See how the Fokker 50 cockpit is arranged, from pilot instruments and engine gauges to the pedestal, overhead panel and common retrofits.
The Fokker 50 has a compact, two-pilot cockpit with a distinctly 1980s turboprop layout: duplicated flight instruments in front of each pilot, engine and system indications in the centre, flight-guidance controls on the glareshield, power and radio controls on the centre pedestal, and aircraft systems on the overhead panel.
For our Aviation & Real-World Flying reference, we would describe it as a hybrid cockpit rather than a modern glass flight deck. It combines electronic attitude and navigation displays with conventional instruments, physical switches and prominent engine gauges. The captain sits on the left and the first officer on the right; there is no flight engineer station.
What does the Fokker 50 flight deck look like?
Visually, the Fokker 50 flight deck is broad, grey and instrument-dense, with small CRT-era displays, round gauges, conventional control columns and a heavily labelled overhead panel. Its upright, multi-pane windscreen has substantial framing, while the low centre pedestal runs back between the pilots.
Each pilot has an attitude display and horizontal-situation or navigation display, surrounded by separate indications for airspeed, altitude and vertical speed. Aircraft retaining an original-style fit therefore look partly electronic but still considerably more analogue than newer turboprops with large integrated LCD screens.
Our FSX cockpit-interior package showing the panel, overhead and windscreen framing provides a useful visual reference. As with any simulator recreation, it should not be treated as proof of one universal real-aircraft configuration.
Where are the main Fokker 50 cockpit controls?
The layout separates flight instruments, shared engine information and aircraft-system controls into clearly defined working areas.
| Flight-deck area | Main equipment | What identifies it |
|---|---|---|
| Captain and first-officer panels | Attitude and navigation displays, airspeed, altitude, vertical-speed and related flight instruments | Two broadly mirrored instrument groups behind conventional control columns |
| Centre instrument panel | Engine parameters, system indications, warnings and standby information | Shared gauges and annunciators visible to both pilots |
| Glareshield | Flight-director, autopilot and selected heading or altitude controls | A narrow control strip above the main instruments |
| Centre pedestal | Power levers, condition levers, flap and trim controls, radios and navigation equipment | The lever quadrant and communications controls between the seats |
| Overhead panel | Electrical, fuel, hydraulic, pneumatic, pressurisation, anti-ice, lighting and engine-start controls | Rows of labelled switches and status lights above the pilots |
A common identification mistake is to call every lever on the central quadrant a throttle. The pair of power levers commands engine power, while the condition levers manage engine and propeller operating conditions. Exact markings and detents must be checked against the aircraft-specific documentation.
Is the Fokker 50 a glass cockpit?
The Fokker 50 has electronic flight instruments, but it is not a full glass cockpit in the modern sense. Its original-style installation uses relatively small electronic attitude and navigation presentations alongside separate gauges, warning lights and conventional switches.
This distinction matters when identifying cockpit photographs. A Fokker 50 panel containing electronic displays is not necessarily a later glass-cockpit conversion; electronic flight instruments formed part of the type's established flight-deck architecture. Conversely, a modern GPS or digital standby display may be an operator retrofit rather than original equipment.
Do all Fokker 50 cockpits look the same?
No. The underlying architecture remains recognisable, but individual aircraft can differ because of production configuration, operator requirements and avionics upgrades.
- Radio, transponder and navigation units may have been replaced.
- Some aircraft carry an FMS or GPS installation that others lack.
- Traffic, terrain-warning and weather-radar equipment can differ in presentation and control placement.
- Standby instruments and display units may be original, replaced or repositioned during refurbishment.
- Annunciator labels and minor switch arrangements may reflect operator-specific equipment.
This is why two genuine cockpit photographs can show different centre stacks without either being incorrect. The paired pilot stations, central engine indications, shared pedestal and overhead systems panel are more reliable recognition points than one particular radio or GPS unit.
How should a simulator panel match the real layout?
A convincing simulator panel should reproduce the cockpit's working zones before attempting to copy every individual avionics unit.
- Check the forward-panel structure. There should be a captain's instrument group, a first-officer group and shared engine or warning indications in the centre.
- Inspect the pedestal separately. A flat 2D view often hides the condition levers, flap control, trim equipment and aft radio section. This panel package with captain and first-officer views plus selectable navigation fits illustrates why different views are needed.
- Open the overhead view. Omitting it removes much of the Fokker 50's electrical, fuel, air, anti-ice and starting workflow.
- Identify retrofits. A floating GPS window or replacement navigation unit may be useful in the simulator, but it does not automatically represent the equipment fitted to every real Fokker 50.
Camera position also changes the apparent geometry. A captain's eye point emphasises the left instrument group and centre engine panel, whereas a wide virtual-cockpit view can make both pilot stations look like one continuous panel. Dedicated Fokker 50 flight-deck camera angles help expose the pedestal, main panel and surrounding interior from more representative positions.