Fokker F-10
Illustrative image; it may differ from the actual aircraft.The Fokker F-10 was an enlarged development of the Fokker F.VII airliner, built in the late 1920s by the Fokker Aircraft Corporation of America. It was a trimotor passenger aircraft, and it carried 12 passengers. This was four more than the F.VII it was based on, and it had a larger wing and more powerful engines than that design. A crash of this aircraft in 1931, led to widespread reforms in the U.S. aviation industry and hurt the reputation of wooden winged aircraft, especially the Fokker Tri-motor types.
Specifications
Figures for the F-10A variant, the most representative of the family
The type first flew in 1928 (98 years ago) · About 65 units built · Production ended in 1930
Figures for the type, not for this particular aircraft: each variant and each configuration changes something. They are shown in both systems used in aviation.
The story of the type
A bigger trimotor for America
In the late 1920s Fokker's American subsidiary, the Atlantic Aircraft Corporation, was building the F.VII trimotor in New Jersey. In 1927 Western Air Express, which had obtained a loan from the Guggenheim Fund to set up a model airline, ordered three examples of an enlarged development: the F-10, with 12 passengers, four more than the F.VII, a wing of greater span and three Pratt & Whitney Wasp radial engines. The prototype probably first flew on 23 March 1928, piloted by Bernt Balchen.
From F-10 to Super Trimotor
Seven F-10s were built, using the existing wing of the F.VIIb. The main version, the F-10A, received a larger American-built wing and was produced at a new factory in Glen Dale, West Virginia, which at its peak turned out nearly one aircraft a week until October 1929. Seating 12 to 14 passengers, it became known as the Super Trimotor. To improve stability the horizontal tail surfaces were enlarged, and from serial number 1041 the nose was lengthened by 20 cm.
In service
Western Air Express was the largest operator, with 25 aircraft. Others included Pan American, Universal Air Lines (later part of American Airways), Transcontinental & Western Air (TWA), Standard Air Lines, Boston-Maine Airways and the Mexican carriers Mexicana and Aerovías Centrales, as well as oil companies that used it as a luxury executive aircraft. The US Army and Navy evaluated a few as transports, light bombers or air ambulances, without production orders. The Wall Street Crash of 1929 sank sales, and the last aircraft, number 1064, was delivered in January 1931; 65 were built in all.
The 1931 accident
On 31 March 1931 a TWA F-10A lost part of a wing in flight and crashed in Kansas; among the passengers was Knute Rockne, Notre Dame's celebrated American football coach. The investigation pointed to deterioration of the wooden wing spar, and the authorities temporarily banned the type from carrying passengers, the first such ban imposed on a specific aircraft type, and required more frequent inspections. Its reputation suffered and its withdrawal from the airlines accelerated, just as all-metal airliners such as the Boeing 247 and the Douglas DC-2 were arriving.
Variants
Initial production variant.
Improved and revised 14-passenger variant powered by three 420 hp (310 kW) Pratt & Whitney Wasp radial engines, often called the Super Trimotor.
United States Army designation for the evaluation of one re-engined F-10A powered by three Wright R-975 radials.
Light bomber version.
United States Navy designation for the evaluation of one F-10A.
Overview and history adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA) · technical figures from the manufacturer’s published specifications and standard aviation references
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This page was last updated on October 11, 2026
APA
Vuelopedia. (2026, October 11). Fokker F-10. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://vuelopedia.org/en/model/fx
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“Fokker F-10.” Vuelopedia, Fundación Poderia, 11 Oct. 2026, vuelopedia.org/en/model/fx. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.
Chicago
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Harvard
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BibTeX
@misc{vuelopedia_en_model_fx,
author = {{Vuelopedia}},
title = {{Fokker F-10}},
publisher = {Fundación Poderia},
year = {2026},
date = {2026-10-11},
url = {https://vuelopedia.org/en/model/fx},
howpublished = {\url{https://vuelopedia.org/en/model/fx}},
urldate = {2026-10-16},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-16}
}Wikipedia
{{cite web |url=https://vuelopedia.org/en/model/fx |title=Fokker F-10 |website=Vuelopedia |publisher=Fundación Poderia |date=2026-10-11 |access-date=2026-10-16 |language=en}}