Aeronautics: Fokker Out

As expected, Anthony Herman Gerard ("Tony") Fokker resigned last week as director of engineering of General Aviation Corp. (General Motors subsidiary) and its subsidiary Fokker Aircraft Corp. of America (TIME, July 13). Contrary to precedent set by General Motors in retaining the trade names of automobile builders (e.g: Buick, Olds) Designer Fokker took with him the right to his name on aircraft. With it he will organize International Fokker Corp., combining Fokker interests the world over, with the Dutch Fokker Aircraft Co. as nucleus. These interests include aircraft factories in Holland and Belgium, licensing arrangements in Great Britain, France and Italy; also the K. L. M. (Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij) airline between Holland and Batavia, which uses Fokker planes exclusively. Designer Fokker professed friendliest relations with General Aviation Corp., in which he remained largest individual stockholder and a director.

General Aviation will speed completion of its contract to build 15 twin-motored observation and bomber planes for the Army, five flying boats for the Coast Guard. Then it will abandon the Fokker name, probably will concentrate on the development of an entirely new type of transport plane for civil use.

General Aviation is also heavily interested in Transcontinental & Western Air Inc., the New York-Los Angeles line jointly held by T. A. T. and Western Air Express. Last week thick-necked, stubble-haired Flarris M. ('Pop") Hanshue, president of T. & W. A., resigned to devote all his time and energy to his own money-making Western Air Express of which he is also president. In Mr. Hanshue's place as acting president was put Richard W. Robbins, a lieutenant of G. M.'s smart, trouble-shooting James M. Schoonmaker Jr., president of General Aviation.