Fokker was founded in 1912 by Anton Fokker. It lasted until March 1996, when it was declared bankrupt and sold in parts. During its existence, dozens of models of civil and military aircraft have been designed and built. In the period from 1920 to 1930, the company was dominant among such enterprises.
F50 is a more successful version of Friendship
Fokker 50 is one of the representatives of the family of civil airliners. The beginning of its creation was laid in 1983, at the same time the first projector developments were published. The model became the successor of the successful F27 Friendship, which at that time had already been in operation for 25 years. It was expected that this would be just a modification of this liner, but the differences turned out to be significant. Therefore, the original version of the project name (F27-050) was revised. The plane received its own family number. And Friendship was discontinued on this one.
When developing their aircraft, the company focused on reliability and safety. Often this increased the cost of projects. All modelsshowed excellent wear resistance. The new Fokker Model 50 received a turboprop engine, which made it possible to gain greater fuel efficiency. The design of the propellers helped to reduce noise during flight.
The Fokker 50 made its first flight on 1985-28-12. Serial production began in 1987 and continued until 1996, when the company went bankrupt. During this time, more than two hundred Fokker 50s were produced. A photo of various variations is presented below in the article. A total of 220 copies were released.
Fokker 50: basic performance
The basic version of the aircraft was equipped with a digital variation of the EDZ-806 avionic kit, manufactured in the USA by Honeywell. 4 displays contain all the necessary flight data. There are alarm sensors for breakdowns of various system nodes. The equipment diagnosing the equipment is installed. The diameter of propellers with 6 blades is 3.66 m.
| Dimensions (in meters): | |
| length | 25, 24 |
| wingspan | 29, 0 |
| wing area | 70, 0 |
| height | 8, 31 |
| maximum fuselage width | 2, 7 |
| Dimensions of the passenger compartment (in meters): | |
| length | 15, 96 |
| width (max) | 2, 5 |
| height (max) | 1, 96 |
| Number of places (per person): | |
| crew | 2 |
| passengers (depending on modification) | to 58 |
| Weight characteristics (in tons): | |
| mass of empty | 12, 52 |
| takeoff | 19, 95 |
| out of fuel | 18, 3 |
| Loads (in tons): | |
| carrying capacity | 5, 67 |
Various modifications of the Fokker 50
- 50-100 - version of the basic model of the aircraft, equipped with a PW125B engine and providing a 4-door cabin.
- 50-120 - a variation that has 3 of these doors.
- 50-300 - this version was supposed to be used in high mountainous areas or those with a hot climate. The PW127B engine was installed.
- 50-320 - differed from the 300th version by the number of doors in the cabin.
- 50-400 - a variation was only planned, but was never put into production. It was assumed that it will be designed for 68 seats. It was also supposed to have a significantly enlarged fuselage.
| Engine type | 2 TVD Pratt Whitney Canada PW125B (PW127B) |
| Power | 2 x 2500 (2750) l. s. |
| Cruising speed | 550 km/h |
| Flying range | 1120 km |
| Takeoff ceiling | 9, 8km |
| Six-blade propeller diameter | 3, 66 m |
| Noise levels (EPN dB): | |
| takeoff | 81 |
| on the side of the runway | 85 |
| boarding | 96 |
Excellent technical data, a high degree of reliability and safety - all these are the characteristics of the Fokker 50. The scheme of the cabin of the basic modification is presented in the article.
- Cabin width - 2.5 m.
- The number of seats depends on the modification.
Fokker these days
Despite the fact that the production of this model ceased more than 20 years ago, the use of aircraft should not be put an end to. They still serve man, carrying cargo and passengers.
During the entire existence of the model, there were 12 accidents and breakdowns. All cases were investigated in detail. In the course of inspections and analytical activities, in almost all such cases, the fault of the crew or aircraft maintenance personnel was established. No technical issues were found. The liners have shown a high proportion of wear resistance, reliability and safety.
Most examples are now operated by private individuals or small airlines on short haul domestic flights. Often there is a conversion completely for the carriage of goods.
In Russia, the use of these aircraft was considered as a worthy replacement for the An-24. The obstacle is the lack of certification.
In the CIS countries are widely used on many lines. For example, currently seen inAirAstana on the route Astana-Pavlodar-Astana.
