Fokker Hall H-51 (Model 11)

The Fokker H-51, Model 11

This was a bit of an odd duck at Fokker. After Huff Daland Airplanes, Inc. was acquired in 1927 and became part of Keystone, Thomas H. Huff joined Fokker as a designer in 1928. He was given a position in the rented factory in Passiac, NJ, and began focusing on metal fabrication.

His first design was a four-seat high-wing aircraft with a metal fuselage. A Fokker innovation, it also featured a tail wheel. The linen-covered wings (which could be folded back) were supported by two struts.

Alclad, a corrosion-resistant aluminum alloy with an aluminum top layer, was used for the oval fuselage. This was developed in collaboration with Hall-Aluminum Aircraft Corp.

Hence the aircraft was also known as Fokker-Hall.

The aircraft, which was also called the 'Mystery plane' within Fokker, made its first flight on May 5, 1929.

It was given the msn 1100 and registration X449E. Max Holzem was the test pilot.

Originally, the aircraft was equipped with a Siemens-Halske 7-cylinder radial engine. Several different engine types were subsequently tested on the aircraft. In the mid-1930s, it was fitted with a 165 hp engine and tested on EDO floats.

The performance did not lead to a production version of the type. However, the experience gained was used for the later XA-7 (model 17) and the XFA-1.

In September 1931, the name of the Fokker factory was changed to General Aviation Manufacturing Corporation.

The H-51 was moved with the factory when it was relocated to Dundalk, MD, in late 1931. It didn't survive the subsequent move to Baltimore, MD, and was scrapped by its own crew.

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1

Photos of the aircraft under construction are of poor quality. However, the wing structure is beautifully preserved. The photo was taken in one of the Passaic factory halls.
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2

The aircraft is photographed here shortly after completion. It deviates in many ways from the usual Fokker construction method.
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3

Both wings had a single hinge point at the top of the fuselage. This meant it took up little space when stored.
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4

The folding wings were long in relation to the fuselage. The use of wing struts and linen coverings also made them relatively light.
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5

Busy at Teterboro in front of the Fokker factory. The H-51 is prominently displayed. The engine is different from the one in the photos taken when the aircraft was just finished. The nose is also longer. In the background are an F-10, an F-32, and an F-14.
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6

The H-51 next to its big brother, the F-32. Both aircraft eventually ended up in the scrapyard.
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