The Fokker Universal was the first aircraft built in the United States that was based on the designs of Dutch-born Anthony Fokker , who had designed aircraft for Germany during World War I . About half of the 44 Universals that were built between 1926 and 1931 in the United States were used in Canada . Among the famous pilots who flew the Fokker Universal were Punch Dickins and Walter Gilbert .
25-647: Anthony Fokker established the Atlantic Aircraft Corporation at the Teterboro Airport in Teterboro , New Jersey . 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
50-571: A full-scale replica of a Canadian Vickers Vedette Mark V (CF-MAG) aircraft in May 2002. The museum has facilitated the recovery of several aircraft, including the "Ghost of Charron Lake" - a Fokker Standard Universal that has taken more than 30 years to locate. It is displayed as it appeared at the bottom of the lake. The museum is affiliated with the Canadian Museums Association , Canadian Heritage Information Network , and
75-551: 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. 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
100-575: A welded steel tube frame for the fuselage and tail surfaces that were covered in fabric as well as a large wing 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)
125-638: Is the centrepiece of the Sir Reginald Ansett Transport Museum of Hamilton Victoria Australia Data from "Inspection Handbook Part 5" (PDF) . Regulatory and Guidance Library . Federal Aviation Administration. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 February 2017 . Retrieved 26 April 2018 . "Fokker" . Aerofiles . Retrieved 26 April 2018 . General characteristics Performance Atlantic Aircraft Corporation Atlantic Aircraft Corporation , also known as Fokker-America and Atlantic-Fokker ,
150-564: The Atlantic Aircraft Corporation in May 1924 . The company was based in Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey , and Teterboro, New Jersey . Lorillard Spencer became the president and Robert B. C. Noorduyn the general manager. The Netherlands Aircraft Manufacturing Company was succeeded by the Fokker Aircraft Corporation , which held the license rights of the Fokker designs and remained responsible for selling
175-481: The Hudson Strait 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 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
200-579: The Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada . The museum closed its Ferry Road site in October 2018 after the lease on the hangar expired. However, following a grant from the federal government in July 2019, construction of a new 8,000-square-metre (86,000 sq ft) museum building began in May 2020. By November that year, construction was more than half complete, and construction of
225-623: The Western Canada Aviation Museum ) is an aviation museum in Winnipeg, Manitoba , Canada. The Western Canada Aviation Museum was incorporated in 1974. In November of that year, it put forward an application to the federal government for a grant to set up a 19-acre (7.7 ha) site at St. Andrews Airport . However, the museum ended up in downtown Winnipeg near the Manitoba Museum of Man and Nature . By
250-572: The Fokker Aircraft Corporation. A factory at Passaic , New Jersey, was added in 1927, and another at Glen Dale, West Virginia , in August 1928. Although the company had changed its name, many of its products continued to be referred to as "Atlantic" or "Atlantic Fokker" for some years. Fokker Aircraft Company of America became a subsidiary of General Motors which acquired a 40 percent holding in May 1929, but ended operations
275-536: The Mechanics Workshop present a hands-on educational experience. The museum's collection includes over 90 historic aircraft , 70,000 artifacts, texts, and photographs. The comprehensive aviation reference library housed at the museum is one of the largest in the country, with holdings of books, magazines, technical manuals, and drawings, as well as some 40,000 photographs, films, and audiotapes, many of which cannot be found anywhere else. One item in
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#1732780161226300-594: The United States. But Fokker's typical construction of wooden wings and a steel-tube fuselage , both covered with fabric, also attracted the attention of the US Army. This resulted in an order to equip their De Havilland DH.4s with steel fuselages. The only restriction was that these had to be manufactured in the United States, therefore, Fokker purchased the Wittemann-Lewis factory in 1923 and founded
325-675: 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 Canada . Six more Universals (G-CAHE - CAHJ) were ordered by the Canadian Government for use in the Hudson Strait Expedition (1927–1928) to study ice formation and navigation in
350-743: 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). Powered by the newly developed, air-cooled Wright R-790 Whirlwind 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 cords enabled it to land on bumpy and uneven landing strips. Configurations could be readily changed from landplane to seaplane equipped with floats or if fitted with skis,
375-529: The aircraft from the Dutch Fokker factory. In September 1925, the Fokker Aircraft Corporation took over the stocks and orders of the Atlantic Aircraft Corporation, which since then had become a full subsidiary of it. In 1925 the company also began to manufacture one of Noorduyn's own designs, the Fokker Universal . In 1927 the Fokker Aircraft Corporation of America was founded, which took over
400-431: The archives is a rare, five-minute film of Amelia Earhart embarking on her solo trans-Atlantic flight from Harbour Grace, Newfoundland , on May 21, 1932. The library is open to the public on an appointment basis and photos, films, and audiotapes are loaned or copied on request. The museum has an active Restoration Department and has returned many damaged aircraft to full display condition. A team of volunteers completed
425-529: 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
450-561: The facility was completed on August 4, 2021. The museum has a large hangar floor, and a mezzanine with a view of the adjacent Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport runways. Aircraft are displayed on the floor and suspended from the ceiling, and include one-of-a-kind aircraft, military jets, bush planes, and commercial aircraft. Exhibits are clustered in zones representing different aspects of aviation history, such as Canadian Innovation, Northern Connections, and Military Skies. Interactive displays such as Experience Flight and
475-681: The following year as a combination of the effect of the Great Depression and bad publicity surrounding the 1931 crash of a Transcontinental & Western Air Fokker F-10 that killed celebrated football coach Knute Rockne . Fokker ended his association with the American company in 1931. General Motors renamed their aviation subsidiary General Aviation Manufacturing Corporation , which in turn became part of North American Aviation in 1934. Western Canada Aviation Museum The Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada (formerly
500-458: The next year, the museum had 25 military and civilian aircraft in its collection. In the mid-1980s, the museum moved to a former Trans Canada Air Lines and Transair hangar, T-2, at Winnipeg International Airport . The museum developed a master plan for a new facility in 2013 with the design firm Reich&Petch. The museum received the Royal designation on December 19, 2014, to become
525-462: 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,
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#1732780161226550-575: 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 wreckage of Fokker Universal OE-DAA was rebuilt for Sir Reginal Ansett and painted as VH-UTO (First aircraft of Ansett Airlines) As of 2024 it
575-664: Was a US subsidiary of the Dutch Fokker company, responsible for sales and information about Fokker imports, and eventually constructing various Fokker designs. In 1920 Anthony Fokker had established the Netherlands Aircraft Manufacturing Company of Amsterdam as his American sales office. The company's representatives were Robert B. C. Noorduyn and Frits Cremer, a friend and test pilot for Anthony Fokker since before World War I . They successfully sold aircraft imported from Europe in
600-544: Was discovered in 2005. A Western Canada Aviation Museum 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 team returned to the recovery site and towed
625-422: 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 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
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