Ansett/TAA Fokker Friendship
 

When did Ansett/TAA operate the F-27 on the centre run?

Did TAA operate the F-27 out to Ayers Rock from Alice Springs?

The reason for asking, Airfix have released a model of a TAA Friendship and the picture on the box shows it flying over Ayers Rock.

Was TAA the only airline to fly the Royal Mail or was that shared between all airlines?

Ansett/TAA F27
 

Both Ansett and TAA operated F27's Asp-Ayq.
F27 also operated Asp-Tennant creek-Katherine-Darwin and reverse. Aircraft were based at Alice.
Royal mail was contracted an both airlines held the contract at various times.

I beg to differ. The airstrip at Ayers Rock was a gravel strip near the north side of the rock. Still just visible from the air today. F27's did not operate into there. It was Connellan Herons in those days. Accommodation was basic, with a few motels nearby, in an area used by the aboriginal community today.

The photo was probably a publicity shot.

The F27's did the Alice/ tennant creek/ tindal/ darwin run daily. Before the Indonesians took over East Timor, TAA also ran a service from Darwin to Bacau on behalf of a Portuguese airline, a couple of times per week. For Melbourne based F27 crew it was a good few days away from home. A good trip for social activities.

Going back a little earlier, circa 1970, TAA also operated the F27 from Adelaide/ Leigh Creek/ Oodnadata /Alice to connect with the northbound sectors to Darwin.

Ah. Progressive loadsheets, nosewheel roulette, fantastic nights at the T'Lodge, days at Berry Springs, and an esky full of Barra to take home.

I'm getting all misty.

Maui

Me misty too.

Entered Australia 1 March 1967 on the F27 out of Baucau. First real steak for six months, and the hostess offered me a second one!

Couple of years later out of Blackall in summer time. Pilot was sitting on a box in the shade of the wing asking people what they weighed. My wife added a couple of stone and said as we boarded "Those women in front lied". I think we cleared the three strand fence because the main gear had just started to retract.

Zube,

I beg to differ with you. Ansett opertated twice daily F27's from ASP to AYQ, with 1 return often being cancelled due to lack of numbers.

I know because I cabin crewed plenty of them as well as quite a few "track trips" to DRW via Tennant creek and Katherine. Have the slides tucked away somewhere to prove it. We often operated them in the old "egg and lettuce sandwich" Airlines of NT livery F27.

I started in 1980. Can't tell you when they ceased, but they were bloody good 5 and 6 days trips.

Sorry old chap. My connection was with TAA, a little earlier than your description. Ansett did have a big presence in the N.T.

Many fond memories of the track trips, even swapping "hosties" on a couple of sectors.

Geez life got sterile later on in the career.

My track trips were in the mid-70s and they were prized by the Melbourne F27 pilot group. Always with the Adelaide girls so it tended to be one big family event for the week.

- the Travelodge in DRW gave all crews the one floor, as I recall, to minimise nuisance to the real, paying guests - the memory recalls one night involving wet towels in the doors and a spurious fire alarm going off - pity the folk inside didn't realise the chap banging on the door was senior hotel management and not the crew over the corridor.

- picnics at Berry Springs

- late night BBQs out the Chasm - provided you spun a good enough yarn

- very seedy, hungover crews on occasion

- the oft-reported close shaves from time to time

- the occasional frantic early morning runaround trying to remember just which room your bags, sheets, towels, etc., might have been relocated to unbeknownst to you whilst you were sound asleep in the arms of Bacchus the previous night

- joining in with the Jet crew parties back when crewing regularly would loose pilots and hosties for days at a time

- camel riding afternoons at the Alice

- trying to get up sufficient motivation actually to get onto the jet in ASP to go home, rather than negotiating for another week on the track.

need one go on ?


[priapism - some might observe that yours is a wonderfully appropriate codeword .. at least for some of the track trips.]

Associated Airlines (provider of corporate travel for BHP) operated a TAA F-27 on lease (VH-TFK) while awaiting delivery of their Gulfstream I - 1960. Could turn up anywhere.

The reason for the question, I thought Connellans airstrip stayed open until about 1978 and then new sealed strip opened.

TAA would have phased out the F-27 operations in about 1981/2?

When did Ansett replace the F-27 on the centre run with the F-28?

The legs would have been reasonably long for the F-27 and with holding fuel for Darwin would have been payload limited on the sectors.

They were, but they generally stopped at Katherine for fuel.

YouTube - Ansett Close Call - 1971

Talk about a close shave ?

Amazing,Puff. Does anyone know the full story?

Looks like either FNO or FNQ, abit hard to see with all the action going on. FNQ is now with the Queensland Air Museum. VH-MMO was the 'NT' aeroplane in that horrible green and yellow colour, if my memory is correct. A very pretty English girl use to do the marshalling at AYE and we would hold up 'rude pictures' against the windshield to stir her up. (you could do things like that once). I also remember a very senior chap swap uniforms with one of the female cabin crew, what a sight that was. Where has all the fun gone?

Can understand why that has only just surfaced. I was flying the F27 out of Mel in '71. Checked my log book and FNQ was around MEL in 71 but it appears FNO was not . If my memory serves me well, FNO was based in CNS at that time but not 100% sure.

Presume FNO/Q was on a non revenue or freighter flt as I'm sure if there were pax on board the incident could not have been kept quiet.

Expect there would have been a lot of underwear changing after that.

Wonder where the person got hold of the footage?

As a youngster, I used to love flying on the F27 as SLF. Loved sitting next to window and seeing the undercarriage being lowered, and then seeing the main wheels kiss the runway as it touches down. :)

I seem to remember always seeing a ground power unit being attached during engine start like in this photo. Did the F27's not have APU's?

No APU. A huge friggin' Murex plugged on the right side, belching smoke as the start load peaked. Out in the sticks, ships batteries, with care.

Wod,

I hope she had the decency to wait until you'd finished your steak! :}

Fairchild Hiller 27 did. None in OZ

Oooooo.... wait a minute..what was that operating out of CNS for Freeport?

Although I'd prefer it to be FNQ there is a small problem. FNQ was still wearing ANSETT-ANA livery until at least May 72. It was in fact the last F.27 to be painted in the ANSETT "Delta" livery.

Rgds