The Fokker F26 was an early jet airliner design created by the
Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air. It counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engine ...
manufacturer,
Fokker.
Development
During the era before 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 opposi ...
, Fokker was one of the world's largest manufacturers of passenger aircraft. After the re-emergence of the Fokker company in 1945 (its founder,
Anthony Fokker, had died in the United States in 1939), the company made ambitious plans for reconquering the market it once dominated. Therefore, in 1946, the company came up with a design of a
jetliner
A jet airliner or jetliner is an airliner powered by jet engines (passenger jet aircraft). Airliners usually have two or four jet engines; three-engined designs were popular in the 1970s but are less common today. Airliners are commonly clas ...
.
The design materialised through cooperation between Fokker, the Dutch airline company
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 ...
, and the Dutch national institute for aircraft development, the Nationaal Instituut voor ''Vliegtuigontwikkeling'' (NVI). Design progressed quickly and a model of the F26 was shown at the first postwar aviation fair, the
Paris Air Show
The Paris Air Show (french: Salon international de l'aéronautique et de l'espace de Paris-Le Bourget, Salon du Bourget) is a trade fair and air show held in odd years at Paris–Le Bourget Airport in north Paris, France. Organized by the French ...
of November 1946. The model attracted a lot of interest, but no orders were gained.
Further development of the F26 was hampered by the attitude of KLM. KLM executive Albert Plesman, Mr Plesman believed that design, marketing and production of a jetliner was too big a project for Fokker alone. He therefore pushed Fokker for cooperation with British manufacturer de Havilland. Although some cooperation took place, mainly on engine-related issues, a combined effort in producing jetliners never took place. However, within ten years, Fokker would develop a more feasible design, the turboprop-powered Fokker F27, F27 Friendship.
The F26 Phantom was a conceptual design that was to be a technical and economical feasibility study only. Therefore, the F26 was never intended to become reality.
On the other hand, the Fokker Company expressed the expectation at the Paris Air Show of 1946 that the aircraft was about to fly in three years time. Regardless of what the real business expectation was, the significance of the F26 design lies in its early appearance. Although the aircraft industry in general considered jet-powered aircraft to be the future, no jet-powered passenger aircraft were designed by then.
Design
The all-metal F26 design consisted of a low-wing layout with a 17-seat Cabin pressurization, pressurized fuselage, a fully retractable Landing gear, gear and two Rolls-Royce Nene RB.41 series I jet engines. With a thrust of 23 kN (5,171 lbf) each, these engines were the most powerful engines available at the time. The aircraft was designed for a flight crew of three people.
The passenger Cabin (aircraft), cabin had a single aisle layout, with two seats abreast on the right and a single row on the left. A Washroom, toilet was located in the aft of plane and there were two cargo bays. The aircraft was to be crewed by two pilots and one radio operator.
Based on design studies the F26 had an economical cruise speed of 800 km/h (497 mph) with a range of 1,000 km (621 mi).
Specifications (Fokker F26 estimated)
See also
References
dutch-aviation.nl
{{Fokker aircraft
1940s Dutch airliners
Fokker aircraft, F 26
Abandoned civil aircraft projects
Twinjets
Low-wing aircraft