Lord Howe Island was planned as being suitable for the DHC8. The F27 was never mentioned for Lord Howe. (The F27 did operate to Norfolk Island with a reduced payload and addit fuel) At one time Sir Peter ordered a DHC8-200 at the request of Neville Wran and John Raby of Ansett was appointed project pilot much to the disgust of the Air NSW pilots who complained bitterley to the AFAP. The order was subsequently cancelled.
A factory DHC8-200 demonstrator was showed off to Ansett at Essendon
and the type mooted as a replacement for the F27.
Some pilots in A/NSW flew both the F27 and the Shorts.
Towards the end of the Shorts operation the Ansett seniority list included
all the subsidiary airlines.