A book on Fokker aircraft? Explore here illustrated books on the history, types and construction of Fokker aircraft (1/2).
Anthony Fokker : The Flying Dutchman Who Shaped American Aviation
Fokker stumbled into aviation as a young stunt pilot in Germany in 1910. A combination of industrial espionage, luck and deception then propelled him to become Germany's leading aircraft manufacturer during World War I, making him a multimillionaire by his mid-20s. When the German Revolution swept the country in 1918 and 1919, Fokker went to the United States. He set up business in New York and New Jersey in 1921, and shortly thereafter became the world's largest aircraft manufacturer. The U.S. Army and Navy acquired his machines, and his factories equipped carriers such as Pan American and TWA at the dawn of commercial air transport.
Yet despite his success, his empire collapsed in the late 1920s after a series of ill-conceived business decisions and personal dramas. In 1927, aviator Richard Byrd solicited a Fokker three-engine plane to be the first to fly non-stop across the Atlantic. The plane was damaged on a test flight and Charles Lindbergh beat him to it. Lindbergh's solo adventure in the Spirit of St. Louis earned him - and cost Fokker - a lasting place in the history books. Dierikx traces Fokker's life and achievements using previously undiscovered records and primary sources.
Author:
Marc Dierikx
Specs:
432 pages, 23 x 15 cm / 9.1 x 5.9 in, hardback
Illustrations:
illustrated
Publisher:
Smithsonian Books (USA, 2018)
ISBN:
9781588346155
Anthony Fokker : The Flying Dutchman Who Shaped American Aviation
The Dutch Fokker D.XXIs saw less than a week of action following the German invasion of the west on 10 May 1940, with many of the country's 28 fighters being destroyed on the ground. However, those that survived the initial onslaught inflicted losses on the Luftwaffe. By then, however, the D.XXI had found everlasting fame in Finland during the Winter War of 1939-40. Proving itself a real thorn in the side of the Soviets, the fighter, operating in primitive conditions and against vastly superior numbers, Finnish D.XXIs racked up an incredible score against the Red Air Force. The D.XXI also has the distinction of producing the first 'ace in a single mission' in World War 2, when then 1Lt Jorma Sarvanto shot down six Ilyushin DB-3 bombers on 6 January 1940. After spending a year providing home defence and flying coastal patrols during the early stages of the Continuation War in 1941, all surviving Finnish Fokker D.XXIs were relegated to the reconnaissance role, which they performed through to the end of hostilities in September 1944.
Contents: Origins - Into service - Winter War - War in the West - Obsolescence - Appendices.
Author:
Kari Stenman, Peter de Jong
Specs:
96 pages, 24.5 x 18.5 x 0.7 cm / 9.7 x 7.3 x 0.28 in, paperback
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