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32-589: The Fairchild F-27 and Fairchild Hiller FH-227 were versions of the Fokker F27 Friendship twin-engined, turboprop , passenger aircraft manufactured under license by Fairchild Hiller in the United States. The Fairchild F-27 was similar to the standard Fokker F27, while the FH-227 was an independently developed, stretched version. The Fokker F27 began life as a 1950 design study known as

64-610: A larger, stretched version of the F-27 named the Fairchild Hiller FH-227, which was operated by U.S.-based air carriers Delta Air Lines , Mohawk Airlines , Northeast Airlines , Ozark Air Lines, Piedmont Airlines (1948–1989) , and Wien Air Alaska . Fairchild F-27s differed from the initial Fokker F27 Mk 100s in having basic seating for 40, heavier external skinning, a lengthened nose capable of housing weather radar , and additional fuel capacity. They also incorporated

96-488: A longer fatigue life, improved aerodynamics, and a lighter structure; Fokker became the first such company after de Havilland to employ such means. In 1953, the proposed airliner received the name Friendship . A total of four prototypes were produced, two of these being flyable aircraft that were used for the test flight programme and were paid for by the Netherlands Institute of Aircraft Development ;

128-654: A mixture of ATR 42 and ATR 72 aircraft by the end of 2009, the last of these aircraft were subsequently donated to the Hickory Aviation Museum . As of July 2010 a total of 65 F27s were in commercial service with almost 30 different airlines. By July 2013, only 25 Friendships remained in service, operated by 13 different airlines; most of these were F27-500s, with two -400s and a solitary -600 series aircraft in service. Italian cargo airline MiniLiner operated six F27s and Air Panama had four in its fleet. The United States Army Parachute Team has operated

160-572: A passenger airstair door in the rear of the aircraft, operated by a flight attendant, which eliminated the need for separate stairs on the ground. Developments were the F-27A with more powerful engines and the F-27B Combi aircraft version. The F-27B Combi mixed passenger/freight version was operated in Alaska by Northern Consolidated Airlines and Wien Air Alaska. Fairchild independently developed

192-419: A single C-31A Troopship for conducting its skydiving exhibitions since 1985. As of July 2018, 10 aircraft remain in service operated by 7 airlines. Finland Data from The Observers Book of Aircraft General characteristics Performance Related development Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era Related lists Rolls-Royce Dart The Rolls-Royce RB.53 Dart

224-471: A team led by Lionel Haworth, the Dart engine was derived using experience gained from the earlier more powerful Rolls-Royce Clyde turboprop. A two-stage centrifugal compressor was specified to achieve the desired overall pressure ratio. A 3 stage, shared load, axial turbine was used to drive both the load (via a reduction gearbox) and the compression system. A photo showing a cutaway section of typical Dart engine

256-465: Is a turboprop engine designed and manufactured by Rolls-Royce Limited . First run in 1946, it powered the Vickers Viscount on its maiden flight in 1948. A flight on July 29 of that year, which carried 14 paying passengers between Northolt and Paris–Le Bourget Airport in a Dart-powered Viscount, was the first regularly scheduled airline flight by a turbine-powered aircraft. The Viscount

288-509: Is given below. Unlike the Clyde, the engine lacked a free power turbine. Consequently, under normal operating conditions, the power delivered to the propeller could not be modulated at a fixed prop speed. The Dart was initially rated at 890 shp and first flew in October 1947 mounted to the nose of a converted Avro Lancaster . Improvements in the design boosted power output to 1,400 shp in

320-548: The Myanmar Air Force , remained in active service. (Source: Roach & Eastwood) [REDACTED]   Uruguay Of the 78 FH-227s built, 23 crashed. Data from Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1969-70. General characteristics Performance Related development Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era Related lists [REDACTED] Media related to Fairchild F-27 at Wikimedia Commons Fokker F27 Friendship The F27

352-561: The DC-3, the F27 possessed superior levels of efficiency, enabling faster flight times, greater passenger comfort and a higher level of reliability. In 1960, the base purchase price for an RDa.6-powered F27 was £239,000. By the end of the production run for the Fokker F27 in 1987, a total of 592 units had been completed by Fokker (additionally, another 207 F-27s and FH-227s had been produced in

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384-592: The F27 was manufactured in the United States by the latter; Fairchild went on to independently develop a stretched version of the airliner, which was designated as the Fairchild FH-227 . During the 1980s, Fokker developed a modernised successor to the F27, the Fokker 50 , which eventually replaced it in production. In the aftermath of the Second World War , twin-engine all-metal monoplanes such as

416-487: The F27 were developed and made available for commercial operators. Several military transport models were also produced. Fokker also chose to design a dedicated model of the F27 for conducting maritime reconnaissance missions. During 1952, Fokker established a relationship with the US aircraft manufacturer Fairchild , which was interested in the upcoming F27. In 1956, Fokker signed a licensing deal with Fairchild, under which

448-629: The F27. The Fokker 50 ultimately replaced the F27 in production. In November 1958, the first production aircraft, an F27-100 model, was delivered to Irish airline Aer Lingus ; it performed its first revenue flight in the following month. Other early customers of the Friendship included Braathens SAFE and Luxair in Europe; New Zealand National Airways Corporation ; Trans Australia Airlines and its Australian competitors Ansett and East-West Airlines ; and Turkish Airlines . Initial sales for

480-649: The P275, a 32-seater powered by two Rolls-Royce Dart turboprops. With the aid of Dutch government funding, the P275 evolved into the F27, which first flew on November 24, 1955. The first prototype was powered by Dart 507s and would have seated 28. To correct a slight tail heaviness and to allow for more seats, the second prototype (which first flew in January 1957) had a 3-foot-longer (0.91 m) fuselage , which allowed seating for 32. By this stage, Fokker had signed an agreement that would have Fairchild build Friendships in

512-664: The RDa.3, which went into production for the Viscount in 1952. The RDa.6 increased power to 1,600 shp and the RDa.7 to 1,800 shp by incorporating various improvements including a larger diameter second impeller. Later Darts were rated up to 3,245 shp and remained in production until 1987, with approximately 7,100 produced, flying some 170 million hours. The Dart was also produced under licence in India by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited . Haworth and his team later went on to design and develop

544-593: The U.S. as the F-27. The first aircraft of either manufacturer to enter service in the U.S. was, in fact, a Fairchild-built F-27, with West Coast Airlines in September 1958. Other Fairchild F-27 operators in the U.S. included Air South , Air West and successor Hughes Airwest , Allegheny Airlines , Aloha Airlines , Bonanza Air Lines , Horizon Air , Ozark Air Lines , Pacific Air Lines , Piedmont Airlines (1948–1989) , Northern Consolidated Airlines , and successor Wien Air Alaska . Fairchild subsequently manufactured

576-423: The US by Fairchild), more than any other western European civil turboprop airliner at the time. In later service, many aircraft have been modified from their original configurations for passenger service to perform cargo or express-package freighter duties instead. The last major cargo user of the F27 in the United States was FedEx Express , using it as a cargo "feeder" aircraft. These were retired and replaced by

608-460: The design team chose to incorporate various new technologies into the tentative design. Fokker evaluated several potential configurations for the airliner, including the use of Wright Cyclone radial engines , before finally settling upon a high- wing aircraft, which was furnished with a pair of Rolls-Royce Dart turboprop engines and a pressurised cabin which contained a total of 28 passengers. The Dart engine had already proven successful on

640-633: The early 1980s, Fokker decided to develop a modernised successor to the F27 Friendship, designated as the F27 Mark 050 and marketed as the Fokker 50 . Although originating from the F27-500 airframe, the Fokker 50 was virtually a new aircraft, complete with Pratt & Whitney Canada engines and modern systems, which led to its general performance and passenger comfort being noticeably improved over

672-415: The early models of the Vickers Viscount , while a high-mounted wing had been selected as it produced a higher lift coefficient than a lower counterpart, it also enabled easier ground loading due to a lower floor level and provided unfettered external views to passengers without any weight increase. In the aircraft's construction, Fokker used an innovative metal-to-metal bonding technique, Redux , resulting in

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704-529: The larger and more powerful Rolls-Royce Tyne . As well as the RB.53 designation each mark of Dart engine was allocated a Ministry of Supply (MoS) "RDa.n" number as well as Mk.numbers. Largely associated with the very successful Vickers Viscount medium-range airliner , it powered a number of other European and Japanese designs of the 1950s and 60s and was also used to convert American-manufactured piston aircraft to turboprop power. The list includes: Power output

736-577: The latter was authorised to manufacture the F27 in the USA. On 12 April 1958, the first American-built aircraft conducted its first flight. Production of Fairchild built aircraft would continue until July 1973. Fairchild proceeded to independently develop a stretched version of the airliner, designated as the FH-227 . The majority of sales completed by Fairchild fell within the North American market. In

768-490: The maximum number of passengers which could be carried to 32. These aircraft were also powered by the Dart Mk 528 engine, which was capable of generating greater thrust. Throughout the F27's production life, Fokker proceeded to adapt the design for various purposes and roles. Via modifications such as the adoption of improved engines, rearranged loading doors, elongated fuselages, and other changes, several different models of

800-416: The other two prototypes were for static and fatigue testing. On 24 November 1955, the first prototype, registered PH-NIV , performed its maiden flight . The second prototype and initial production machines were 0.9 m (3 ft) longer than the first prototype in order to address a revealed tendency for slightly tail-heavy handling as well as to provide additional space for four more passengers, raising

832-467: The stretched FH-227, which appeared almost two years earlier than Fokker's similar F27 Mk 500. The FH-227 featured a 1.83 m (6 ft) stretch over standard-length F27/F-27s, taking standard seating to 56, with a larger cargo area between the cockpit and the passenger cabin. In addition to the 581 F27s built by Fokker, 128 F-27s and 78 FH-227s were built. As of February 2010, only one Fairchild FH-227 aircraft, FH-227E serial number 501 belonging to

864-539: The successful Douglas DC-3 airliner dominated commuter aviation. Over 10,000 DC-3s had been manufactured during wartime, which led to the type being highly available and thus encouraging its adoption by hundreds of operators across the world. By the early 1950s, various aircraft manufacturers had begun considering the post-war requirements of the civil aviation market and several commenced work upon projects aiming to produce designs for new aircraft which would be viewed as best meeting these requirements; Dutch firm Fokker

896-505: The type were slow, which led to Fokker seeking financial support from banks and from the Dutch government in order to maintain production of the airliner while more customers were sought. In 1960, demand for the F27 increased rapidly as multiple airlines placed sizable orders for the type. This is in part due to the spreading reputation of the type, having been found by operators that, in comparison to its piston-engine wartime counterparts like

928-425: Was cabin pressurisation . Innovative manufacturing techniques were also employed in the aircraft's construction. On 24 November 1955, the F27 made its maiden flight ; on 19 November 1958, the type was introduced to revenue service. Shortly after its introduction, the F27 was recognised as being a commercial success. Under a licensing arrangement reached between Fokker and the U.S. aircraft manufacturer Fairchild ,

960-418: Was amongst the companies pursuing development of such an aircraft. By 1951, figures within Fokker were urging that design work be undertaken on a prospective 32-seat airliner intended as a direct replacement for the popular DC-3. Fokker sought the opinions of existing DC-3 operators on what performance increases and refinements they would expect of a new model of commuter aircraft. On the basis of this feedback,

992-557: Was developed during the early 1950s with the intent of producing a capable successor to the earlier piston engine -powered airliners that had become commonplace on the market, such as the Douglas DC-3 . A key innovation of the F27 was the adoption of the Rolls-Royce Dart turboprop engine, which produced substantially less vibration and noise which provided improved conditions for passengers; another major comfort feature

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1024-479: Was the first turboprop-powered aircraft to enter airline service - British European Airways (BEA) in 1953. The Dart was still in production forty years later when the last Fokker F27 Friendships and Hawker Siddeley HS 748s were produced in 1987. Following the company's convention for naming gas turbine engines after rivers, this turboprop engine design was named after the River Dart . Designed in 1946 by

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