FSX-SE (DA/F1) F70 twinjet - Final Curtain on Fokker Legacy...

[P_7878 6,555]

[Motivated by my previous post on Fokker-50 (who doesn't like a twin Turboprop...🙂...?), here I follow up on the Fokker Legacy by reverting to the (impressive) Fokker F70 twinjet, that I'd alluded to earlier. For ensuring the "safety" of my (virtual) flight operation (i.e. no CTD on my moderate system...🙂...), I did, today, a fresh installation of this (Flight1) F70 (and also opted for less than my optimal FSX/SE setting). Regarding this F1/DA F70/F100 package: I'm always curious and wish to know, at least, a few "names" behind any quality aircraft SIM. So, those of you (many here, I know) who own/fly/enjoy the (more) recent AS/DA CRJ (I do too), may like to note that this F70/F100 product was also designed by Digital Aviation (you may recall Alexander M. Metzger and team; Alexander is acknowledged in these F70/F100 manuals as the "Flight dynamic expert and extensive precise tester"...sounds good to me, especially the adjectives "extensive" and "precise" in the job-title, here...🙂....Further, here is what the manual states from the project-team leader (Florian Praxmarer ((then) a student pilot at Austrian Arrows) - "I did the complete programming work and a lot documentation stuff" - kudos for the well-written "English" SIM manuals..!). The project team included (RW) pilots: a F70/F100 Captain (from Austrian Arrows) and a First Officer (from Belgian Jetairfly - now TUI fly). The effort amazingly spread across 7 countries (Austria/Switzerland/Germany/Mexico/Mexico/Brazil/Belgium...!). Was there even active and reliable (global) internet those days....for such global co-ordination? Anyway, one could expect a (near-perfect) SIM product for sure...which, indeed, it was/is, an aircraft SIM that could be considered a Pioneer, for such early (~FS9) era, same as e.g. the LVLD B767...(long before we got spoiled by the onslaught of numerous excellent SIM aircraft, so, we didn't know which one to pick...🙂...!)

Instant appeal of any SIM starts with good documentation, and this SIM excels in it. The front cover, itself, of the manuals, with the picture of a (respectful and amiable) exchange of (paperwork?) between the Capt and FO (see screenshot), tells you, this will be good stuff...! There are five (detailed) manuals including (complexity-graded) tutorial documents...(I've been barely able to tackle the contents of the first one, so far). It's stated, "This tutorial (3) uses about 30% of all systems aboard."...Oh well...in that case, I have used <30% of the SIM's capabilities (no Cold & Dark yet), on my first try, today...(and, that's what my screenshots, below, are based on). Due (entirely) to my (own) pilot incompetence, notably, I could not get the [PROF] (aka: [VNAV]) to (properly) work ([NAV] (aka: [LNAV] worked perfectly). I will have to read/work further on it...

Just as F27 Friendship Prop had led to F50, in terms of evolution, F28 Fellowship Jet led to F70/F100. Please note that between the duo (F70/F100) twinjets, a bit unusually, the (smaller) F70 followed the (larger) F100 (i.e. F70 did not lead to F100, but F70, came as an afterthought, introduced 6-7 years after the F100). F70's introduction (October 1994) was unfortunately ill-timed because Fokker company would file for bankruptcy less than 2 years later in March 1996. A total of only 47 F70 units were built. Nonetheless, inheriting the (same) advanced avionics package and digital (glass) flightdeck of F100, F70 was well-equipped with (Flight Management System, electronic flight instruments, autothrottle management, and CAT III (ILS) autoland etc.) - all of which are expertly replicated, in the SIM (of course, a non-pilot, speaking, here), and it all looks/feels so refreshingly different from "A-" and "B-" aircraft...🙂...(purely, from a simmer's perspective)....sure, wish for this SIM to return to us, even better (and with a [VC])...!!

We recall that Anthony Fokker (founder of Fokker Company) was Dutch, and, it's, therefore, no surprise, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines was the last to operate the Fokker 70. The last F70 was delivered to KLM in April 1997, when the Fokker production line closed. KLM's final Fokker flight occurred, 3 years ago, on October 28, 2017, when its last Fokker 70, from London, touched down for the last time, at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. It's also worthy of note that KLM, founded on October 5, 1919, holds the honor of being the oldest airline in the world still operating under its original name (now as part of the Air France–KLM group). And, it's ironic that the first aircraft, factory-delivered to KLM, in August 1920 (a century ago, from today), were two Fokker F.II aircraft.

[As a fan of aviation, you might enjoy this (one of many) short (1m:49s) farewell (video) tribute to the F70 (please search for "A fond farewell to Fokker" and look for this short clip with this Title). I especially liked the actors/pilots(?) and the momentary shots of the outside check (walk around).]

For this post, I've chosen to show-case the (less-seen-around-here) MALÉV Hungarian Airlines, the (one-time) flag carrier of Hungary, that had existed and operated for nearly 75 years (ceased 2012) - most of its life spent as a Soviet-bloc carrier. Those of us, here, who are fans of Ukrainian Iron, would surely recall the Tu-134/Tu-154s of MALÉV Airlines (they would later modernize to western aircraft such as Boeing/Bombardier aircraft). Anyway, hope you enjoy these (MALÉV) pictures, below, of the Fokker 70 twinjet (a plane now left to be seen only in our virtual world), flying, here, ~200 miles, across a stretch of cold and icy Alaskan terrain (and glaciers) - from PAJN (Juneau) to Yakutat (PAYA) - PAYA airport I'd featured in my previous post too.

Thanks for your interest and Good weekend...!!

[DA/F1(Fokker70), Orbx(SAK/PAYA), REX]

Edited November 21, 2020 by P_7878

[HighBypass 2,339]

It harks back to the days when the instruction manuals and documentation were king.  Paper manuals I mean.

Not a bad 2D panel. I presume there's a full complement of pop-ups?

I note the clamshell airbrake at the rear of the fuselage; reminiscent of two aircraft in my virtual hangar - the Handley Page Victor and the BAe146/RJ 

[bernd1151 5,836]

Great set of pics and post, P_7878. I didn't own the DA Fokker, but their Do 27 (which I really loved to fly) and the Cheyenne. A friend of mine, who had many hours in rl on the Cheyenne, once said to me: if you can fly the DA Cheyenne, you can also fly the real thing 🙂

[P_7878 6,555]

16 hours ago, HighBypass said:

It harks back to the days when the instruction manuals and documentation were king.  Paper manuals I mean.

Not a bad 2D panel. I presume there's a full complement of pop-ups?

I note the clamshell airbrake at the rear of the fuselage; reminiscent of two aircraft in my virtual hangar - the Handley Page Victor and the BAe146/RJ 

Mark: Thanks for the comments and inquiry...!!

Regarding Paper Manuals...🙂...(surely not good for Mother Earth)...I recall when I used to buy those DVD Boxed SIMs...they used to have tiny Booklets called "Pilot Notes"....but, you're probably referring to real "thick" and voluminous paper manuals...🙂..

Regarding Panels, here, yes, it has authentic set of full (2D) Pop-ups (I've shown a few above: Middle Pedestal (of 3 pedestal Pop-ups), FMC, Radio etc...)). BTW, these folks had added invisible click-areas (which, when, you move your mouse, turns lightly colored, and then can be clicked open, was novel to me)...some developers used that kind of user-interface later on... as far as I can recall. The Pop-Ups, I believe, are also tailored to Captain and F/O Modes of operation...have not tried F/O...(nice call-outs, too)...

And, you're right, this (Fokker) has Air Brakes (Called "Speed Brake" in the manuals) in the Tail Section, that looks like those on the BAe-146/RJ.

I quoted from the manual, for your curiosity:

"SPEED BRAKE is operated by the speed brake lever on pedestal. Speed brake can be used in flight to decelerate the aircraft in descent. Speed brake can also be used to be extended during a complete ILS approach to force the engines running at higher RPM to make them more reactive on gusts."

 

25 minutes ago, bernd1151 said:

Great set of pics and post, P_7878. I didn't own the DA Fokker, but their Do 27 (which I really loved to fly) and the Cheyenne. A friend of mine, who had many hours in rl on the Cheyenne, once said to me: if you can fly the DA Cheyenne, you can also fly the real thing 🙂

Appreciated, Bernd.

Agree, the DA folks have been creating marvelous (SIM) stuff...(still they do)...

I did not know that DA Piper Cheyenne was so highly regarded by RW Pilots (good to know)...I have the AS/DA Cheyenne...will see if I can make a post out of it, may appear a bit dated compared to your shiny new MSFS stuff...🙂, but might be good fun (at least to myself)...I think...

[HighBypass 2,339]

8 minutes ago, P_7878 said:

Speed brake can also be used to be extended during a complete ILS approach to force the engines running at higher RPM to make them more reactive on gusts."

Interesting!

This has parallels to an argument way back about when a VC10 did a low pass over an airshow. Some people were of the opinion that it was far too risky (anytime a plane is close to mother Earth there is an increase in risk anyway.. ). If something went wrong then you would have to factor in the amount of time taken for the engines to spool back up to producing meaningful amounts of power. The counterpoint was that with the amount of flaps used, then the power setting was already very high and thus within a more responsive range of power delivery. Just like the Fokker in a way. 

In addition I once read in an article about the Red Arrows that aerobatic teams use the airbrake in a similar manner rather than having to jockey the throttle around and trying to cope with the lag that entails when trying to maintain station.. 

[P_7878 6,555]

Mark: Interesting details about trade-offs between "engine-power" vs. "braking-power" in such unusual scenarios...!

BTW, I read that Fokker 70 (and possibly F100 too) is/was approved for London City Airport. Airbrakes on the Fokker 70's tail section – similar to that found on the BAe 146 / Avro – allows it to conform with the 5.5° glide slope required for (steep) approaches to London City Airport.

Excluding Props and Private Jets, I noted the following commercial Jets (not exhaustive list) certified for operations into this Airport. Note Fokker 70.

Airbus A318/A220
BAe 146/Avro RJ
Embraer 135/170/190
Fokker 70
Etc.

[edetroit 933]

Lovely set, great post!😍

 The DA Fokker .... I have never flown it. I just didn't like the 2D main panel. You have made me think about it again.🤓

[P_7878 6,555]

9 hours ago, edetroit said:

Lovely set, great post!😍

 The DA Fokker .... I have never flown it. I just didn't like the 2D main panel. You have made me think about it again.🤓

Ed: Thanks for the compliments...!!

Now about this DA Fokker SIM...I'm sure it must have caught your attention during FS9 days...(I'd bought it first time on FSX). Agree, lack of [VC] was a turn-off for some folks, btw, Ed, I clearly recall, in those early days, folks insisting on a [2D] main panel (for one or more reasons), when [VC] became the norm, with developers, proudly proclaiming, "This does not have a [2D] panel..." Oh well...[I recall the horror myself...🙂...of "gingerly" clicking the [F10] key, only to be greeted by the open Runway...]

But, as a desktop Fokker-Jet simulation (or even as an aircraft simulation, in general), this SIM was a trend-setter, for sure...

Regarding, "making you think about it again...", yes, Ed, you should, occasionally, try being not a "perfectionist"....🙂...I've had my share of "perfectionism" in life, but, around here, as long as I enjoy it or it adds to my knowledge...anything I (gladly) accept...🙂...

You can probably spruce-up the [2D] a bit, for yourself, using the FS9 version of it, I suppose...not sure...

[edetroit 933]

8 hours ago, P_7878 said:

 

You can probably spruce-up the [2D] a bit, for yourself, using the FS9 version of it, I suppose...not sure...

Indeed. It is not the fact that the panel is 2D...far from it.

I'm thinking I may be able to make the main panel view far more realistic.🤔