Photograph:
Fokker F-27-600QC Friendship VH-TQO (c/n 10386) at Canberra, ACT in October 1978 (David C Eyre)
Country of origin:
The Netherlands
Description:
Commercial airliner
Power Plant:
Two 1,597 kw (2,140 shp) Rolls Royce Dart Rda7 Mk 532-7R turboprops
Specifications:
- Wingspan: 29 m (95 ft 2 in)
- Length: 23.56 m (77 ft)
- Height: 8.59 m (28 ft)
- Wing area: 70 m² (754 sq ft)
- Max cruising speed: 486 km/h (302 mph)
- Max cruising altitude: 8,992 m (29,500 ft)
- Take-off roll: 990 m (3,248 ft)
- Landing field length: 963 m (3,159 ft)
- Range with 44 passengers: 1,950 km (1,212 miles)
- Max take-off weight: 20,412 kg (45,000 lb)
- Max landing weight: 19,050 kg (41,997 lb)
History:
During production the Fokker F-27 series continued to be developed to meet customer requirements. The Mk 600 was the Mk 400 with Dart Rda8 engines, the large freight door, but without the all-metal, watertight, freight floor of the Mks 300 and 400. 218 examples of the Mk 400 and Mk 600 were built.
The Mk 700 was the Mk 100 converted with the large cargo door taken from the Fokker Troopship and was released in December 1969. Only one was built, described as a F-27-723, which became VH-TFH (c/n 10176 – ex PH-FCP, LN-SUG, PH-FCP) on 11 January 1970 on lease to Trans Australia Airlines (TAA), later becoming VH-JCC. It is interesting the registration VH-TFH had been previously allotted to F-27-100 (c/n 10127 – ex PH-FAX) but this aircraft went to East West Airlines as VH-EWA.
Australian-registered F-27-600 Series aircraft were operated by Ansett Airlines and included: VH-FNQ (c/n 10315) delivered on 29 December 1966 and sold to New Zealand on 26 November 1990 where it became ZK-RTA; VH-FNR (c/n 10317 – ex PH-FKM) received on 17 January 1967 and disposed of to Canada on 5 August 1988 as C-GBWC; VH-FNS c/n 10318 – ex PH-FKN) received on 26 January 1967 and was disposed of on 30 July 1977 to Germany as D-ADEP; VH-FNT (c/n 10322 – ex PK-FKS) received on 9 March 1967 and disposed of on 6 August 1987 as C-FAFE; and VH-FNU (c/n 10334 – ex PH-FLE, F-BOOD, PH-EXC, F-BOOD) received on 5 August 1970 and disposed of to the United Kingdom on 22 August 1986 as G-BNAL.
One F-27-600 ZK-RTA (ex VH-FNQ) was delivered to New Zealand for Tranzair and was painted in the markings of Rex Aviation, operating on behalf of Ansett New Zealand, but after a period had little work and was later delivered to Independent Air Freights of Essendon, VIC operating from Perth, WA. In May 1996 it became VH-WAN ‘The West Australian’ and served the Perth – Port Hedland – Karratha – Paraburdoo – Perth route. In April 2001 it was leased to AirCruising Australia and at times operated freight services. It was retired at Tamworth, NSW and in 2008 was obtained by the Queensland Air Museum at Caloundra and placed on display. A second aircraft operated by AirCruising VH-JCC (c/n 10176 – ex VH-TFH) has remained in open storage at Tamworth.
An Australian company, Australian Aircraft Sales Ltd, in 1983 was described as the largest owner of Fokker Friendships on earth. This company over the years sold airliners for airlines, selling six ex-Air New Zealand F-27-100s to Tunisia, six ex-TAA F-27s, etc.