You might know this plane, especially since the Philippine Air Force uses it too—the Fokker F28 Fellowship. After the commercial success of the Fokker F27 Friendship, a turboprop regional airliner, Fokker decided to create a new turbojet commuter plane. They used their experience with the F27 as a guide. While designing it, they really listened to market research and what operators wanted. One big change was making the plane larger, increasing the max seating from 50 to 65 people. Fokker officially introduced the F28 Fellowship in April 1962.
Designed as a low-wing airliner with twin engines located on each side of the rear of the fuselage, it came with a T-tail and tricycle undercarriage.
Design and Features
The Fokker F28 was designed to be simple and versatile. It was slower than other jets but could service around 85% of the airfields that the F27 and Douglas DC3 could. Its design was similar to the early Douglas DC-9 and the BAC-111. The aircraft had a slight crescent angle of sweep on its low main wing and a simple flap system. The outboard ailerons worked in unison with the flaps when deployed.
To aid in braking, the F28 had lift dumpers or spoilers in five sections that could only be deployed on the ground. Reverse thrust was intentionally left out to keep the aircraft simple and to avoid kicking up debris on unprepared airstrips. The aircraft was fitted with antiskid brakes and larger low-pressure tires to operate more effectively on unprepared airstrips.
Unique Features for Versatility
Fokker designed the F28 to operate from unprepared airstrips. The aircraft was fitted with antiskid brakes and larger low-pressure tires to make it more effective on such airstrips. Reverse thrust was considered unsuitable for these conditions due to the risk of damaging debris being thrown up into the aircraft. Leading-edge slats were also not a feature on the main wing of the F28, again to maintain the simplicity of the aircraft. De-icing was achieved by using bleed air from the engines.
A unique feature added to the F28 was the hydraulically operated tail air brake. This feature consisted of the two halves of the tail cone opening up to increase drag. Unlike the lift dumpers on the wing, this braking system could be used in flight. It enabled the F28 to descend from its optimal cruise altitudes to lower altitudes more quickly. It also allowed the F28 to keep its engines running at a higher rate during critical phases of flight, like an approach to an airfield, reducing any lag time in the engines spooling up should power suddenly be required in the case of a go-round.
Variants
Over the years, Fokker introduced several variants of the F28, including the F28-2000, a stretched version of the F28-1000. The most successful variant was the F28-4000, which had a larger wingspan, more powerful engines, and could carry 85 passengers. Production ran from 1967 to 1987, with 241 airframes produced. The F28 was eventually succeeded by the Fokker F100 and F70.
| Fokker F28 | -1000 | -2000 | -3000 | -4000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Passengers | 65 | 79 | 65 | 85 |
| Cabin Width | 3.1m | 3.1m | 3.1m | 3.1m |
| Aircraft Length | 27.4m | 29.6m | 27.4m | 29.6m |
| Tail Height | 8.47m | 8.47m | 8.47m | 8.47m |
| Main Wing Span | 23.6m | 23.6m | 25.7m | 25.7m |
| Empty Weight | 16,144 kg | 16,707 kg | 16,846 kg | 17,611 kg |
| MTOW | 65,000 lb | 65,000 lb | 73,000 lb | 73,000 lb |
| Maximum Payload | 8,629 kg | 7,976 kg | 8,620 kg | 10,556 kg |
| Takeoff Dist. (MTOW) | 1,676 m | 1,676 m | 1,676 m | 1,676 m |
| Landing Distance | 1,079 m | 1,079 m | 967 m | 1,065 m |
| Engines x 2 | Rolls-Royce Spey Mk 555-15 | Rolls-Royce Spey Mk 555-15 | Rolls-Royce Spey Mk 555-15H | Rolls-Royce Spey Mk 555-15H |
| Engine Thrust x 2 | 9,850 lbf | 9,850 lbf | 9,850 lbf | 9,850 lbf |
| Speed | 527mph, 848kph | 527mph, 848kph | 502mph, 808kph | 502mph, 808kph |
| Service Ceiling | 35,000 feet | 35,000 feet | 35,000 feet | 35,000 feet |
| Range | 1,705km | 1,705km | 2,872km | 1,668km |
Production and Development
The Fokker F28 was a collaborative effort involving Fokker, West German companies Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm (MBB) and VFW-Fokker, and Northern Ireland company Short Brothers. Fokker was responsible for the nose section, center fuselage, and inner wing. MBB/Fokker VWF took care of the forward fuselage, rear fuselage, and tail assembly, while Shorts worked on the outer wings. The final assembly took place at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport.
Fokker announced the new F28 in April 1962 after extensive market research, including feedback from North American customers. The first flight of the F28-1000 prototype took place on May 9, 1967, and the West German certification was granted on February 24, 1969. The first commercial flight was flown by Swedish carrier Braathens SAFE on March 28, 1969.
Fairchild Aircraft of the U.S.A. also attempted to develop the Fairchild 228 based on the F28 for the U.S. market, but the program was terminated due to certification delays and performance uncertainties around the Rolls Royce Trent RB203 engine.
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