Flying the FK100 - Good, Bad and Ugly...

[bravo plt]

The F100

I flew it for USAir and it was one of the easiest jets to fly, flew like a 172. BUT..... it was very slow, very loud in the cockpit, the a/c packs where under the pilot and co-pilot seats hense the loud noise, and very hot in the summer. hense the nick name dutch oven. I'm furloughed now and would give anything to fly it again. I am now flying a citation bravo which is even slower, still hot in the cockpit (its like a greenhouse) but it does go high fl450 so we can get above alot of the weather.

 

[J3CubCapt]

Great Bird

I have to agree that the 100 was a great airplane to fly! I flew both the Right and Left seat for Midway out of Raleigh NC until our CEO put the company under Chp 11 and blamed it on Sept. 11.

Anyway I found the speed of the Fokker didn't really matter in the NE corridor because ATC would slow you anyway, and as some else said "you get paid by the hour".

Now operating the B737, I know that the ergonomics of the Fokker were really great. The Mode control panel was very well thought out as well as the FMA. You really knew exactly what the airplane was going to do at all times.

Very automated, but yet you could still turn everything off and FLY the plane too.

In the last days of Midway, We flew that last aircraft off to pasture in a formation flight out of Raleigh. I have a picture of the inflght formation at www.usaviation.com under photos/commerical aviation/fokker

I really hate that the airplane has fallen off the radar screen. The problem when we operated them was that American really "Owned" the tooling and parts and could "SET" the price for anything. Now that everyone as dumped the plane, I would think that you could strike one hell of a deal with Fokker to operate it.

I think that there is some movment in that direction by a couple of ex-fokker drivers here in the states, should the business traveler return.

Anyway I see one around the system and everytime I see her I feel I would give anything" to fly the Fokker again.

Those are my thoughts
Take care guys....J3