Fokker F27 Friendship

Updated: October 2026 – A propeller aircraft with a high-set wing passes by, the engines whistle shrilly instead of droning, and large oval windows line the side of the fuselage: if you still see something like that today, you may have caught a Fokker F27 Friendship. The Dutch turboprop was the backbone of European regional air travel for decades and is considered the most successful European turboprop airliner of its time. Here you will learn how to identify the F27 with confidence, how to tell it from the Fokker 50, HS 748 and ATR, and where you can still find the classic.

What is the Fokker F27 Friendship?

The F27 is a twin-engine pressurized turboprop airliner for 44 to 52 passengers. Fokker developed it in the early 1950s with a clear goal: it was meant to replace the countless Douglas DC-3s that dominated short-haul air travel after the war. Instead of piston engines, Fokker chose the Rolls-Royce Dart turboprop, which had already proven itself in the British Vickers Viscount. The powerplant ran much more smoothly and with less vibration than the radial engines of its predecessors – a real gain in comfort.

Just as important was the decision for a high-set wing. It gave good lift values, made loading on the ground easier and gave passengers an unobstructed view downward. In construction, Fokker used a metal bonding process called Redux, which allowed many components to be glued instead of riveted. That saved weight and improved the service life of the structure.

The prototype with the registration PH-NIV took off on November 24, 1955. The two flying prototypes were financed through the Dutch institute for aircraft development. Because the first aircraft was tail-heavy, the second prototype got a fuselage lengthened by around 0.9 meters. In November 1958 Aer Lingus took the first production aircraft as launch customer, and the first scheduled flight followed in December. You will find more about the manufacturer on the page about Fokker, and more about the engine maker at Rolls-Royce.

A success in two countries

As early as 1956, Fokker signed a license agreement with Fairchild in the USA. The first F-27 built in America flew on April 12, 1958, before the delivery to Aer Lingus. The Fairchild version differed in details: among other things, it had weather radar in the nose, larger tanks and a built-in stair. Fairchild Hiller later developed the FH-227 independently, a variant stretched by almost two meters with a larger cargo door. US production ran until July 1973 and produced around 200 aircraft.

Fokker itself built the F27 until 1987. Depending on the source, around 586 to 592 aircraft from Dutch production are on the books at the end. Together that makes almost 800 aircraft. That makes the F27 the most-built postwar aircraft from the Netherlands and the best-selling European turboprop airliner of its era. Its successor, the Fokker 50, was developed from the F27-500 but was practically a new aircraft in powerplant, cockpit and systems.

The versions at a glance

Over the long production period, Fokker adapted the F27 again and again. For spotters, the fuselage length and the role matter most.

Version	Special feature
F27-100	First production version, 44 seats
F27-200	More powerful Dart engines, otherwise like the -100
F27-300 Combiplane	Combi version for passengers and cargo
F27-300M / -400M Troopship	Military transport, used in the USA as the C-31A
F27-500	Fuselage lengthened by around 1.5 m, up to 52 seats, first flight November 1967
F27-600 / -700	Cargo and quick-change versions
F27-200-MAR / Maritime Enforcer	Maritime patrol aircraft, the Enforcer version armed
Fairchild F-27 / FH-227	Licensed production in the USA, the FH-227 clearly stretched

The stretched F27-500 is around 25 meters long, and the early versions come to about 23.5 meters. The wingspan stayed the same on all Fokker versions at 29 meters. So if you see an F27 with a strikingly long fuselage, it is very likely a -500 or a Fairchild FH-227.

The three features that are enough to identify it

High-wing aircraft with two propeller turbines are plentiful. The F27 gives itself away through a combination that no longer occurs on modern turboprops.

In the end, the registration confirms the type. Especially with old aircraft, a look in a database is worthwhile, because many F27s have changed operators and liveries several times. How to determine an aircraft’s age is covered in the article How to find out an aircraft’s age.

F27, Fokker 50 or HS 748?

The most common mix-up happens within the Fokker family. The Fokker 50 took over the basic shape of the F27-500 but got Pratt & Whitney Canada engines with six-blade propellers, a modern cockpit and a new window arrangement. Its type code is F50. At first glance the two look almost the same – a look at propellers and windows settles it.

A second candidate is the British Hawker Siddeley HS 748. It also flies with two Dart engines and comes from the same era, but it is a low-wing aircraft: the wing sits low on the fuselage. You can see that from any distance. The later BAe ATP, a development of the 748, also has its wing low.

Feature	Fokker F27	Fokker 50	HS 748
ICAO type designator	F27	F50	A748
Wing	high	high	low
Engine	Rolls-Royce Dart	Pratt & Whitney Canada PW125B	Rolls-Royce Dart
Propeller blades	4	6	4
Cabin windows	few, large and oval	many, smaller	not a key feature (low wing)

You recognize modern high-wing aircraft like the ATR 42-300 and Dash 8-100 by their T-tail. The article How to tell turboprops apart compares them in detail.

The F27 in German-speaking countries

The F27 had its place in Germany, Austria and Switzerland as well. According to operator lists, LTU, Condor and DLT – the predecessor of today’s Lufthansa CityLine – flew the type here, many of them taken over second-hand. The F27 also became well known at WDL Aviation of Cologne, which used the turboprop for a long time in charter and cargo service.

In Austria, Lauda Air, founded by Niki Lauda, started out with the F27, among other aircraft, and in Switzerland Balair was among the original buyers. In neighboring Luxembourg, Luxair was one of the early European customers. Other well-known operators in Europe were Aer Lingus as launch customer, Braathens SAFE in Norway, Air UK in Great Britain, Icelandair and Turkish Airlines.

In the USA, FedEx Express used F27s as feeder freighters and retired them by the end of 2009. Militarily, the Royal Netherlands Air Force, several Asian and South American armed forces and the US Army flew the type. The last US Army C-31A Troopship was retired in September 2019.

Where you can still find the F27 today

The most reliable address is a museum. The Aviodrome in Lelystad in the Netherlands shows early F27s from the beginning of the program – a must-visit for Fokker fans. More examples stand in collections in Great Britain, Finland, Australia and the USA, among other places. If you are traveling to Amsterdam anyway, the museum visit combines well with a day at Schiphol Airport; the Schiphol spotting guide has tips.

Flying F27s, on the other hand, are a matter of luck. Only isolated aircraft are still in use with small operators or air forces. Exactly which ones those are in October 2026 cannot be said reliably – check using the type code F27 in a tracking app.

Place / occasion	Chance of a hit	Why
Aviodrome Lelystad	certain, but static	early F27s as exhibits
Other aviation museums worldwide	certain, but static	examples in Great Britain, Finland, Australia, USA and elsewhere
Military airfields in Asia	low	a few armed forces still use the type occasionally
German, Austrian and Swiss airports	very low	at most ferry or special flights

How to plan the hunt for an F27

With such a rare type, preparation is decisive. There is no fixed schedule; you work with tracking data, spotter forums and patience.

How to follow flights live is explained in the guide to flight tracking with ADS-B. You will find general strategies for rarities in the article Spotting rare aircraft, and How to judge the rarity of a sighting shows how to put the significance of your sighting in context.

Photo tips especially for the F27

The F27 is a classic propeller aircraft with elegant lines. A few points lift your picture above a pure record shot.

You can work out when the light suits your spot with the guide Planning the sun position for your photo spot. If you are interested in old aircraft in general, you will find more classics in the article Identifying vintage aircraft in the sky.

Why the F27 fascinates spotters

The F27 stands for the moment when regional air travel moved into the turbine age. It brought a pressurized cabin, smooth turboprop power and panoramic views on routes that had previously been flown by piston veterans like the DC-3. For Fokker it was the foundation for decades in airliner building: the Fokker 50 grew out of it, and its success paved the way for the jet family from the F28 to the Fokker 100.

That hardly any F27 flies today makes every encounter all the more valuable. If you catch one, you should note the registration, place and date – sightings of this type are not going to become more common.

Conclusion

A high wing, Dart turboprops with four blades, a conventional tail and large oval windows: that is how you identify the Fokker F27 Friendship. The propellers and windows separate it from the Fokker 50, the wing from the HS 748, the tail from the ATR and Dash 8. Built in almost 800 units, it has practically disappeared from scheduled service – but can still be experienced in museums.