Keep the stories coming gentlemen.

When did the track trip finish?

I flew them 94-95, so I don't think you've got that right. Are you talking about Mainline operation? AirNSW eventually ceased to exist and by the time I was on them, which was up till they were moved on, we flew as AN, not AirNSW.

There were some good boys with ANSW, even the guys that commuted from MEL :}

Anyone care to comment on the F-28 Fellowship or is that politically incorrect?? And Oh my God there were some serious politics associated with that aircraft.... ("East Coast po*$tas" is a quote that comes to mind)

b.

Capt Casper,

You are right, the gust lock incident did in fact happen to Capt Ian Strother. I am a very close friend of Ian's and he is certainly alive and kicking pretty well.

We have shared and continue to share many aviation stories. We have also done a reasonable amount of flying together, from which I have learnt a great deal.


Ash767:ok:

ANSW did an F27 SYD - HOBART
ANSETT camaraderie? bullsh!t Some rotten bugger pinched me gloves out of the cockpit midwinter.

tinnie, when was the ANSW SY - HB?

I can recall the EWA flights on that route as occasionally I helped out the contractors who turned it around in HB. The only reason they could do that flight then was that neither the protected two, i.e. Ansett and TAA, were flying that route.

About '86 I recall droning on down there Cant say when because I...er...forgot to fill me log in from '85...:\
Was it a special ya think?
Their was a 733 on the tarmac at HB with a birdstrike...in #2

Ansett and the Fokker Friendship FK27
 

This is an interesting thread. Does anyone have any photos of any of the Ansett or TAA FK27s operating especially at inland aerodromes ?

When did Airlines of South Australia stop operating?

Remember the good old days when TAA did the western QLD routes in the Fokker F-27 and then some brain box decided to replace it with the Austin 1800, sorry the Jetsream 31 and the Cherokee 6 following with the luggage. Must have been a cushy job for the crews on Fokker wages flying the Jetstream!!!!

At one stage Ansett-ANA operated the F-27, Melbourne -King Island -Smithton-Launceston-Flinders Island-Launceston-Wynyard-King Island-Melbourne. Would have been a big day out for the crew with a combination of NDB approaches, VAR letdowns and in those days Smithton was a no aid aerodrome. The former OIC at King Island flight service knew most of the crew on a first name basis, as the service operated five days a week until the mid 1970's.

A former TAA work mate reckons that that both TAA and Ansett couldn't make any money operating the F-27's due to the types high operating cost.

What did TAA and Ansett do for endorsements on the F-27, take an aircraft off line for a few weeks?

Didn't some endorsements get in New Zealand at sometime?


Sorry ocker the Fokkers chockers!!

Hey Tinnie.....whats with the gloves. Surely your not admitting that you wore them while flying!

Only ever saw someone wearing silk gloves in 26 yrs with AN...he was a senior ex RN WW2 guy.

Emeritus:rolleyes:

Remember Ansett NSW operating a F28 service parallel to EW Sydney Devonport Hobart. Also operated the F28 Devonport Melbourne which reduced EW's load factor considerably.

I was told many years ago that the method used to retire the F27, from TaaTaas at least, was a directive from on high that any work done that couldn't be charged against a particular airframe, eg, cleaning, miscelaneous tyre work, battery work, etc. was to be charged to the F27 fleet.

After a year, "OMG look what these F27's are costing us, we'd better get rid of them".

CharlieLimaX-Ray

The last ASA flight was in June 1986 to Whyalla.

The F27 Tas Islands Run was mainly AN179/166/165/180. During school holidays there was a double run to FLS from LST. On these days there was a crew change in LST.

The service to SIO was once a week only. Sats southbound, Wed northbound and without a navaid at SIO. (The Radar Map mode came in very handy some days locating the Duck River) The crew would call WNY (now BWT) on HF and WNY would reply on the WNY NDB 302Khz (same freq as BNE).

Tha AN agent at SIO responded to the name - WOG

Interesting days.

Ps. An F27 landed and took off from RWY 24 ( 790 metres ) at KNS once in strong wind conditions.

They was me good leather motorbike gloves, not yer pussy Nomex :*

Missed approach from SIO, up to LSA, across to WY for a NDB (no VOR in those days), visual coastal at 500' back to SIO, line up on the Duck River and straight in on RW24, hoping the local operators C180 was in the hangar!

How long did the western QLD routes last using the J31?

Looking through the F-27 site posted earlier on, it mentions that TAA crewed the DCA Fokkers up until 1978, why was that? Would have been a very cosy little arrangement no doubt.

Was it Ansett or TAA that operated the flights to Timor in the 1970's?

On the track trip how did the Fokker go operating into the old Katherine aerodrome?

Didn't the Fokker F27 come back for a quick visit when the Fokker F50's which were recently delivered were grounded?

This info clashes with what I have on record. The Fokker F27-600 VH-FNQ which saw service from 1/67 to 11/90

Last commercial service was with Ansett and then leased to Safe Air from the 12/89 to 5/90 then subsequently sold.

However VH-FNR was owned by Ansett right up until 11/93 abeit registered as SE-KGC operated mainly nu Malmo Aviation on TNT European freight runs.

TAA did the Timor run, from memory every Wednesday, and used Bacua because the old strip at Dili wasn't long enough and had serious terrain problems.