When in 1927 and 1928 there was a rush of orders for the F. VIlb-3m, the capacity of the Amsterdam factory was insufficient to cope with the demand. There were already plenty of orders in hand for the F. VIIa, F. VIIa-3m, F. VIII and the military C. V, C. VI and C. VIIw. Fokker therefore decided to sell manufacturing licenses to other aircraft companies.
First was Poland when in October 1928, Plage & Laskiewicz started a series of twenty F. VIIb-3m’s modified as bombers. The Poles acquired the drawings for the commercial airliner and then engineered the necessary changes to convert the type to a bomber role. Following completion of these aircraft, a further eleven were built for airline use.
Polish Air Force operated 21 F.VIIb/3m (20 of them were licence-built) aircraft as bombers and transports between 1929 and 1939.
1 Pułk Lotniczy
211 Eskadra Bombowa
212 Eskadra Bombowa
213 Eskadra Bombowa
The majority of these entered service with the Polish airline LOT.
Military Fokker F.VIIb3m Versions:
F.VIIa/3m a bomber and transport plane.
C-2: Military transport version of the Fokker F.9, powered by three 220 hp (164 kW) Wright J-5 radial piston engines, accommodation for two pilots and 10 passengers; three built in 1926 for the US Army Air Corps
C-2A: Military transport version for the US Army Air Corps, with greater wingspan, powered by three 220 hp (164 kW) Wright J-5 radial piston engines, accommodation for two pilots and 10 passengers; eight built in 1928.
C-7: Military transport conversion of C-2A for the US Army Air Corps by re-engining with 300 hp (220 kW) Wright R-975 engines. XC-7 prototype and four C-2As redesignated in 1931.
C-7A: Six new production C-7 (Wright R-975) aircraft with larger wings, new vertical fin design, and fuselages patterned after the commercial F.10A
TA.1: Military transport version of the US Navy and Marine Corps; three built.
TA.2: Military transport version for the US Navy; three built.
TA.3: Military transport version for the US Navy, powered by three Wright J-6 radial piston engines; one built.
Military operators:
Belgium Air force
Belgian Congo
Independent state of Croatia
Czechoslovakia Air Force
Finnish Air Force (one F.VIIa)
French Air Force (5 F.VIIa/m and 2 F.VII/3m)
Regia Aeronautica (Italy)
Luchtvaartafgeling (Netherlands)received three bomber F.VIIa/3m aircraft)
Polish Air Force (operated 21 F.VIIb/3m (20 of them were licence-built) aircraft as bombers and transports between 1929 and 1939.)
Spanish Republican Air Force
United States Army Corps (designations include Atlantic-Fokker C-2, C-5 and C-7)
United States Navy and Marine Corps (originally designated TA then RA)
Yugoslav Royal Air force
Specifications (F.VIIb/3m)
General characteristics
- Crew: 2
- Capacity: 8 passengers
- Length: 14.6 m (47 ft 11 in)
- Wingspan: 21.7 m (71 ft 2 in)
- Height: 3.9 m (12 ft 10 in)
- Airfoil: root: Goettingen 386 (20%) ; tip: Goettingen 388 (11.3%)[10]
- Empty weight: 6,725 kg (14,826 lb)
- Gross weight: 11,570 kg (25,507 lb)
- Powerplant: 1 × Wright J-5 Whirlwind 9-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine, 164 kW (220 hp)
- Propellers: 2 or 3-bladed fixed-pitch propellers
Performance
- Cruise speed: 170 km/h (110 mph, 92 kn)