FSX-SE Air Berlin Fokker 100 twinjet near Bavarian Alps...

[P_7878 6,592]

In my previous post, I'd made a reference to Anthony Fokker, the Flying Dutchman, a most enigmatic and eccentric character in aviation history...Holder of 3 nationalities (Dutch, German, US), his brilliant contributions to the shaping of early aviation in all these countries is remarkable. In fact, it was a Fokker T-2 Transport (a Fokker F-IV) designed by Fokker, that made the first nonstop (transcontinental) flight, across the U.S., on May 2–3, 1923, from Long Island to San Diego, over 2,470 miles, in just under 27 hours. During the flight, the Pilots had to fly over unknown territory at night and through storms and rain for over half the flight. Fokker's T-2 stood up to its challenge and proved its worth as a rugged and reliable long-distance transporter (it was, by no means, a small plane, btw, been the largest Fokker aircraft up to that time...) ...Aside from all that, on a lighter note, I just happen to like the (curious and vintage) "Fokker" font displayed on the Fokker a/c logo....🙂... (see e.g., one picture of the lettering shown on an on-board manual cover, in one of the (Pedestal) shots below...) ...

I had earlier pointed out that Fokker-50 Turboprop was the last (passenger) propellor carrying the inventor's name (there was, though, one military/utility version Fokker-60 also created after the Fokker-50). However, the very last a/c built to carry the Fokker name and heritage, was the Fokker-70 twinjet. The (larger) Fokker-100, featured in this post, flew 7 years before the -70. These beautiful and powerful (twinjet) classics, a nostalgic reminder of the Final curtain on the Dutch aviation era, favorites of mine too, flew a decade before the Regional Jets of today (CRJs/ERJs) came into existence and gained popularity. These Fokker a/c were (pioneering) niche-market fillers, truly ahead of the times, equipped with modern avionics (see cockpit shots below) ...their Flight Management System, remarkably complex and advanced for a RJ, capable of managing lateral navigation (NAV), vertical navigation (PROF), and Authotrottle System (ATS) etc., see Glareshield/MCP shots below...However, for one or more reasons, these jets failed to succeed later in the emerging (and competitive) marketplace...

Now, regarding the majestic Alps Range, we know these mountains are mostly dominant in two countries...Austria and Switzerland...But, of course, the Alps range also extends into other nearby countries, notably France, Germany and Italy. For example, Mont Blanc, the highest peak in the Alps and in Europe, with a height of 15,774 ft above sea level, is located, with its (so-called) "massif" spanning the French-Italian border and even reaching into Switzerland. The Bavarian Alps, the subject of this post, refers to the part of the Eastern Alps that lies on Bavarian state territory (mostly the southeastern portion of Germany). Here, I've lifted off, in breaking daylight, with my Fokker 100, in one of the classic colors of Air Berlin, from Stuttgart (EDDS) on my way to Munich (EDDM), a very short distance away, in fact, as-the-crow-flies, of only ~140 miles, but, here, for a bit of sightseeing, at my (Pilot's) discretion, I've diverted further south, direct-to KPT (VOR), (towards the Bavarian Alps Mountains), see 3 screenshots below, following a fictitious FLIGHTPLAN uploaded into the a/c FMS, as [EDDS -> KPT (VOR) -> MAH (VOR) -> EDDM] (see the FMS page, and also the Sim Brief MAP for visualization of my short flight w.r.t. the surrounding Alps countries).

Hope you enjoy this collection of pictures of this Classic (and rarely seen) Dutch Beauty....in the color of (bygone) Air Berlin, an airline that ceased operations 5 years ago, after 40 years of continued service (one time, at its peak, right behind Lufthansa as the 2nd largest carrier in Germany) ......you might've noticed the Air Berlin 737s occasionally flying around the (virtual) MSFS skies here...🙂...Air Berlin had also operated 18 Fokker 100s between (2004-2010). BTW, here is an enjoyable (2m:25s) video clip of a Fokker 100, gracefully but powerfully blasting off and up from the runway...What struck me most in this video, are the (friendly) Pilots waving to the plane spotters on the ground (avgeeks...like us...🙂...I guess...) ...at timestamp (0m:40 - 0m:50s) .... For the video, please search for "Beautiful Fokker 100 Take-Off at Bern - coolest Pilots EVER!!"...

Thanks for your interest...!!

[DA (Fokker 100), Orbx (Germany South)]

[Alaska738 8,403]

Nice set of shots! 😉 

[johnbow72 2,722]

Terrific set of shots Sir !! .

[pmplayer 9,443]

Very fine set, like the Fokker !

cheers 😉

[P_7878 6,592]

pmplayer, Alaska, johnb: Much appreciated the comments...Cheers...!!