Just when I think that I’ve finally grown up and that I have elevated myself to “sensible adult status”, along comes this Fokker 100 template and the realization that I’m still the same immature 12-year-old that I’ve been all along. I mean, I just can’t say the name “Fokker” without giggling hysterically as my mind goes to very immature (but hilarious) places. It’s not something I’m proud of, but it’s just the way that I am.
For those of you there who don’t speak English as your primary language, and you don’t quite understand what I’m talking about, it’s best that we keep it that way. Trying to explain why I like the word “Fokker” so much would probably end badly since I’m not mature enough to explain it in an eloquent way which wouldn’t have me censored by Google or something. I ‘m going to try my hardest to keep this as mature and professional as I can from here on out, because hey – this is a family-friendly blog after all and my goal is to scare as few people as possible!
Launched on April 3, 1988 with Swissair, the Fokker 100 (F-28-0100) is the evolution and replacement of the Fokker 28 – a small regional aircraft which was introduced way back in 1969 (and I’m still giggling hysterically every time I type that). By the end of its production in 1997, 283 airframes had been delivered, which solidifies the 100 as a significant aircraft in the world of commercial aviation.
Unfortunately, fierce competition in the regional jet space from other manufacturers such as Embraer and Bombardier put tremendous pressure on Fokker in the 1990s, and they found themselves not being able to compete with those newer, more technically advanced and fuel-efficient regional jets such as the ERJ-135 and CRJ-200. Fokker went out of business for good in 1997, and I can only imagine the embarrassment that the management team must’ve felt to realize that they had been defeated by a crappy little CRJ-200.
Those of you who follow my travel blog will know exactly how much I despise those little pieces of crap (as I described in the trip report for a recent SAN to LAX United Express flight), and it pains me to think that it was responsible for killing off one of history’s neatest little aircraft.
Side profile illustration of an all white Fokker 100 (F-28-0100) over a white background with and without the landing gear deployed
Technical side profile line drawing of a Fokker 100 (F-28-0100)
So what’s so neat about the Fokker 100 you might ask? The answer to that is probably different for everyone, but for me, it’s the exclusivity. I began traveling very frequently in 1997, and one of my very first flights was on an American Airlines Fokker 100 from Dayton Ohio (DAY) to Dallas Texas (DFW). At that time, I had no idea what a Fokker was since I was still an aviation newbie at that point, and all I really knew was Boeing and Airbus. And as much as I hate to admit this, the words “What the Fockk?” were indeed what came out of my mouth when I stepped onboard that flight and sat down.
The F100 was never very popular here in the US (compared to Boeing and Airbus at least), but they weren’t a complete rarity since American Airlines, Midway, and US Airways all had sizable fleets of these things over the years. As I mentioned earlier, my only encounter with this aircraft was on American Airlines way back in 1997, and I remember exactly nothing from that experience other than the fact that we arrived at DFW 10 minutes early and we had to sit and wait for a gate open up.
And sorry, I can’t tell you about the really interesting AvGeek things – you know, such as how stable it felt, what it smelled like inside, and what color the fabric pattern was on the seats. All of that juicy info has been obliterated from my brain entirely, likely replaced by all of those silly and very immature jokes related to the name “Fokker” and how best to use it in a sentence at fun parties when you’re trying to impress the ladies.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy these side view templates as much as I enjoy saying “Fokker”. It was actually relatively easy to create compared to some of my other templates, and I’m happy that I was able to get it done a lot faster than I had originally planned.
As far as what’s next, well, I think it’s time that I finally get started on the McDonnell Douglas DC-8. Those of you who have been hanging out in the comments section of all my recent posts will know that there’s been a certain person who’s been requesting this one for months, and I feel bad for not doing it sooner. Sorry for making you wait so long (and thanks for being patient)! I’m going to get started on it very soon…
Norebbo
My name is Scott, and I started in the design industry over 20 years ago with a bachelors degree in Industrial Design from the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, MI. I have an extensive background in both 2D and 3D illustration, and these days, I spend a majority of my time creating aircraft templates and airliner art. I’m basically an airplane dork.
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