Anthony Herman Gerard Fokker was born the son of a Dutch tea planter in Kediri Java, returning to Holland with his family in 1894. It was not by technical education but by native genius and inventiveness that Fokker gained the title of "The Flying Dutchman." By age 20 he had produced what was believed to be the fastest, most stable aircraft in the world. When World War I started, Anthony Fokker was already a successful aircraft designer-producer, and the war heightened his prominence. Although records were destroyed in World War II, it is well known that he produced over 60 distinct aircraft designs during this period. The great German aces of the World War I era - Voss, Immelmann, Boelke, and Richtoffen - achieved their outstanding records with the help of the Fokker. Accomplishments include the E series, and the D VII, which was probably the best fighter of the war. Fokker's DR-1 tri-plane was made famous by the Red Baron. Fokker developed the machine gun synchronizer in just 48 hours after being given the assignment. One of the ingredients vital to Fokker's success was the fact that he constantly kept the pilot in mind. Personally flying and testing many of his designs, this philosophy continued throughout his life. He also sought out the advice of the men on the flight line and teamed with the best engineers he could find. In the post war years, Anthony Fokker immigrated to the United States and continued his work in design and production of transport aircraft. It was his famous tri-motor aircraft on which airlines of the world were based in the late 1920s. These rugged, high performance ships of the air were made famous by the great air explorers. Among these aircraft are the U.S. Air Corps Fokker T-2, which made the first nonstop transcontinental flight from New York to San Diego; Byrd's Fokkers, which flew over the Poles; the great endurance flight of the Question Mark, and Kingsford Smith's Southern Cross.
Inducted in 1970.
Portrait Location: Hall of Fame Hallway