Fokker 50

Fokker 50 / Fokker 60
CityJet Fokker 50 at Findel Airport in 2010
Role Airliner
National origin Netherlands
Manufacturer Fokker
First flight 28 December 1985
Introduction 1987
Status Out of production, in service
Primary users VLM Airlines
Denim Air
Virgin Australia Regional Airlines
Produced 1987 - 1997
Number built 213
Unit cost
US$17.5 million
Developed from Fokker F27

The Fokker 50 is a turboprop-powered airliner, designed as a refinement of and successor to the highly successful Fokker F27 Friendship. The Fokker 60 is a stretched freighter version of the Fokker 50. Both aircraft were built by Fokker in the Netherlands. The Fokker 60 has been operated by the Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNAF), ex-RNAF aircraft are also in service with the Peruvian Naval Aviation and the Republic of China's Air Force.

Development

Fokker 50

The Fokker 50 was designed after sales of the Fokker F27 Friendship, which had been in continual production since 1958, were beginning to decline by the 1980s. Design of the Fokker 50 started in 1983, with DLT and Ansett Airlines of Australia being launch customers.

Fokker built two prototypes derived from F27 airframes, the first of which flew for the first time on 28 December 1985.[1] Certification of the Fokker 50 by the Dutch aviation authority RLD was successfully completed in 1987 and the first production aircraft was delivered to DLT of Germany. Production ended in 1996 after the Fokker Aircraft Company went into liquidation, with the last aircraft delivered the following year. By the end of the program, 213 Fokker 50s had been produced. As of August 2006 a total of 171 Fokker 50 aircraft remained in airline service. Major operators included: Avianca (10), Denim Air (12), Skyways Express (18) and VLM Airlines (20). Some 27 other airlines including Air Astana also operate smaller numbers of the type.[2]

Since March 2013, two Fokker 50s are based at EHLE Lelystad airport in their Royal Netherlands Air Force livery. Both have been purchased by the Peruvian Navy and will depart before the end of September 2014.[3]

Fokker 60

The Fokker 60 is stretched 1.62 m (5.31 ft) longer than the F50 for a total length of 26.87 m (88.16 ft). It has a large cargo door on the right side immediately behind the cockpit. Only four examples were built, all of them delivered to the Royal Netherlands Air Force. All of them were part of 334 Squadron based at Eindhoven Airport. They were used to transport equipment and soldiers. Paradrops were done as well. Another 60 were under construction but never completed, due to Fokker's bankruptcy. Two of the Fokker 60s (U-01, U-03) were converted in 2005 to Maritime Patrol aircraft as a temporary solution when the Royal Netherlands Navy P-3 Orions were phased out due to budget cuts. They were stationed at Hato AB Curaçao, until they were replaced by civil DHC-8 aircraft in October 2007. When the Royal Netherlands Air Force decided to buy two extra Lockheed C-130s, the Fokker 60s were phased out. The four Fokker 60 that were stored at Woensdrecht Air Base were sold to the Peruvian Naval Aviation, the first two planes were delivered on 8 June 2010 and the second batch of two planes are delivered at the end of 2010.

Design

The Fokker 50 was based on the stretched F27-500 airframe, but with a larger number of smaller windows in the fuselage and a two-wheel nose gear.

Basic construction of the fuselage, wings and empennage (tail) remained unchanged apart from strengthening the various sections where required. The wing was equipped with upturned ailerons and wingtips, effectively acting as wing endplates or winglets.

The major design change from the Fokker F27 was in the engines, and in equipping the aircraft with an electronic flight and engine-management system. The original Rolls-Royce Darts in various marks of basically 1,268-1715 kW (1,700-2,300 hp) were replaced with two more fuel efficient Pratt & Whitney Canada PW124 powerplants of 1,864 kW (2,500 hp) each, driving six-bladed Dowty Rotol propellers.

The Fokker 50 can carry up to 62 passengers over a range of 1,080 nm (1,243 mi, 2,000 km ) at a typical speed of 286 knots (530 km/h 329 mph), a 27  knots (31 mph, 50 km/h ) increase over the Fokker F27.

Although of being a previous generation design, it is highly appreciated by owners & pilots for its reliability, economics and flight characteristics.

Variants

Interior of a Fokker 50 of Skyways Express

Fokker 50

F27 Mark 050
Marketed as the Fokker 50 (or sometimes referred to as the Fokker 50-100), based on the F27 Mark 500 with two Pratt & Whitney Canada PW125B or PW127B turboprop engines with six-bladed propellers, updated systems and cockpit instrumentation, increased use of composite structure, double the number of windows, change from pneumatic to hydraulic systems and addition of electronic engine and propeller controls and an electronic flight instrument system (EFIS) and integrated warning system.[4]
F27 Mark 0502
Marketed as the Fokker 50, same as the 050 with reconfigured interior layout and change in type of aft emergency exits, six built (two for the Royal Netherlands Air Force, two for the Republic of Singapore Air Force and two for Royal Brunei Air Force).[4] MSN 20280 built 1993 was fitted with PW125B Engines and an APU.

Fokker 60

F27 Mark 0604
Marketed as the Fokker 60, same as the 0502 with an increased fuselage length (1.02 m/3.34 ft in front of wing and 0.80 m/2.63 ft aft of wing), increased design weight and introduction of a large cargo door in the forward right side of the fuselage. Two Pratt & Whitney PW127B turboprop engines, four built.[4]

Operators

As of October 2012 124 aircraft were still in operational use with airlines.[5]

Fokker 50 civil operators

Uploaded 23 February 2016. Only operators with 10 units or more.[6]

Fokker 50 - Ethiopian Airlines at Lalibela airport

Fokker 50 military and government operators

The following governments or military operators currently fly the Fokker 50 in passenger or cargo roles:[7]

 Peru
 Republic of China
Republic of China Air Force Fokker 50 for VIP transport
 Singapore
 Tanzania
 Thailand

Former operators

Regional services were flown by Malaysia Airlines using Fokker 50s until the takeover by FlyAsianXpress and subsequently MASwings
Local services were flown by Air Zimbabwe using Fokker 50s were used from 1995 but proved unsuitable to the hot conditions in the country
 Angola
 Australia
 Austria
 Bosnia and Herzegovina
 Brazil
 Colombia
 Denmark
 Estonia
 Germany
 India
 Ireland
 Kazakhstan
 Kenya
 Latvia
 Luxembourg
 Malaysia
 Netherlands
 Nigeria
 Norway
 Philippines
 Spain
 Sweden
 Taiwan
 United Kingdom
 Zimbabwe

Fokker 60 military operators

 Peru

Former operators

 Netherlands

Accidents and incidents

Specifications (series 100)

Data from airlines.net[12]

General characteristics

Fokker 60: 26.87 m (88.16 ft)
Fokker 60: 22,950 kg (50,596 lb)
Fokker 60: 2x 1,953 kW (2,619 hp) Pratt & Whitney Canada PW127B turboprop engines

Performance

Fokker 60: 469 km/h (291 mph)

Armament

two × AGM-84D Harpoon missiles and radar, sonar systems (Republic of Singapore Air Force Fokker 50s)

See also

Related development
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era

References

Footnotes
  1. 1 2 Aviation Herald - accident report. Retrieved: 19 November 2012
  2. Flight International, 3–9 October 2006
  3. Peruvian Navy buys surplus Dutch F50s Retrieved on 19 September 2014.
  4. 1 2 3 EASA Type Certificate
  5. "World Airliner Census". Flight International: 37–59. 18 August 2009.
  6. https://www.planespotters.net/production-list/Fokker/F50/F50
  7. "Mainpage Services - Fokker". fokkerservices.com. Retrieved 28 February 2015.
  8. BH Airlines at rzjets.com, retrieved 13-12-2014
  9. Accident description for 9M-MGH at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 15 September 2013.
  10. "Breaking: Four feared dead as cargo plane crashes at Utawala near GSU training school". The Star. Retrieved 28 February 2015.
  11. 4 killed as cargo plane crashes in Nairobi
  12. airlines.net
Other sources

External links

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