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History Hello and welcome to my FH-227 web page! I thought that it was time that someone took some effort and paid a little tribute to what I think is one of the neatest airplanes that was ever produced. I know it's no DC-3, but to me it represents the reasons for my hobby and my career. Firstly, for those of you don't know what one looks like, it's actually the largest model of the license built version of the popular Dutch built Fokker F.27. Its Fokker counterpart would be the F.27-500 series. Here is an excerpt from Air Britain's Fokker F.27 Friendship book. "The continuing popularity of the F-27 with U.S. local service carriers during the early 1960's prompted Fairchild to go ahead with a stretched version of their F-27J, initially designated the F-27II. On 21 September 1964, the Fairchild Company became Fairchild Hiller Corporation, and the new long-body F-27 was marketed as the FH-227. Fairchild Hiller stretched the basic fuselage by adding a plug 1.98 metres (6 feet) long forward of the wings, which enabled up to 52 passengers to be carried. The new FH-227 received FAA Type certification in June 1966 and was soon in production. There were some structural changes in the long-body version, but the Dart R.Da-7 Mk 532-7 engines were retained. A further development of the FH-227 designated the FH-227B, followed in 1967. The FH-227B had redesigned windshield, a ten percent increase in VMO (maximum operating speed), heavier wing skin and stringers, strengthened rear fuselage frames, heavy duty landing gear and seating for up to 56 passengers. Larger diameter propellers fitted to the FH-227B and the maximum structural weights were increased. Later in June 1967 the FH-227C was introduced and was the basic FH-227 aircraft with the larger diameter propellers from the FH-227B model. Improved anti-skid brakes and Dart R.Da-7 Mk 532-7L engines, with a higher power rating, were fitted to the FH-227B, which then became the FH-227D. The same mark of engine was then installed in the FH-227C, which became the FH-227E. The large forward cargo door (found on some FH-227s today) became available as a retrofit installation using Fairchild design and drawings. California Airmotive (now American Jet Industries) installed the large forward cargo doors in a number of FH-227 aircraft. Fairchild Hiller had a company demonstrator aircraft fitted with the large cargo door and marketed it as the Cargonaut".
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