Starting early in 1989, USAir will be taking delivery of as many as 40 of the new, highly sophisticated, 107-seat Fokker 100 jets, built in a plant on the edge of Amsterdam`s Schipol Airport.

What motivates USAir, an airline in the heartland of America serving 100 cities in the U.S. and Canada, to buy 20 medium-sized jets and take options on 20 more from a European manufacturer 3,500 mi… ...

”Fokker was the first one to do that,” said David Shipley, a spokesman for USAir. ”They came to us with the Fokker 100 and we liked what we saw. It`s very fuel-efficient and very durable.” ...

It follows the grounding of US Airways' entire fleet of 40 Fokker 100s earlier this year, and news last month that American Airlines is accelerating the retirement of its 74-strong fleet.

Cathy Strickland:aufile. Fred Johnson:aufile. A USAir Fokker 100 jet that lost a left inside wheel on takeoff Thursday morning at Raleigh-Durham International landed safely in Charlotte.