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F27 Friendship
A PIA F27 at Allama Iqbal International Airport, Lahore in January, 2006
Role	Airliner
Manufacturer	Fokker
First flight	1955
Number built	793
Variants	F-27/FH-227
Developed into	Fokker 50

The Fokker F27 Friendship is a turboprop airliner designed and built by the Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker.

Design and development

Design of the Fokker F27 started in the 1950s as a replacement to the successful DC-3 airliner. The manufacturer evaluated a number of different configurations before finally deciding on a high-wing twin Rolls-Royce Dart engine layout with a pressurised cabin for 28 passengers.

The first prototype, registered PH-NIV, first flew on November 24, 1955. The second prototype and initial production machines were 0.9 m (3 ft) longer, addressing the first aircraft's slightly tail-heavy handling and also providing space for four more passengers, bringing the total to 32. These aircraft also used the more powerful Dart Mk 528 engine.

Production

Aer Lingus were the first airline to operate the F.27 Friendship

Braathens SAFE F-27 Friendship in August 1964

The first production model, the F27-100, was delivered to Aer Lingus in November 1958. Other early Friendship customers included Braathens SAFE, Luxair, Ansett, Trans Australia Airlines and Turkish Airlines.

In 1956, Fokker signed a licensing deal with the US aircraft manufacturer Fairchild for the latter to construct the F27 in the USA. The first U.S.-built aircraft flew on April 12, 1958. Fairchild also independently developed a stretched version, called the FH-227. Most sales by Fairchild were made in the North American market.

At the end of the Fokker F27’s production in 1987, 793 units had been built (including 207 in the USA by Fairchild), which makes it the most successful western European civil turboprop airliner.

Many aircraft have been modified from passenger service to cargo or express-package freighter roles and remain in service in 2009.

In the early 1980s, Fokker developed a successor to the Friendship, the Fokker 50. Although based on the F27-500 airframe, the Fokker 50 is virtually a new aircraft with Pratt & Whitney Canada engines and modern systems. Its general performance and passenger comfort were improved over the F27.

Variants

F27-300M Troopship

• F27-100 - was the first production model; 44 passengers.
• F27-200 - uses the Dart Mk 532 engine.
• F27-300 Combiplane - Civil passenger/cargo aircraft.
• F27-300M Troopship - Military transport version for Royal Netherlands Air Force.
• F27-400 - "Combi" passenger/cargo aircraft, with two Rolls-Royce Dart 7 turboprop engines and large cargo door.
• F27-400M - Military version for US Army with designation C-31A Troopship.
• F27-500 - The most ubiquitous Fokker F27 model the -500, had a 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) longer fuselage, a return back to the Dart Mk 528 engine, and accommodation for up to 52 passengers. It first flew in November 1967.
• F27-500M - Military version.
• F27-500F - A version of the -500 for Australia with smaller front and rear doors.
• F27-600 - Quick change cargo/passenger version of -200 with large cargo door.
• F27-700 - A F27-100 with a large cargo door.
• F27 Maritime - Unarmed maritime reconnaissance version.
• F27 Maritime Enforcer - Armed maritime reconnaissance version.
• FH-227 - Fairchild Hiller stretched version.

Operators

Map of F27 operators

•  Algeria
•  Angola
•  Argentina
•  Australia
•  Bangladesh
•  Biafra
•  Bolivia
•  Côte d'Ivoire
•  Denmark
•  England
•  Finland
•  Ghana
•  Guatemala
•  Honduras
•  India
•  Indonesia
•  Iran
•  Iceland
•  Italy
•  Luxembourg
•  Mexico
•  Myanmar
•  Netherlands
•  Norway
•  New Zealand
•  Nigeria
•  Pakistan
•  Panama
•  Peru
•  Philippines
•  Senegal
•  Spain
•  Sudan
•  Sweden
•  Thailand
•  Turkey
•  United States
•  Uruguay
•  Yemen

Notable accidents

Full list of accidents

• TAA Fokker Friendship disaster - June 10, 1960 (Mackay, Queensland, Australia): 29 fatalities - this is still the deadliest civilian Australian aircraft accident in history. The investigation was not able to determine a probable cause of this accident.

• On August 4, 1984, a Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight from Chittagong crashed in the swamps near Zia International Airport.[17] All 45 passengers and 4 crew of the Fokker F27 died. The flight was piloted by Kaniz Fatema Roksana, the country's first female commercial pilot.

• On December 8, 1987, the Alianza Lima air disaster in which a Naval Fokker F27 that was transporting the Alianza Lima football club crashed in Lima, Peru, killing the whole team.

• October 19, 1988 – Thirty-four died in a Vayudoot F-27 crash near Guwahati, India. Tail No. VT-DMC.[1][2][3]

• November 11, 2002, a Laoag Air Flight 585 F27 crashed into Manila Bay, killing 20 people.

• On February 20, 2003, a military Fokker F27 crashed in northwestern Pakistan killing Pakistan Air Force Chief, Air Chief Marshal Mushaf Ali Mir, his wife and 15 others.

• On 10 February 2004, Kish Air Flight 7170, operated by a Fokker 27 Mk.050, crashed at Sharjah International Airport killing 43 people. Three survived with serious injuries. The cause was that the propellors were put into reverse pitch while the aircraft was in flight.^[1]

• Pakistan International Airlines flight PK-688 carrying 45 people crashed 2–3 minutes after take off from Multan airport on July 10, 2006. There were no survivors. Engine fire was suspected as the cause of the crash.^[2]

• On April 6, 2009, an Indonesian Air Force F27 crashed in Bandung, Indonesia killing all 24 occupants on board. The cause of the incident was said to be heavy rain.^[3] The plane reportedly crashed into a hangar during its landing procedure and killed all on board. The casualties include: 6 crews, an instructor and 17 special forces trainee personnel^[4]

Specifications (F27-500)

F27 Rolls Royce Dart

Data from ^[5]

General characteristics

• Crew: Two or three
• Capacity: 52-56 passengers
• Length: 25.06 m (82 ft 2½ in)
• Wingspan: 29.00 m (95 ft 1¾ in)
• Height: 8.72 m (28 ft 7¼ in)
• Wing area: 70.07 m² (754 ft²)
• Empty weight: 11,204 kg (24,650 lb)
• Max takeoff weight: 19,773 kg (43,500 lb)
• Powerplant: 2× Rolls-Royce Dart Mk.532-7 turboprop engines, 1,678 kW (2,250 eshp) each

Performance

• Cruise speed: 518 km/h (280 kn, 322 mph) at 20,000 ft (6,100 m)
• Range: 1,826 km (986 nmi, 1,135 mi)
• Rate of climb: 7.37 m/s (1,450 ft/min)

See also

Related development

• F-27/FH-227
• Fokker 50
  

Comparable aircraft

• Antonov An-24
• Hawker Siddeley HS 748
  

Related lists

• List of military aircraft of the United States
• List of civil aircraft
  

References

External links

• Stork Aerospace Homepage
• F27 Friendship Association *Photo Gallery (in Dutch and English)
• External museum photo
• Fokker F27 Info