Fokker F27 Friendship variant
Fokker F27 Friendship Fairchild F-27
Friendship licence-built by Fairchild in the United States, with a lengthened radar nose, extra fuel and a rear airstair door. 128 built.
- April 12, 1958
- First flight
- 128
- Units built
- 40
- Passengers
History
The American licence
Fokker and Fairchild had been in contact since 1952 and in 1956 signed the agreement under which the American firm would build the Friendship as the F-27. On 12 April 1958 the first US-built aircraft flew and, in fact, the first Friendship to enter service in that country was a Fairchild machine, with West Coast Airlines in September 1958, ahead of any Dutch-built example.
Differences from the Dutch F27
The F-27 was no copy: it started from the Mk 100 but had basic seating for 40, heavier external skinning, a lengthened nose able to house weather radar and greater fuel capacity. It also had a rear airstair door operated by a flight attendant, which removed the need for ground steps. From it came the F-27A, with more powerful engines, and the F-27B Combi passenger/freight version.
Operators and end
US users included Air South, Air West and its successor Hughes Airwest, Air Wisconsin, Allegheny Airlines, Aloha Airlines, Bonanza Air Lines, Horizon Air, Ozark Air Lines, Pacific Air Lines, Piedmont Airlines, Northern Consolidated Airlines and Wien Air Alaska. Fairchild built 128 F-27s and kept production going until July 1973.