Fokker F.XVIII

__NOTOC__ Infobox Aircraft
name=F.XVIII


caption=
type=Airliner
manufacturer=Fokker
designer=
first flight=30 June avyear|1932
introduced=
retired=
status=
primary user=KLM
more users=
produced=
number built=5
variants with their own articles=The Fokker F.XVIII was an airliner produced in the Netherlands in the early 1930s, essentially a scaled-up version of the Fokker F.XII intended for long-distance flights. Like its predecessor, it was a conventional high-wing cantilever monoplane with fixed tailwheel undercarriage. Its cabin could seat 12 passengers, or four-to-six on seats convertible to sleeping berths. Used by KLM on its Amsterdam-Batavia route, the F.XVIII became celebrated in the Netherlands due to two especially noteworthy flights. In December 1933, one aircraft (registration "PH-AIP", "Pelikaan" - "Pelican") was used to make a special Christmas mail flight to Batavia, completing the round trip in a flight time of 73 hours 34 minutes. The following Christmas, another F.XVIII (registration "PH-AIS", "Snip" - "Snipe") made a similar flight to Curaçao in 55 hour 58 minutes after having been specially re-engined for the journey.

In October 1936, the F.XVIIIs were withdrawn from the service to Batavia, replaced by the Douglas DC-2. KLM sold two to ČSA who used them on its Prague-Vienna-Berlin route, and "Pelikaan" to Air Tropique, a front for the Spanish Nationalist government which used it as a transport during the Spanish Civil War. The two remaining aircraft, however, were retained by KLM for regional services in the Caribbean. One of these was the "Snip", the other was "PH-AIO", originally named "Oehoe" ("Owl"), but renamed "Oriol" ("Oriole") since the Owl was regarded as unlucky in the local culture. These machines remained in service until 1946, and the forward fuselage section of "Snip" is preserved at the Curaçao Museum.

Operators

* KLM (5 aircraft)
* ČSA (2 aircraft ex-KLM)

pecifications ("Snip")

aerospecs
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met or eng?= met

crew=Two-four
capacity=12 passengers
length m=18.50
length ft=60
length in=8
span m=24.50
span ft=80
span in=4
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dia m=
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width m=
width ft=
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height m=
height ft=
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wing area sqm=84.0
wing area sqft=904
swept area sqm=
swept area sqft=
rot area sqm=
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volume m3=
volume ft3=
aspect ratio=
empty weight kg=4,620
empty weight lb=10,190
gross weight kg=7,850
gross weight lb=17,300
lift kg=
lift lb=

eng1 number=3
eng1 type=Pratt & Whitney Wasp C
eng1 kw= 313
eng1 hp= 420
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max speed kmh=240
max speed mph=150
max speed mach=
cruise speed kmh=
cruise speed mph=
range km=1,820
range miles=1,130
endurance h=
endurance min=
ceiling m=4,800
ceiling ft=15,750
glide ratio=
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climb rate ftmin=
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armament6= aircontent
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References

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External links

* [http://www.curacaomuseum.an/snip.html "Snip" at the Curaçao Museum website]
* [http://books.caribseek.com/Curacao/De_Vlucht_van_de_Snip/ "De Vlucht van de Snip"]