Fokker F.III

behind the controls of the F.III; the engine cowling has been removed. The Fokker F.III An improved model known as the F.IIIs was also made, and this had new fuselage and tail fin. It was also called the Grulich V.I. ==Operational history==

The F.III was first used by KLM when they reopened their Amsterdam-London service on 14 April 1921 (they did not, at this time operate over winter). Soon, F.IIIs were also flying on routes to Bremen, Brussels, Hamburg, and Paris. They proved to be very reliable aircraft. KLM received 14 F.IIIs from Fokker's German factory at Schwerin during 1921 and built two more itself from spares in the following year. This final pair used Rolls-Royce Eagle VIII engines, with the pilot on the left. Another operator of new F.IIIs was Deutsch-Russiche Luftverkehrs Gesellschaft (Deruluft) which used nine aircraft on their Berlin-Königsberg-Moscow route from May 1922. These machines, partially built in Schwerin and finished in the Netherlands at Veere, had Eagle engines. One was a Fokker-Grulich. Deutsche Aero Lloyd gained a licence to build F.IIIs as they had for F.IIs and the company, with its southern subsidiary built and operated 18 of these Fokker-Grulich F.IIIs. Most of these used BMW engines, typically the BMW IV in preference to the BMW IIIa. Some of these were re-engined with the BMW Va, and were designated F.IIIc. Another operator from new was the Hungarian airline Malert, which received six Dutch-built aircraft for their Budapest-Vienna-Belgrade service from 1922 to 1929. These initially had BMW IIIa engines, but later ran with Breitfeld & Daněk Hiero IV engines. They had larger wings, increased in area by about 14%. Deutsche Luft-Reederei also operated two, originally intended for KLM. Four F.IIIs probably went to the United States. Later F.IIIs changed ownership frequently as airlines went bankrupt or merged. They were still flying commercially in Germany until about 1936. ==Accidents and incidents==

The F.III as involved into two air crashes, that due to developing nature of air travel had a big impact. For example, one disappearance lead to the radios being required on aircraft. • 1924 KLM Fokker F.III disappearance (This was the first major air accident of the airline KLM) • On 24 April 1924, Fokker F.III H-NABS of KLM departed Lympne for Rotterdam and Amsterdam. The aircraft was not heard of again. It was presumed to have crashed into the sea, killing the pilot and both passengers. • On 25 June 1925, a KLM Fokker F.III, registration H-NABM, crashed at Landrécies, France in poor weather while on an Amsterdam-Paris service, killing all four on board. • 1928 KLM Fokker F.III Waalhaven crash ==Operators==

; • 1 Privately owned ; Free City of Danzig • Deutsche Luft-Reederei ; • Det Danske Luftfartselskab ; • Deutsch-Russiche Luftverkehrs Gesellschaft (Deruluft) • Deutsche Aero Lloyd • Deutsche Aero Luft • Sud-deutsche Luft Hansa ; • Malert ; • Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij (KLM) ; • Deruluft ; • Balair, operated 5 ex-KLM 1926-1928 • Ost Schweizer Aero Gesellschaft (East Swiss Aero Company); operated 1 ex-Balair until 1929 ==Specifications==