Country of origin:

The Netherlands

Description:

Commercial airliner

Power Plant:

Two 1,678 kw (2,250 shp) Rolls Royce Dart RDa7 Mk 532-7 turboprops

Specifications:

History:

Following the huge success of the Friendship series, Fokker moved to produce a number of variants to meet customer requirements. The Mk 400, the first of which was flown on 6 October 1961, was the Mk 300 with Dart 528 engines, which was aimed primarily at the market for military purchasers, and the specific military version known as the F-27M Troopship, the prototype of which flew on 24 April 1965. It was derived from the Series 200 but kept the cargo door from the Series 300. It had a seating capacity of 48 in passenger configuration and in the military Troopship variant could carry 48 paratroops or 24 stretchers, or alternatively 6,040 kg (13,300 lb) of freight. The Series 300 had only been in production for a year from 1960.

The prototype Series 500 (PH-FLM), of which 112 were built, first flew on 15 November 1967. This model had the fuselage lengthened by 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in), 90 cm (36 in) in front of the wing and 60 cm (24 in) behind the wing. The F-27-500C was a combi variant and first flew on 8 August 1974; and the F-27-500F was built for Ansett Airlines, being fitted with a small front crew door in lieu of the large cargo door and having an extra row of windows. The fuselage stretch permitted a max total of 60 passengers but Australian aircraft were usually were fitted out to seat 58.

East West Airlines Series 500 aircraft were: VH-EWN (c/n 10434) received 12 September 1973 and disposed of as N271FA on 27 September 1983; VH-EWO (c/n 10341) received 3 October 1973 and disposed of as PT-LAL on 21 October 1973; VH-EWP (c/n 10534) received 6 September 1976 and disposed of in August 1989; VH-EWQ (c/n 10539) received 2 October 1976 and sold as PT-LAM on 31 January 1985; VH-EWR (c/n 10459) received 12 July 1977 and sold as 9Q-CBI on 5 March 1983; and VH-EWS (c/n 10425) received 2 March 1978 and sold as 9Q-CBU on 20 September 1983.

VH-EWT (c/n 10431) was received on 14 July 1978 and sold as N4560Z on 16 August 1983; VH-EWU (c/n10627) received 4 September 1983 and sold as G-JEAD on 14 November 1990; VH-EWV (c/n 10633) received 3 August 1983 and sold as G-JEAU to Jersey European on 27 December 1990; VH-EWW (c/n 10637) received 2 October 1983 and sold 27 December 1990 as G-JEAF; VH-EWX (c/n 10639) received 9 October 1983 and sold as G-JEAG on 14 November 1990; VH-EWY (c/n 10669) received 3 August 1984 and sold as G-JEAH on 9 September 1990; and VH-EWZ (c/n 10672) received 28 August 1984 and disposed of as G-JEAI.

Ansett Airlines operated one Series 400, this being VH-FNO (c/n 10304), which was received on 5 August 1966, being disposed of in February 1992. Ansett Series 500s were: VH-FCA (c/n 10522) received on 6 December 1975 and exported as N280MA on 16 December 1988; VH-FCB (c/n 10524) received on 23 January 1976 and exported in January 1988 as OB-1446; VH-FCC (c/n 10532) received on 18 June 1976 and disposed of as N282MA on 16 December 1988; VH-FCD (c/n 10533) received on 28 June 1976 and disposed of as OB-1443 on 20 November 1987; VH-FCE (c/n 10558) received on 29 June 1977 and disposed of to Air UK as G-BNCY on 19 November 1986; and VH-FCF (c/n 10560) received on 30 August 1977 and disposed of on 22 December 1988 as N284MA.

The Series 500 also saw extensive service in New Zealand with National Airlines Corporation, later Air New Zealand, and examples registered have included: ZK-NAN (c/n 10365 – ex PH-FMM) received in July 1973 and later used by Air Post, being withdrawn from service in September 2003, the fuselage being stored at Woodbourne; ZK-NAO (c/n 10364 – ex 9V-BFK, 9M-APP, PJ-FRE, PJ-ALB, PH-FML) also later saw seeing with Air Post; ZK-POH (c/n 10680 – ex VT-NEH, PH-RFG, N244MA, PH-EXA) received in July 1998, later used by Air Post, and eventually registered to Airwork (NZ) Ltd of Papakura.

Airwork Holdings Ltd of Auckland, later Airwork Flight Operations Ltd from 8 January 2009, obtained two F-27 Friendship 500Fs from Air New Zealand in March 1992 (ZK-NAN and ZK-NAO) for a joint venture freight operation with New Zealand Post, known as Airpost Ltd and they regularly operated on weekdays at night carrying courier-type packages between Auckland, Palmerston North, Wellington, Woodbourne and Christchurch. ZK-NAN was damaged at Woodbourne on 27 February 2003 when the undercarriage collapsed and it was written off.

ZK-POH (c/n 10596) was obtained on 25 July 1998 and became ZK-PAX the following month. ZK-NAO was retired in August 2012, was dismantled and was used by fire fighting services. Subsequently the two survivors were stored at Auckland awaiting a buyer and remained in situ late in 2016.

In due course in 2017 these two F-27-500s were obtained by the Historic Aircraft Restoration Society (HARS) at Albion Park, NSW and were flown to Australia in 2018-2019.

The two aircraft became: VH-TQN³ ( c/n 10680 – ex ZK-POH, VT-NEH, PH-RFG, N244MA, PH-EXW) on 18 January 2018 but it did not arrive in Australia until mid year. It was later painted in the colour scheme in which F-27s were operated by Trans Australia Airlines. The second aircraft became VH-EWH6 (c/n 10596 – ex ZK-HB-ILJ, F-SEBJ, [F-GKEM], TR-LCQ, PH-FTX, CN-CDC, PH-FTX, N272SA, N334MV, PH-FTX, PH-EXM) ) and was painted in an East West Airlines colour scheme.

As there was a shortage of Rolls Royce Dart engines for these aircraft to keep them airworthy one was to be retired to the HARS annexe at Parkes for display and the other to Wagga Wagga, NSW where a proposed new annexe of the HARS Museum was to be formed. VH-EWH6 had its interior restored and both aircraft have been kept in taxiing condition.  In the meantime both aircraft have remained at Albion Park.