Versatile and endlessly adaptable, the Fokker F.27 Friendship is one of the most successful turboprop airliners of the post-war era. Developed in the Netherlands in the early 1950s as a competitor and successor to piston-powered airliners on the market at the time, the F.27 used Rolls-Royce's Dart turboprop engine and its cabin was pressurised. Over the next three decades, between 1955 and 1987, nearly 600 examples were built, to multiple specifications for roles including passenger, freight, military transport and maritime reconnaissance. Fokker also established a relationship with US manufacturer Fairchild, which built the F.27 under licence until 1973. Sales took off as the F.27's reputation for reliability and efficiency grew, and several of the examples featured in this book enjoyed two- or even three-decade careers with their original operators. Numerous others passed from airline to airline on lease or sub-lease, going on to operate all over the world in a variety of roles. Featuring over 180 never-before-seen photos, this book explains in detail the varied lives of many of the Fokker F.27 Friendships built at the Schiphol plant in the Netherlands. It concludes with the heart-warming story of the restoration and return to display of former US Army Golden Knights troopship Excalibur for the Flying Dutch Cultural Heritage Foundation. AUTHOR: Ron Mak is an a freelance reporter for Airports of the World and Airliner World. He has also had several articles published in Warbirds International, Propliner magazine and several other magazines.
