Fokker F27 Friendship
Fokker · Netherlands · first flew 1955 · airliner
The Fokker F27 Friendship is the classic Dart-turboprop regional airliner that preceded the Fokker 50, identifiable by its Rolls-Royce Dart engines with their distinctive annular exhaust and round cabin windows.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | High-mounted, tapered |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 2 × turboprop, wing-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | Circular fuselage cross-section with rounded porthole windows — older design versus Fokker 50's flat-sided windows |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Circular fuselage cross-section with rounded porthole windows — older design versus Fokker 50's flat-sided windows
- Rolls-Royce Dart turboprops with distinctive annular exhaust rings rather than the Fokker 50's PW125B six-blade props
- Conventional tail (not T-tail) shared with the 50 but Dart exhaust rings are the immediate giveaway
Distinguished from the Fokker 50 by Dart engine annular exhausts versus the 50's six-blade propellers and PW125B powerplants; F27's round porthole windows versus the 50's larger rectangular windows.
Specifications
- The Fokker F27 Friendship has a length of 23.56 m (77 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 29 m (95 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 480 km/h (298 mph).
- Typical crew: 2-3.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
First flown in 1955 and entering service with Aer Lingus in 1958, the F27 became one of the most successful turboprops ever built with over 780 examples; it was also licence-built in the USA as the Fairchild FH-227.
Variants
Series 100 through 600 covered passenger, cargo, and combi configurations; the Fokker 50 replaced it in production from 1985 with modern engines and avionics.
Where you'll see it
The RAF operated the Andover C.1, a Dart-powered variant closely related to the F27; civil F27s flew with BEA, British Midland, and many European carriers.
Related aircraft
- Fokker F27-400M Troopship
- Fokker S.14 Machtrainer
- Fokker S.III
- Fokker S-11 Instructor
- Convair CV-440 Metropolitan
- Fairchild FH-227
- Handley Page Herald
- Sud Aviation Caravelle
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