The Fokker Universal was the first

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 ...

built in the

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that was based on the designs of Dutch-born Anthony Fokker, who had designed aircraft for the Germans during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. 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 ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. 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, the son of Emma (Cohen), a c ...

Design and development

Anthony Fokker established the

Atlantic Aircraft Corporation 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 ...

at the

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. 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 and based on conventional Fokker designs. The mixed-material construction featured a welded steel tube frame for the

fuselage The fuselage (; from the French ''fuselé'' "spindle-shaped") is an aircraft's main body section. It holds crew, passengers, or cargo. In single-engine aircraft, it will usually contain an engine as well, although in some amphibious aircraf ...

and

tail The tail is the section at the rear end of certain kinds of animals’ bodies; in general, the term refers to a distinct, flexible appendage to the torso. It is the part of the body that corresponds roughly to the sacrum and coccyx in mammal ...

surfaces that were covered in fabric as well as a large

wing A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is e ...

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 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 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

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 Whirl ...

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 Bungee cords equipped with metal hooks A bungee cord (sometimes spelled bungle; also known as a shock cord) is an elastic cord composed of one or more elastic strands forming a core, usually covered in a woven cotton or polypropylene sheath. The ...

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 taking off and landing (alighting) on water.Gunston, "The Cambridge Aerospace Dictionary", 2009. Seaplanes are usually divided into two categories based on their technological characteri ...

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 when its owner, James Armstrong Richardson, Sr. judged that the Standard Universal was the best available transport for use in the northern regions of

.Molson 1974, p. 20. Six more Universals (G-CAHE - CAHJ) were ordered by the Canadian Government for use in the

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(1927–1928) to study ice formation and navigation in the

Hudson Strait Hudson Strait (french: Détroit d'Hudson) links the Atlantic Ocean and 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 ...

prior to the building of the port of Churchill, Manitoba. 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, author, inventor, and activist. On May 20–21, 1927, Lindbergh made the first nonstop flight from New York City to Paris, a distance o ...

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 a museum in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The museum opened to the public in its new location on 21 May 2022. History The Western Canada Aviation Museum w ...

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 scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landsca ...

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
.

, Retrieved 23 October 2010

Operators

; *

Ansett Airways Ansett Australia was a major Australian airline group, based in Melbourne, Australia. The airline flew domestically within Australia and from the 1990s to destinations in Asia. After operating for 65 years, the airline was placed into adminis ...

MacRobertson Miller Airlines MacRobertson Miller Airlines (MMA) was a Western Australian airline that operated between 1927 and 1993. After being purchased by Ansett Transport Industries in 1968, it was eventually rebranded Ansett WA. History In 1919, Horrie Miller p ...

; *

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 Canadian Colonial Airways was founded in 1929 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. In 1942, it reformed as Colonial Airlines, which was later absorbed by Eastern Air Lines. Cities Served *Albany, New York *Buffalo, New York *Montreal, Quebec, Canada *N ...

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(now Fisheries and Oceans Canada) * Western Canada Airways ; *

Cuban Navy The Cuban Revolutionary Navy ( es, Marina de Guerra Revolucionaria) 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'' on 15 ...

; *

Honduran Air Force The Honduras Air Force ( es, Fuerza Aérea Hondureña, 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 ...

; *

Hungarian Air Force The Hungarian Air Force ( hu, Magyar Légierő), is the air force branch of the Military of Hungary, Hungarian Defence Forces. The task of the current Hungarian Air Force is primarily defensive purposes. The flying units of the air force are or ...

(Fokker F.XI) ; * 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 an American petroleum company founded in 1914 and sold to what is now Union Oil Company of California in 1965. The Pure Oil name returned in 1993 as a cooperative (based in Rock Hill, South Carolina since 2008) which has grow ...

* Standard Air Lines

Specifications (Fokker Universal)

Fokker_Universal_3-view_NACA_Aircraft_Circular_No

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 ** Universal Animation Studios, an American Animation studio, and a subsidiary of NBCUniversal ** Universal TV, a ...

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