1920?1934 aircraft manufacturer in the United States
Atlantic Aircraft Corporation
, also known as
Fokker-America
and
Atlantic-Fokker
, was a US subsidiary of the Dutch
Fokker
company, responsible for sales and information about Fokker imports, and eventually constructing various Fokker designs.
[1]
History
[
edit
]
In 1920
Anthony Fokker
had established the
Netherlands Aircraft Manufacturing Company of Amsterdam
as his American sales office.
[2]
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 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.
[3]
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 the
Atlantic Aircraft Corporation
in May
1924
.
[4]
[
failed verification
]
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 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 the Fokker Aircraft Corporation.
[5]
A factory at
Passaic
, New Jersey, was added in 1927, and another at
Glen Dale, West Virginia
, in August 1928.
[6]
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 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
.
[7]
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.
[1]
[8]
Aircraft
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
"The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Directory of Airplanes their Designers and Manufacturers" ed. Dana Bell, Greenhill Books Ltd. London
ISBN
1-85367-490-7
, 2002, page 88
- ^
"Fokker Aircraft Builders To The World", Thijs Postma, Jane's Incorporated, NY,
ISBN
0-7106-0059-3
, 1980, page 49
- ^
"Fokkers 'Roaring Twenties'", Peter F.A. van de Noort, Rebo Produkties,
ISBN
90-366-0353-6
, page 13 (in Dutch)
- ^
"Once an Enemy"
.
Buffalo Express
. 10 October 1923. p. 6
. Retrieved
27 June
2022
.
- ^
"Fokkers 'Roaring Twenties'", Peter F.A. van de Noort, Rebo Produkties,
ISBN
90-366-0353-6
, page 30 (in Dutch)
- ^
"The New Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft" Edited by David Mondey, revised and updated by Michael Taylor (Greenwich Editions 10 Blenheim Cort, Brewery RD. London N7 9NT
ISBN
0-86288-268-0
), 2000, page 111
- ^
"World Encyclopedia of Aircraft Manufacturers" by Bill Gunston, Naval Institute Press Annapolis, MD,
ISBN
0-7509-3981-8
, 2006, page 31
- ^
"[Press Release]"
.
Aero Digest
. Vol. 19, no. 4. Aeronautical Digest Publishing Corporation. October 1931. p. 65
. Retrieved
23 June
2021
.
External links
[
edit
]
|
---|
Company designations
pre-1918
| |
---|
Austro-Hungarian
military designations
| |
---|
German military
designations
| |
---|
Company designations
post-1918
| continuing
German military
style designations:
| |
---|
based on
seating:
| |
---|
|
---|
Atlantic Aircraft
(Fokker America/Atlantic-Fokker)
| |
---|
United States
military designations
| Observation:
| |
---|
Transports:
| |
---|
Bombers:
| |
---|
Attack:
| |
---|
Fighters:
| |
---|
Ambulance:
| |
---|
Trainer:
| |
---|
|
---|
|
---|
Divisions and
subsidiaries
| Vehicle brands
| |
---|
Service brands
| |
---|
Global subsidiaries
| |
---|
| |
---|
Shareholdings
| |
---|
Products and
technologies
| |
---|
Former divisions,
joint ventures
and subsidiaries
| |
---|
Facilities
| |
---|
People
| |
---|
Sponsorship
| |
---|
Related topics
| |
---|
|