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Fokker 100 General
Aircraft
Fokker 100
Type
Short to Medium range jet
Crew
2
Unit Cost
Unknown
Main Operator
American Airlines
Click here for all pictures of the F-100 currently available


Fokker 100 Program Milestones
First Flight
November 30, 1986
First Delivery
February, 1988
First Customer
Swissair
Primary User
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
Total Produced
283
Last Delivery
1997


Fokker 100 Aircraft Dimensions
Wing Span
92 feet 2 inch (28,08 m)
Length
116 feet 6 inch (35,53 m)
Height
27 feet 10 inch (8,5 m)
Wing Area
Unknown

Fokker 100 Weights
Empty Weight
Unknown
Loaded
44
Maximum Take-off Weight
45.900 lb (20.820 kg)
Maximum Landing Weight
44.160 lb (20.030 kg)
Maximum Zero Fuel Weight
41.655 lb (18.900 kg)

Fokker 100 Powerplants
2 x Rolls-Royce Mk. 650-15
15,100 lbf

Fokker 100 Performance
Typical Range
1,680 nautical miles
Service Ceiling
37.000 feet
Maximum Speed - Altitude
755 km/h

Fokker 100 Unit Costs
Model out of production - No price current

Fokker 100
The Fokker 100 was introduced in the late 1980s and soon became a best seller in the 100-seat short-range class market. In the late 1990's the medium size twin-turbofan airliner got serious competition from improved models of the Airbus A319 and Boeing 737 which affected sales significantly. Eventually production ended in 1997 after 283 airframes were delivered.

In 1983 a replacement for the already popular F28 Fellowship was announced as the Fokker 100. The greatest difference between these two aircraft was the much longer fuselage, which increased seating capacity by approximately 65% from 65 in the original F28 to 107 in a typical seating configuration. Besides this, the F100 also introduced a redesigned wing which increased efficiency by 30%. Modern Rolls Royce Tay turbofan engines were installed , while the cockpit was fitted with an all-glass instrumentation package. Similar to the DC-9, the Fokker 100 features twin fuselage-mounted engines and a T-tail as well as small eyebrow windows above the main cockpit windows.

Fokker built two prototypes (PH-MKH and PH-MKC) of which the first flew on November 30, 1986, while the second took-off for the first time on February 25, 1987. Type certification was granted in November 1987. Swissair was the first customer for the F-100 and started to take delivery of their TAY620-15 powered aircraft in February 1988. Other major customers for the type included US Air (40 aircraft), TAM Linhas Aéreas (50 aircraft) and American Airlines (75 aircraft), all of which were powered by more powerful TAY 650-15 engines.

As Fokker had produced more than 70 units by 1991 the company started thinking of longer range version of the F-100. In 1993 Fokker announced a design featuring additional fuel tanks in the wings called the extended range version, with a quick-change passenger/freighter version, the 100QC, following in 1994. A shorter version of the F-100 was introduced in 1993 as a direct replacement for the older generation F-28 and was known as the Fokker 70. It was 4.70 m shorter and could carry up to 80 passengers. Later studies on an even larger version of the F100, the F130, and a freighter version, the Fokker 100QC did reach any further developement stages.

Mismanagement within the company eventually led to massive losses and Daimler Benz, their parent company, shut them down in the late 1990s. Although there were some rumours the manufacturing company was taken over by Bombardier, plans fell through.

Although Fokker officially ceased operations in 1997, many attempts have been made to restart the production line again. Under the name of Rekkof (Fokker spelt backwards), negotiations between the company and potential customers took place. Despite these plans and even a proposal for an upgraded aircraft with superb fuel effiency and performance, Rekkof is still yet to re-open production of either type. Besides, KLM decided to replace its Fokker fleet by new Embraer aircraft which indicates that a possible re-start of "Fokker" will not be the case in the short term.

The aim that Rekkof has is to resume production of both the Fokker 70 and Fokker 100. As said, discussions with a number of airlines have resulted in significant changes to the original concept. Compared to the basic aircraft now being operated, the Fokker 70/100 NG will be significantly updated with changes in the design in order to reduce operating costs and production redesign to reduce the manufacturing costs.

American Airlines Fokker 100
Helvetic Fokker 100
US Airways Fokker 100

Fokker 100 Design
In order to meet requirements of airlines, the Fokker 100 was designed together with its launch customers. As a relatively small aircraft manufacturer it wasn't an easy job to gain market share in its specific market segment, but in the end they did succeed. Today, the Fokker 100 is one of the most succesful European commercial aircraft programs, with over 400 orders and options.

As said earlier, the Fokker 100 was designed together with some of its launch customers and made the initial design significantly better. An example which illustrates this is the installation of an auto-land system that was tested on its very first flight. In order to operate safely in adverse weather conditions, Swissair wanted the most modern equipment in its aircraft. The availability of such a system basically resulted into the elimination of flight delays and cancellations due to weather problems.

Another example of customer requirements can be explained by the cabin service door which was a demand by KLM, the second customer for the type. Just like the MD-80 and -90 series, the F100 design had a downward opening door with integral stairs. As KLM wanted to use the aircraft at airports where passenger loading bridges were used a forward opening door was therefore designed and incorporated. The collaboration between Fokker and leading airlines eventually led to much better and more efficient design that met individual requirements to a greater extent.

Compared to the F28, the flight deck of the F100 was significantly different than its predecessor. This is illustrated by the use of modern electronics rather than the analogue methods of indication. The flight deck of the F100 was designed on the basis of a dark cockpit philosophy, meaning that no lights are illuminated during normal operation, resulting into fewer crew distractions and decreased workload. Besides this, much of what was previously performed by the crew is now automated. The electronics integrated into the aircraft are EFIS, AFCAS, MFDS and FMS.