Fokker Spinne

Fokker Spin

The delicate-looking Fokker Spin was the very first aeroplane designed by Dutch aeronautical pioneer Anthony Fokker. He built it in 1910 together with Jacob Goedecker and business partner Franz von Daum who contributed the Argus engine. The multitude of bracing cables gave the impression of a spider, hence its Dutch sobriquet Spin. Fokker taught himself to fly on the second Spin and later founded his famous factory and flight school near Berlin –  Military versions of the Spin soon followed. The 1913 M.2 was powered by a 100-hp Argus engine and capable of reaching 60 mph; it was a much cleaner version with a streamlined fuselage and a greatly reduced number of rigging cables. Over two dozen Spin versions were built between 1912 – 1913 and were to be chiefly employed as trainers.