Fokker 100

The Fokker 100 is a twin jet, short operations aircraft. It was derived from the F28 Mk 4000 airframe, and was designated the Fokker 100, the number roughly reflecting the number of passengers it's able to carry. It is powered by two fuel efficient Rolls- Royce Tay turbofan engines, and also has a longer fuselage, and redesigned with extended wings. A modern glass cockpit is utilized in the front office, and has a revised cabin interior.

Production of this beautiful aircraft is shared by Deutshe Airbus, Shorts, Grumman, Rolls-Royce, and Dowty Rotol. IPTN of Indonesia also supplies some components. The final assembly and testing is carried out by Fokker themselves at Schiphol.

The F100 test program involved two prototypes. The first, PH-MKH, made its maiden voyage on Nov. 30, 1986, and was followed up by the flight of the second prototype, PH-MKC, on Feb. 25, 1987. Certification was given to the aircraft in November of 1987. Swissair was the first customer to receive delivery of the Fokker 100 in February of 1988.

The updated Tay, Rolls-Royce engines, also ordered by the US Air Force, were certified in July of 1989, and delivered to Swissair that same month. By mid 1991, Fokker had received orders for 232 aircraft and delivered 70. Options for the aircraft include a higher gross weightof 101,000 pounds (45810 kg) and an integral wing center-section fuel tank, increasing it's range between 100 and 280 miles (160 to 450 km). A "quick change" version is also offered, equipped with a cargo door, which is installed on the port side, ahead of the wing, together with a specially designed cabin interior. Conversion for this "quick change" option is said to be about 20 minutes. This would allow the aircraft to carry roughly 88 passengers by day, and haul off 25,000 pounds (11500 kg) at night over 1,500 miles (2800 km).

Although the design was a success in the marketplace, Fokker continued to lose massive amounts of money producing it. Eventually their parent company, Daimler Benz Aerospace , gave up and shut them down. Fokker collapsed financially in 1996, and wound up production in early 1997. There had been some dicussion about the company being purchased by Bombardier , but the plans fell through. This is particularly ironic given that Bombardier was scrambling to produce a new 130 seat design to compete with Embraer's latest aircraft (in 2004).
A group by the name of Rekkof Restart (Fokker spelled backwards) started negotiating to re-open the Fokker 70 and F100 lines in 1999, but the deal never completed. But there are still talking about the possibility to re-open the Fokker 70 production line. Like any number of designs, the F70/F100 was being increasingly squeezed from below by stretched versions of the Bombardier and Embraer regional jets , which also killed off plans for the Fairchild JET and an unnamed design from ATR.

Specifications:

Type: 107 seat regional airliner.
Powerplant: Two Rolls-Royce Tay Turbofans @ 15,000 pounds (6849 kg) of thrust each.
Performance: Normal cruising speed is 520 mph (837 km/h) with a service ceiling of 35,000 feet (10,670 m).
Range: With 107 passengers, 1,836 miles (2956 km).
Weight: Empty, 53,740 pounds (24375 kg), Maximum Take-Off weight of 95,000 pounds (43090 kg).
Dimensions: Wingspan of 92 ft 1 in (28m), Length 116 ft 6 in (35.5m), and a height of 27 ft 10 in (8.5 m).