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Fokker F-50 General
Aircraft
Fokker 50
Type
Short-range turboprop
Crew
2
Click here for all pictures of the F-50 currently available
Fokker F-50 Program Milestones
Design
1983
Certification
1987
First Customer
DLT of Germany
Production End
1996
Total Produced
213


Fokker F-50 Aircraft Dimensions
Wing Span
95 feet 2 inch (29,00 m)
Length
82 feet 10 inch (25,25 m)
Height
27 feet 4 inch (8,32 m)
Wing Area
736 square feet

Fokker F-50 Weights
Empty Weight
27.602 lb (12.250 kg)
Loaded
41.000 lb (18.600 kg)
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 F-50 Powerplants
2 x PW Canada PW125B
2.500 hp (1.864 kW)

Fokker F-50 Performance
Typical Range
1.110 nm (2.055 km)
Service Ceiling
25.000 ft
Maximum Speed - Altitude
425 km/h (266 mph)

Fokker F-50 Unit Costs
Model out of production - No price current

Fokker F-50
As the name already implies, the Fokker 50 is a 50-seat turboprop powered aircraft, specifically designed for short-haul flights. The Fokker 50 design is derived from both the Fokker F-27 Friendship and F-28 Fellowship. The F-27 had been in continual production since 1958 and sales were declining by the 1980s. Therefore, the Fokker management decided that an aircraft with improved aerodynamic design and major electronic updates should be succeful follow-on. Eventually, design of the F-50 began in 1983.

After four years of designing and constructing, certification of the Fokker F-50 was granted by the Dutch aviation authority. The first delivery followed soon to launch customer DLT of Germany. In 1996, production of the twin-prop ended after the Fokker Aircraft Company faced and inevitable business liquidation. In total, 213 Fokker F-50s have been produced with the majority (171) still being in service today. Major operators are: Denim Air (12), KLM (12), Malaysia Airlines (10), Skyways Express (18) and VLM Airlines (20). Besides these, some 27 other airlines have operated the type as well.

A KLM Fokker F-50 commences taxi at AMS
A nice close-up on the Fokker F-50's characteristic nose
A KLM Fokker F-50 on final approach

Fokker F-50 Design
As pointed out earlier, the Fokker 50 was based on the F-27 airframe but featured many changes in both aerodynamics and appearance. The new airframe had a larger number of smaller windows and compared to the F-27 a two-wheel nose gear. The basic construction of the fuselage, wings and tail remained practically the same apart from strengthening several sections where required. Wing aerodynamics was improved by upturned aileron and wingtips which effectively act as wing endplates or winglets.

The major design changed was in the engines as the F-50 was equipped with an electronic flight and engine-management system. The original Rolls-Royce Darts engines were replaced by two more fuel efficient PW Canada PW124 powerplants that drive six, instead of four, propellers. Overall, the F-50 can carry up to 50 people over a range of 2000 km at a typical operating speed of 530 km/h. This means a 50-60 km/h increase of speed compared to the Fokker F-27.

Like most aircraft, the Fokker F-50 features a "dark cockpit" philosophy. It is equipped with an Electronic Flight Instrument System and an Automatic Flight Control System, which enables CAT II approaches to be conducted. Pilot workload is reduced due to the sophisticated Integrated Alerting System, single lever operation of the propeller pitch, and unique engine power management control. Overall, this makes the F-50 easy to fly.

Fokker F-50 Accidents
On the 15th of September 1995, a Malaysian Airlines F-50 (9M-MGH) crashed as it attempted to land. This crash was designated a pilot error as the aircraf ran out of runway.

On the 6th of November 2002, a Fokker 50 (LX-LGB) operating on behalf of Luxair crashed approximately 6 nautical miles short of runway 24 while attempting to land in fog. The crew operated a flight from Berlin to Luxembourg-Findel Airport.

The 17th of January 2003 marked the crash of an Air Nostrum F-50 at Melilla which attempted to land in heavy winds. It overran the runway and hit the airport boundary fence and broke into two pieces.

On the 10th of February 2004, a Kish Air F-50 crashed 2 miles short of the runway while on final approach into Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. The plane impacted a roadway, broke apart, and exploded in flames.
A Kish Air Fokker F-50 crashed while attempting to land