In 1912 Fokker founded a small aircraft factory in Johannisthal, east of Berlin (see map), the Fokker Aviatik GmbH, better known as Fokker Aeroplanbau.
By giving flying lessons and a generous allowance from his father and other relatives, he barely manages financially.
He sells his first aircraft, also to the German army.
The Germans like the quality of the aircraft and also see Fokker's organizational talents and he can set up a larger factory in Schwerin.

In Schwerin (see map), Fokker builds more than 4,000 aircraft for the Germans.
He is advised to also purchase a German passport.
He will become a millionaire in 4 years.

After the 1st World War, Germany, including Fokker, is no longer allowed to build military aircraft.
With a huge smuggling operation he transfers his factory in 1919, with the help of 6 freight trains and hundreds of wagons, to Amsterdam North and to Veere in Zeeland.

http://www.fokker-in-schwerin.org/

The Fokker factory was therefore across the river IJ, and not at Schiphol.

The aircraft were transported to Schiphol by barge and finally assembled in its own assembly line. .

The seaplanes and flying boats were prepared for flying in Noord and tested on the IJ.

The name of the factory was "Nederlandsche Vliegtuigfabriek". The name "Fokker" was avoided because Fokker had worked for the Germans and the planes were also intended for export.

Schiphol (before the 2nd world war)

In 1919 Fokker started manufacturing (military) seaplanes and flying boats here.
The Naval Aviation Service had established an air base there in 1916.
In 1926 the Fokker location Veere was closed again and all production was concentrated in Amsterdam.
The location in Veere continued as a naval air base of the MLD (Marine Aviation Service).
Click on the map opposite for a more detailed map of Veere.

https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marinevliegkamp_Veere

As early as 1920, orders were placed with Fokker via the American embassy in The Hague for the Fokker C-1 and D-7 for use in the USA.
 In the same year, Anthony Fokker himself traveled to the USA to see if there were opportunities there to sell his aircraft.
 The US Army Air Corps was interested in the Fokker products, which resulted in the shipment of two Fokker F-4 aircraft from the Netherlands.
 In January 1922 Fokker opened the sales office “Netherlands Aircraft Manufacturing Company of Amsterdam” in New York.
 The US Army has Fokkers convert 135 de Havilland DH-4s from wooden to steel hulls.
 Fokker buys the vacant Witteman Lewis factory Hasbrouck Heights at Teterborro airport in New Jersey.
 In May 1924 this became the Atlantic Aircraft Corporation.
 On September 16, 1925 the name was changed to Fokker Aircraft Corporation and in December 1927 this name was changed to Fokker Aircraft Corporation of America.
 From March 1930 to 1933 the name was changed to General Aviation Company
 because the General Motors Company owned the majority shares.

 After the establishment in Hasbrouck Heights, there were later also factories in Glendale,
 West Virginia and in Passiac New Jersey.
 In early 1929, Anthony Fokker sold 40% of his interests to General Motors for $8,000,000.
 The name of the company then changed to General Aviation Company
 Eventually Fokker disappeared completely from the General Aviation Company and he settled for a five-year surrender contract with a salary of $ 50,000 per year.
General Motors sold the company to North American Aviation in 1934.

Fokker becomes active again in the Netherlands, because there was more interest in military aircraft in connection with the rearmament of Germany.
In 1939 he was operated on his nose in New York. It is only a minor procedure, but after the operation a serious infection develops from which Fokker dies.
He is then only 49 years old.

Klik hier voor het uitgebreidere artikel over Fokker in de USA met meer foto's.

Een filmpje van een Fokker F-32 die vertrekt van Teterboro

The Fokker factory was rebuilt after the war at what is now Schiphol-East. Although Anthony Fokker himself had already passed away, the name "Fokker" was maintained because this name still had an international meaning.
The factory in Amsterdam-Noord was partly bombed. The company as such remained active. Aircraft were built in-house and under license.
'North' was closed in 1954.
The branch at Schiphol-East was taken into use in 1951 and the Friendship and many other types were built here. Many military aircraft were also built here, again partly in our own design, partly under license.
On March 15, 1996, Fokker went bankrupt and aircraft production came to a definite end.