If you’ve been checking in with the blog over the past couple of months you’ll know we’re big fans of the Fokker 50. Lucky for us the Dutch turboprop, which has been out of production for years, is still flying around Sweden regularly. Otherwise you can find the plane only in certain pockets around the world, including Australia and East Africa.
Because we like the plane so much we went and spent some time with the airline that operates it here in Sweden: Amapola Flyg. You can find the blog post here and watch the flight we took with the F50 up to Hemavan in the north of Sweden here. Well, now we’ve built upon that….. with a second video. This time, we have exclusive access to the rarely-seen Fokker 50 maintenance facility in Malmö.
As you’ll see, it’s not only pilots (and us) that love the Fokker 50. Even the mechanics have a soft spot for it. And considering the Swedish penchant for understatement, when someone calls the aircraft “marvelous” you know it’s something very special indeed.
In fact that may be the most fascinating aspect of all of this. Every single person that comes in contact with the Fokker 50 seems to come away somehow enchanted. And for different reasons, no doubt. But there is something special about the plane – there’s no arguing that.
Someone at the maintenance facility mentioned that they think the Fokker 50’s service life could be expanded even further by sticking electric engines on to them. What a brilliant idea. Though no one that we’re aware of is pursuing this in earnest yet, it’s something we (and many others no doubt) would love to see.
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