Background Information.

Following the end World War Two, piston-engined all-metal monoplanes such as the successful Douglas DC-3 and DC-4 were the dominant passenger transports. 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 on projects aimed to produce designs for a new airliner which would be viewed as best meeting these requirements. The Dutch firm Fokker was one such company pursuing the development of such an aircraft. By 1951 Fokker commenced preliminary discussions on a prospective 32-seat airliner intended as a direct replacement for the popular Douglas 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 passenger aircraft. On the basis of this feedback, 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-winged aircraft, powered by a pair of the revolutionary turboprop engines and a pressurised cabin, that provided seating for a total of 28 passengers. The Rolls-Royce Dart turboprop engine had already proven successful on 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, known as Redux, resulting in a longer fatigue life, improved aerodynamics, and a lighter structure. Fokker became the first such company after de Havilland to employ such construction techniques.

In 1953, the proposed airliner received the name Friendship. A total of four prototypes were built, 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, the other two prototypes were for static and fatigue testing. On November 24, 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 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 F.27's production life, Fokker proceeded to adapt the design for various purposes and roles. Various modifications such as the adoption of improved engines, rearranged loading doors, elongated fuselages and other changes, several different models of the Friendship 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 F.27 for conducting maritime reconnaissance missions.

During 1952, Fokker established a relationship with the US aircraft manufacturer Fairchild which was interested in the upcoming F.27 project. In 1956, Fokker signed a licensing deal with Fairchild, under which the latter was authorised to manufacture the F.27 in the United States. On April 12, 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 the Fairchild Hiller FH-227. The majority of sales completed by Fairchild fell within the North American market.
In the early 1980s, Fokker decided to develop a modernised successor to the F.27 Friendship, designated as the F.27 Mark 050 and marketed as the Fokker 50. Although originating from the F.27-500 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 the F.27. The Fokker 50 ultimately replaced the Friendship in production.

In November 1958, the first production aircraft, an F.27-100 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. In the Pacific, Australia’s Trans-Australia Airlines, Ansett-A.N.A., East-West Airlines and the New Zealand National Airways Corporation were also very early operators.

Initial sales for 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 F.27 increased rapidly as multiple airlines placed sizable orders for the type. This was in part due to the acknowledged robust performance of the type, having been found by operators that, in comparison to its piston-engine wartime counterparts like the DC-3, the Friendship 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 F.27 in 1987, a total of 592 units had been completed by Fokker in Holland. Additionally, another 207 F-27s and FH-227s had been produced in the United States by Fairchild, more than any other western European civil turboprop airliner at the time.