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Stamps Fokker Spin DR.1 D.VII |
Fokker T.II Kingsford Smith Fokker F27 Fokker F28 Recent issues |  |
Many countries issue stamps for special flights and great performances delivered by Fokker airplanes. The first stamps date from the twenties, and new stamps are regularly issued. This is not surprising because still many Fokker airplanes fly over the world. A few examples of "Fokker stamps" can be seen above.
Anthony Herman Gerard Fokker was born on the sixth of April 1890 in Blitar in Indonesia, the former
Dutch Indies. In connection with Anthony's education his father decided in 1894 to sell his coffee
plantation and return to Holland. Anthony's study at high school was not a success and he was not willing to go to the Technical University in Delft.
His interest lay in the construction of airplanes. In 1910 Tony was sent by his father to Germany to a car construction school in Bingen. Yet he got the support of his father when he did not join the course of the car construction school but instead signed up for the school of aviation in Saalbach. He did not learned very much there, but he benefited greatly from his conversations with Lieutenant Von Daum. Together they constructed his first airplane, partially paid for by his father.
With 5000 Dutch guilders, again furnished by his father, he founded in 1912 "Fokker AVIATIK GmbH" in Berlin.
The German army was interested in the "Spin"; first they ordered two airplanes; later they ordered another 10 planes. This was profitable; Fokker moved the factory to Schwerin, he changed the name of the company into "Fokker Flugzeug Werke GmbH". During the first world war Fokker built various very successful airplanes for the German Air Force such as the fighter planes DR.1 and D.VII.
After the W.O.I Fokker smuggled in 6 freight trains about 200 airplanes, 400 engines and a large number of airplane spare parts to Holland and stocked up everything in Amsterdam. Before leaving Germany he had assured himself of an order for military airplanes for the Dutch army. In 1919 Anthony Fokker founded in Amsterdam the "N.V. Nederlandse Vliegtuig Fabriek". In 1923 Fokker founded a factory in the United States were he constructed many different planes for the American market.
With the arrival of aluminum airplanes demand for Fokker airplanes fell off. The factory in the
USA was closed in 1931. In the Netherlands many different successful airplanes were built for civil
as well for military aviation.
The 23rd of December 1939 Anthony Herman Gerardus Fokker died unexpected by a result of a
complication of a small operation of his nose. He was only 49 years old.
Spin
The first airplane built by Fokker was not a success since he forgot the ailerons. The second one was flying much better but was terribly damaged by an attempt of his business partner Von Daum to fly the plane. With the third plane Fokker gave paid demonstrations. The 31st of August 1911, the anniversary of the queen of the Netherlands, he flew around the tower of the Saint Bavo church in Haarlem.
With money of his father he bought Von Daum out. Now he was the owner of the plane and gave it the name the "Spin". This stamp depicts Fokker in the "Spin". About 30 planes of the Spin were built.
The Fokker DR.1 is an combat aircraft from the first world war. In 1916 Anthony Fokker built the triplane DR.1. This was to be the answer to the triplane built by Sopwith at the British side. In 1917, Manfred von Richthofen, the 'Red baron' persuaded the staff of the German Airforce to buy this plane. In spite of the fact that the maximum speed of the DR.1 was 10 miles lower than that of the Albatross fighter, it was a dreaded adversary. The maneuverable airplane, with which - through a method patented by Fokker -it was possible to shoot through the propeller field without damaging the screw, could stay in the air for 1.5 hours. The maximum speed was 155 km/h (86 mph) and the maximum height 650 m (1970 ft). In airfights by Manfred von Richthofen alone, 80 allied aircraft were brought down. The construction of this successful fighter was discounted in 1918, 322 aircraft of this type had been built. Nowadays you can only see this aircraft in museums, the DR.1 which were still flying are replica's.
In 1918 the Fokker DR.1 was succeeded by the D.VII. This biplane had a Mercedes engine, later the engine was replaced by a BMW engine which gave the airplane a 15 km/h (8 mph) higher speed. The flying properties were superior to those of both the German and the Allied fighters. Fokker did not build all fighters by himself, other factories built the D.VII under license. In total about 3000 planes were built. The aircraft was so successful that at the end of the first world war the allies claimed the German D.VII as spoils of war. Fokker managed to bring airplanes which were unfinished or not yet delivered to Holland by boat and train. In Holland another 100 planes were constructed for the Dutch and other European air forces. Until 1938 the D.VII were used by the Dutch Air Force.
Fokker T.II
In 1921 the Fokker T.II was constructed. Its predecessor the T.I never left the stage of
the drawing board. The aeroplanes built by Fokker between 1921 and 1939 were designed for bombardments, firing torpedoes and for making reconnaissance flights. The only plane of this type was built for the American Navy.
This seaplane had room for a crew of 3 persons. In the rear cockpit there was room for a gunner who was equipped with a machine gun to defend the aircraft. The wing which consisted of three parts was covered with plywood.The maximum speed was 93 p.p.h.
In a series St. Vincent pays attention to fabulous airplanes so as the Fokker T.II.
Fokker F.VIIb-3m "Southern Cross"
The 31st of May 1928 Charles Kingsford Smith flew with Charles Ulm, Harry Lyon and James Warner from San Francisco via Honolulu and Suva across the Pacific to Brisbane in Australia, where he arrived the 9th of June. Then he flew to Sydney where tribute was paid to the crew for its performance.
Fokker shared in the publicity of this flight because this Fokker F.VIIb/3m was a normal civil airplane and not a special airplane which was special designed for record flights.
In 1929 Kingsford Smith flew between the 25th of June and the10th of July from Australia to London in a new record flyingtime of 12 days and 18 hours.
On the 24st and the 25th of July Kingsford Smith flew from London to New York with the KLM pilot Evert van Dijk as co-pilot, hereafter he flew to San Francisco. He was the first man to fly around the world via Australia.
In 1935 Kingsford Smith lost his life with a Lockheed Altair over the Gulf of Bengalen while attemping to improve the maximum speed record from the United Kingdom to Australia. Nothing of Kingsford Smith was ever found.
A few months before this tragic accident occurred the knighted Sir Charles Kingsford Smith offered the "Southern Cross" to the people of Australia
In 1945 the plane took the air a few times for shooting a movie of the life of Sir Charles Kingsford Smith.
The Fokker F.VIIb-3m "Southern Cross" is still to be seen in the Sir Charles Kingsford Smith Memorial the Brisbane.
Fokker F27 "Friendship"
24th of November 1955 the Fokker F27 made his first test flight of 34 minutes. Everything was successful, the first
step was set for a great future for the first Dutch airliner built by Fokker after W. O. 2. De F27 had been developed
as a successor of the Douglas DC-3 which before, in and after W. O. 2, in different constructions had justified its
existence. Nowadays the DC-3 is still flying.
Many companies want to renew their airplanes so it was a well-considered scheme to develop a complete new
plane. Fokker implemented in the design complete new techniques like the cementing of different parts. This
method had much more advantages as a smoother surface so less air resistance. Besides that, a cemented
construction has a lower weight than a riveted one.
Except for passengers versions of the Friendship had been developed for freight transport and military purpose. In
the Unitted States of America The Fairchild Company built 206 Fokker Friendships, most were delivered a
business plane.
In 1987 the production of Fokker F27 was stopped in total 786 stuck were built. Nowadays more than 500 planes
were still flying for more than 150 users all over the world.
The Fokker F27 was the example for the Fokker 50 that was nearly a complete new plane. In December 1985 the
Fokker 50 made his first flight. It looked if this airplane would heave the same promising future as the Fokker F27
Friendship but by the closing of the Fokker factories in 1996 not more than nearly 200 stuck were built.
Fokker F28 "Fellowship"
The Fokker F28 was the first civil jet-powered airplane developed and built in Holland. This twin engine plane for
65 till 856 passengers and a cross-speed of 850 km/h (530 mph) made his first flight the 9th of May 1967 for 75
minutes, it was a successful one. Through the fact that the noise of the jet-engines ample under the requirements of
that moment and a short runway was enough for the Fellowship. After 8 years 100 planes were sold, when the
production was stopped in 1987 the amount of sold airplanes was 241, a lot of these planes were delivered to
countries in Africa and Asia.
In 1986 the successor of the F28, the Fokker 100 made his first flight, a plane for 100 passengers. In 1993 the
Fokker 70 was introduced.
When the Fokker factory had to close were 270 Fokker 100 and 38 Fokker 70 delivered. These planes have not time enough to have the same success as the Fokker F27 Friendship.
Recent Issues
Cuba celebrates the seventieth anniversary of the Cubanian Airways with a Fokker F27 "Friendship".
It is not only the celebration of anniversaries in aviation history such as the mail flight with the Fokker F.XVIII Snip in December 1934.
Several years ago that event was commemorated by the Netherlands Antilles with the issue of a stamp.
In 1999 it was the fiftieth time that the Canadian International Airshow was held.
In a series St. Vincent pays attention to fabulous airplanes with a stampof the Fokker Triplane DR.1, the dreaded figther of World War I.
This stamp shows a Fokker D.VII, issued by Liberia in 2000
This jubilee stamp of Island issued on 18 January 2001 shows the Fokker F-27 "TF - SYN"and a "Super Puma Life" helicopter
Shown on this stamp is the Fokker F-VIIb/3m "Southern Cross"flown by Charles Kingford Smith which made the first trans-Tasman crossing on 11 September 1928, the flight took 14 hours 25 minutes.
Liberia issued the series of stamps "Famous Airplanes of the Twentieth Century", one stamp shows the Fokker E.III.
Micronesia issued a sheet with 15 different stamps: "Celebrating the millennium with man's first century of flight", one stamp shows the Fokker D-VII.
République De Guinée honored Fokker with an issue of a stamp with a Fokker DR.1
The 1st of August 2002 issued the series of stamps: "Vietnam Civil Aviation" one stamp shows a Fokker 70.
The Dutch Antillen issued in 2006 on the occasion of the WSE stampexhibition in Washington a stamp with a Fokker F-4 and the Fokker F.XVIII PH-AIS "Snip".
This stamp shows the Fokker F27, one of the aircraft with have serviced the route Jersey to Southampton since 1934 right through to the present day.
Last updated on February 9, 2009