven was an aircraft manufacturer based in Rotterdam, Netherlands. From its conception in 1926 to its destruction in the Blitzkrieg in May 1940, the company remained the second major Dutch aircraft manufacturer (after Fokker). Although ...

, High-wing monoplane cabin "''sport coupe''", built under licence by

in England * Koolhoven F.K.42 High-wing open cockpit Private plane, 1929 * Koolhoven F.K.43 Three passenger cabin sportsplane/air taxi resemblant of the F.K.41, 1930 * Koolhoven F.K.44 "Koolmees" (Great Tit) Private plane resemblant of the F.K.41/F.K.43 * Koolhoven F.K.45 Biplane aerobatic plane, 1931 *

Koolhoven F.K.46 The Koolhoven F.K.46 was a 1930s Netherlands, Dutch training biplane designed and built by Koolhoven. The F.K.46 was a two-seat biplane with a fixed tailwheel landing gear and tandem open cockpits. The prototype first flew in 1933, powered by a C ...

Biplane trainer, 1930 * Koolhoven F.K.47 Biplane private plane/trainer, 1933 * Koolhoven F.K.48 Six passenger twin-engined airliner used by the

, 1934 * Koolhoven F.K.49 Twin-engine photo- and cartography aircraft, purpose built for the Dutch air force 1935 * Koolhoven F.K.49A Multi purpose aircraft, 1937 * Koolhoven F.K.50 Eight passenger twin-engined airliner, a more powerful F.K.48, used by Alpair 1935 *

Military biplane trainer with open seating, 1935 * Koolhoven F.K.52 Two-seat biplane scout and fighter with enclosed cabin, 1936 * Koolhoven F.K.53 "Junior" low/mid wing light touring plane, 1936 *

Koolhoven F.K.54 The Koolhoven F.K.54 was a Dutch single-engine, three-seat touring aircraft with a retractable undercarriage. It flew shortly before the start of World War II and its development was abandoned after its first flight as attention turned to milita ...

High-wing monoplane cabin "''Executive plane''" with retractable gear, 1937 * Koolhoven F.K.55 Experimental high performance fighter with contra-rotating propellers, 1936 *

Koolhoven F.K.56 The Koolhoven F.K.56 was a 1930s Netherlands, Dutch basic training monoplane designed and built by Koolhoven (aircraft manufacturer), Koolhoven. Development The F.K.56 was a low-wing monoplane powered by a 450 hp (336 kW) Wright Whirlw ...

Low-wing monoplane two-seat advanced trainer and scout, 1937 * Koolhoven F.K.57 Twin-engined low-wing executive plane, 1938 * Koolhoven F.K.58 Modern monoplane high performance fighter, 1938 * Koolhoven F.K.59 Multi-purpose development of the F.K.52, no information available whether built, last Koolhoven design, 1940 * NVI F.K.29 Two-passenger, single-engine biplane, one built, 1923 *

NVI F.K.31 NVI F.K.31 was a Dutch designed parasol wing two seat reconnaissance-fighter, which was developed in the 1920s by Frederick Koolhoven. The aircraft saw some service in the Finnish Air Force. History The F.K.31 became Koolhoven's first design fo ...

Two-seat reconnaissance-fighter aircraft, 17 built, 1923 *

NVI F.K.32 The NVI F.K.32 was a tandem two-seat biplane training aircraft designed and built in the Netherlands in the mid-1920s. It did not go into service. Design and development The F.K.32 was designed by Frederick Koolhoven as a replacement for the ...

two-seat training biplane, 1925 *

NVI F.K.33 The NVI F.K.33 was an airliner built in the Netherlands in 1925 for use by KLM for night flying. Design and development The F.K.33 was a largely conventional high-wing, strut-braced monoplane with seating for ten passengers in an enclosed cabi ...

Ten passenger, three-engined airliner, one built for KLM, 1925 * NVI F.K.34 Three-seat reconnaissance seaplane, 1925

References

*''Koolhoven, Nederlands vliegtuigbouwer in de schaduw van Fokker'', Theo Wesselink and Thijs Postma, Unieboek B.V., Bussum NL *''Jane's encyclopedia of Aviation'', various contributors, Portland house, New York 1980

External links

Koolhoven Aircraft
{{DEFAULTSORT:Koolhoven (Aircraft Manufacturer) Defunct aircraft manufacturers of the Netherlands Defunct companies of the Netherlands Defence companies of the Netherlands