Fokker D.XVII - Misplaced Pages

(Redirected from Airspeed AS.17) 1930s Dutch biplane fighter

D.XVII

General information
Type	Fighter/Trainer aircraft
National origin	Netherlands
Manufacturer	Fokker
Primary user	Royal Netherlands Air Force
Number built	11 plus 1 prototype converted from a D.XVI
History
Manufactured	1932-1934
First flight	27 November 1931
Retired	1940
Developed from	Fokker D.XVI

Fokker D.XVII (sometimes written as Fokker D.17), was a 1930s Dutch sesquiplane developed by Fokker. It was the last fabric-covered biplane fighter they developed in a lineage that extended back to the First World War Fokker D.VII.

Design and development

Problems with severe vibration in the Armstrong Siddeley Jaguar radial engine on the Fokker D.XVI resulted in one being converted to use a normally aspirated 500 hp (370 kW) Curtiss Conqueror V-1570 V-twelve, becoming the prototype for the D.XVII. Production versions were fitted with a 600 hp (450 kW) Rolls-Royce Kestrel, while one aircraft was built with a 790 hp (590 kW) Lorraine Pétrel and another was built with a 690 hp (510 kW) Hispano-Suiza 12Xbrs for comparison purposes. Structure was standard for Fokkers throughout the 1920s. The sesquiplane's fuselage was welded steel tube with fabric covering and the wings were made with wood spars and ribs covered with plywood.

Operational history

On 18 January 1935, Lieutenant René Wittert van Hoogland set a Dutch high-altitude record in a Fokker D.XVII of 10,180 m (33,400 ft) while using oxygen and high octane fuel.

By May 1939, the aircraft was obsolete and remaining examples were transferred to the LVA Flying School for fighter pilot training however they saw some action during the Battle of the Netherlands, escorting Fokker C.Vs and C.Xs on bombing missions. When the Netherlands surrendered to the Germans, all surviving aircraft were burnt.

Airspeed Ltd. had a licence to build Fokker aircraft in England and considered making the Fokker D.XVII fighter for Greece under the designation Airspeed AS.17. Greek government interest was constrained by currency concerns. Nevil Shute and a Fokker representative "who was well accustomed to methods of business in the Balkans" spent three weeks in Athens but they did not close the deal.

Operators

Netherlands

Royal Netherlands Air Force
Royal Netherlands East Indies Army - one example

Specifications (Fokker D.XVII)

Data from L'avion de chasse Fokker D XVII (Hollande) and A Dutch Fighter

General characteristics

Crew: One
Length: 7.20 m (23 ft 7 in)
Upper wingspan: 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in)
Height: 3.00 m (9 ft 10 in)
Wing area: 20.0 m (215 sq ft)
Empty weight: 1,120 kg (2,469 lb)
Gross weight: 1,500 kg (3,307 lb)
Fuel capacity: 190 L (42 imp gal; 50 US gal)
Powerplant: 1 × Rolls-Royce Kestrel IIS liquid-cooled V-12, 482 kW (646 hp) 655 CV @ 3,500 m (11,500 ft), .68 gear ratio.
Propellers: 2-bladed

Performance

Maximum speed: 345 km/h (214 mph, 186 kn)
Cruise speed: 290 km/h (186 mph, 162 kn)
Range: 660 km (410 mi, 360 nmi)
Service ceiling: 9,400 m (31,000 ft)
Time to altitude:
- 2.8 minutes to 2,000 m (6,600 ft)
- 5.7 minutes to 4,000 m (13,000 ft)
- 10 minutes to 6,000 m (20,000 ft)
- 18 minutes to 8,000 m (26,000 ft)
- 29 minutes to 9,000 m (30,000 ft)
Wing loading: 75 kg/m (15 lb/sq ft)
Power/mass: 0.195 hp/lb (0.321 kW/kg)

Armament

Guns: 2 × FN-Browning M.36 7.92 mm (0.31 in) machine guns

References

Citations

^ Gustavsson, 2012
Westburg, 1974, p.17
Westburg, 1974, p.21
Davis, 1932, p.80
Norway, 1954, p.226
Taylor, 1970, p.
de Rougery, 1932, p.116
Spooner, 1934, pp.310-311

Bibliography

Davis, B.G., ed. (August 1932). "The Fokker D.XVII Pursuit Ship". Popular Aviation combined with Practical Mechanics. Vol. 11, no. 2. Chicago, IL: Aeronautical Publications. p. 80.
de Rougery, Ed. Blondel, ed. (April 1932). "L'avion de chasse Fokker D XVII (Hollande)". l'Aérophile (in French). Vol. 40, no. 4. Paris, France. p. 116.
Gustavsson, Håkan (16 January 2012). "Fokker D.XVII". Retrieved 19 August 2019.
Norway, Neville Shute (1954). Slide Rule: Autobiography of an Engineer. London: William Heinemann.
Spooner, Stanley, ed. (29 March 1934). "A Dutch Fighter". Flight. Vol. 26, no. 13. pp. 310–311. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
Taylor, H.A. (1970). Airspeed Aircraft since 1931. London: Putnam. ISBN 0-370001109.
Westburg, Peter (June 1974). "Fokker D.XVII". Model Builder. pp. 17–21.

Fokker aircraft

Company designations
pre-1918

M.1 M.2 M.3 M.4 M.5 M.6 M.7 M.8 M.9 M.10 M.14 M.15 M.16 M.17 M.18 M.19 M.21 M.22
V.1 V.2 V.3 V.4 V.5 V.6 V.7 V.8 V.9 V.10 V.11 V.12 V.13 V.14 V.16 V.17 V.18 V.20 V.21 V.22 V.23 V.24 V.25 V.26 V.27 V.28 V.29 V.30 V.31 V.33 V.34 V.35 V.36 V.37 V.38 V.39 V.40 V.41 V.42 V.43 V.44 V.45 W.1 W.2 W.3 W.4

Austro-Hungarian
military designations

German military
designations

A.I A.II A.III
C.I
D.I D.II D.III D.IV D.V D.VI D.VII D.VIII
Dr.I
E.I E.II E.III E.IV E.V
F.I
K.I

Company designations
post-1918

continuing
German military
style designations:

B.I B.II B.III B.IV B.V B.VI
C.II C.III C.IV C.V C.VI C.VII C.VIII C.IX C.X C.XI C.XIV C.XV
D.IX D.X D.XI D.XII D.XIII D.XIV D.XV D.XVI D.XVII D.XVIII D.XIX D.XX D.XXI D.22 D.23 D.24
DC.I DC.II
F.I F.II F.III F.IV F.V F.VI F.VII F.VIII F.IX F.X F.XI F.XII F.XIII F.XIV F.XV F.XVI F.XVII F.XVIII F.XIX F.XX F.XXI F.XXIII F.25 F26 F27 F28 F.29 F.37
FG.I FG.II FG.III FG.IV
G.I G.II G.III
S.I S.II S.III S.IV S.V S.VI S.VII S.VIII S.IX S.X S.11 S.12 S.13 S.14 S.15 S.16
T.II T.III T.IV T.V T.VI T.VII T.VIII T.IX T.10

based on
seating:

Atlantic Aircraft
(Fokker America/Atlantic-Fokker)

United States
military designations

Observation:	AO-1 CO-4 XO-27
Transports:	T-2 C-2 C-5 C-7 C-14 C-15 C-16 C-20 C-31 RA
Bombers:	XHB-2 XLB-2 XB-8 FT-1 FT-2
Attack:	XA-7
Fighters:	PW-5 PW-6 PW-7
Ambulance:	A-2
Trainer:	TW-4

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