The Fokker Universal model
is an exact replica
of one of the six open-cockpit single-engine
Fokker Universal monoplanes used
on the 1927-1928
Hudson Strait Expedition.
This model, with a 183cm wingspan,
was donated to the Canada Aviation Museum in 1970.
It was not built using a prefabricated kit
or instructions
but was made during the expedition
by Sergeant Andrew Caggie
using wood, metal, wire, fabric and glass
found around his camp at Wakeham Bay.
The 1927-1928 Hudson Strait Expedition
was an attempt by 227 aerial patrols
to determine the likelihood of using
the Hudson Strait as a shipping route
between the Canadian Prairies
and the wheat purchasing countries in Europe.
Grain would be shipped from
a newly constructed port at Churchill, Manitoba,
bypassing traditional routes such as
the St-Lawrence River and the Great Lakes.
The members of the expedition collected data
on weather and ice conditions.
With over 370 hours of flight time
and 2,285 photographs taken,
maps of the area were corrected, contributing
to future success of Northern aerial operations.