VH-FCF Fokker F.27-5234 Friendship

VH-FCF. Fokker F.27-5234F Friendship. c/n 10560.

Was also registered as: N284MA; HP-1542PS; HP-1542PST.

Entered onto the Dutch Aircraft Register as 'PH-EXL' with the export registration 'E-595' - April 06, 1977

Registered to Fokker VFW BV, Schiphol Oost

This aircraft was originally intended for ARAMCO but it was not taken up

First flown as 'PH-EXL' - August 09, 1977

Cancelled from the Dutch Aircraft Register - August 26, 1977

Entered onto the Australian Aircraft Register as VH-FCF - August 29, 1977

Registered to Ansett Transport Industries (Operations) Pty Ltd, Melbourne

Accepted by Ansett Airlines of New South Wales at Amsterdam (Schiphol) - August 30, 1977

Departed Amsterdam (Schiphol) on the delivery flight to Australia - August 30, 1977

It arrived at Melbourne (Tullamarine) on completion of the delivery flight - September 05, 1977

Delivery route: Amsterdam - Belgrade - Ankara - Teheran - Dubai - Karachi - Delhi - Calcutta - Bangkok -

Singapore (Seletar) - Denpasar - Darwin - Alice Springs - Melbourne

Flight crew: Captains I. Brown, I. Strother; F/O S. R. Harrison-Williams; Navigator B. S. McEwan;

LAME L. Parrish; Ansett Rep at Fokker D. Findlay; Ansett Performance Engineer P. Payne

Operated its first revenue service (Captain I. Strother; F/O M. Kelly) - September 19, 1977

The aircraft was operated in two versions of the 'Sunshine' livery until 1981

Transferred to Ansett but continued to operate Air N. S .W. services - March 13, 1988

Operated the final Air N. S. W. service Brisbane - Coolangatta - Newcastle - Sydney - March 18, 1988

Operated the final Ansett Wagga Wagga - Sydney (Kingsford Smith) service - July 26, 1988

Ferried Sydney (Kingsford Smith) - Melbourne (Tullamarine) by Captain I. Deed and placed in storage - July 30, 1988

The aircraft had flown 27,416 hours with 26,309 landings

Cancelled from the Australian Aircraft Register - December 15, 1988

Inspected by Mesaba Airlines technical staff at Melbourne to identify what would be needed to bring

the aircraft to the United States F. A. A. and Mesaba standards - December 1988

The aircraft was fitted with special long-range fuel tanks at Melbourne (Tullamarine) - December 1988

Issued the temporary registration marks 'N284MA' - December 1988

Sold to Northwest Aircraft Inc - December 22, 1988

Departed Melbourne on the ferry flight to the United States as 'N284MA' - December 22, 1988

This flight was conducted by non-Ansett flight crew

It arrived at Harrisburg, PA on completion of the ferry flight - December 29, 1988

It underwent a complete 'D' check at Harrisburg

Entered onto the United States Aircraft Register as N284MA - July 1989

Ferried Harrisburg - Minneapolis (St Paul) to undergo further inspection by Mesaba - July 11, 1989

Leased to Mesaba Airlines but was operated in the Northwest Airlink livery

Operated its first revenue service with Mesaba - August 01, 1989

Withdrawn from use and returned to Dutch Asset Leasing Company - September 1994

Placed in storage at Kingman, Arizona

Sold to Eagle Canyon Airlines - December 05, 1996

Leased to Eagle Jet Charter trading as Scenic Airlines as the registered operator

Leased to Turismo Aereo, Panama - May 2005

Entered onto the Panamanian Aircraft Register as HP-1542PS - ?

Turismo Aereo purchased the operating licence of the defunct Air Panama - September 2005

Reregistered HP-1542PST - October 2005

Registered to Air Panama

Operated by Air Costa Rica in the standard 'Air Panama' livery - March 2006

Advertised for sale as of mid-2007

The aircraft was still in service - May 2009

It was reported that this aircraft was the last Fokker F.27 in passenger service anywhere in the world

It was planned to be replaced by a Fokker 70 - 2010

Current status - ?

VH-FCF. Ansett Airlines of New South Wales - in the 'delta' livery over the Dutch countryside, August 1977.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 1999-855.)

VH-FCF. Ansett Airlines of New South Wales - in the 'delta' livery over the Dutch countryside, August 1977.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 1999-773.)

VH-FCF. Ansett Airlines of New South Wales - in the 'delta' livery at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport, January 14, 1978.

(R. N. Smith Copyright Image 1999-279.)

VH-FCF. Ansett Airlines of New South Wales - in the 'delta' livery at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport, January 11, 1979.

(R. N. Smith Copyright Image 1999-280.)

VH-FCF. Ansett Airlines of New South Wales - in the 'delta' livery at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport, May 06, 1979.

(R. N. Smith Copyright Image 1999-281.)

VH-FCF. Ansett Airlines of New South Wales - in the 'delta' livery at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport, May 06, 1979.

(R. N. Smith Copyright Image 1999-462.)

VH-FCF. Ansett Airlines of New South Wales - in the 'delta' livery at Melbourne Tullamarine Airport, November 1979.

(G. Bennett Copyright Image 1993-282.)

VH-FCF. Ansett Airlines of N.S.W. - in the original 'Sunshine' livery at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport, April 06, 1980.

(R. N. Smith Copyright Image 1999-551.)

VH-FCF. Ansett Airlines of N.S.W. - in the original 'Sunshine' livery at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport, April 06, 1980.

(R. N. Smith Copyright Image 1999-552.)

VH-FCF. Ansett Airlines of N.S.W. - in the original 'Sunshine' livery at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport, April 06, 1980.

(R. N. Smith Copyright Image 1999-553.)

VH-FCF. Ansett Airlines of N.S.W. - in the original 'Sunshine' livery at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport, April 10, 1980.

(R. N. Smith Copyright Image 1999-282.)

VH-FCF. Ansett Airlines of N.S.W. - in the revised 'Sunshine' livery at Hervey Bay Airport, May 1980.

(G. Wilkes Copyright Image 1999-361.)

VH-FCF. Ansett Airlines of N.S.W. - in the revised 'Sunshine' livery at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport, May 21, 1980.

(R. N. Smith Copyright Image 1999-554.)

VH-FCF. Ansett Airlines of N.S.W. - in the revised 'Sunshine' livery at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport, May 23, 1980.

(R. N. Smith Copyright Image 1999-257.)

VH-FCF. Ansett Airlines of N.S.W. - in the final 'Sunshine' livery at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport, January 06, 1981.

(R. N. Smith Copyright Image 1999-463.)

VH-FCF. Air New South Wales - in the 'canary' livery at Melbourne Tullamarine Airport, date unknown.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 1999-044.)

VH-FCF. Air New South Wales - in the 'canary' livery at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport, September 19, 1981.

(R. N. Smith Copyright Image 1999-555.)

VH-FCF. Air New South Wales - in the 'canary' livery at Canberra Airport, November 1981.

VH-FCF. Air New South Wales - in the 'canary' livery at Melbourne Tullamarine Airport, November 1981.

VH-FCF. Air New South Wales - in the 'canary' livery at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport, April 05, 1985.

VH-FCF. Air New South Wales - in the 'canary' livery at Brisbane Airport, October 25, 1986.

VH-FCF. Air New South Wales - in the 'canary' livery at Brisbane Airport, circa 1986.

VH-FCF. Air N.S.W. - in the 'Southern Cross' livery at Melbourne Tullamarine Airport, December 17, 1986.

VH-FCF. Air N.S.W. - in the 'Southern Cross' livery at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport, January 07, 1987.

VH-FCF. Air N.S.W. - in the 'Southern Cross' livery at Melbourne Tullamarine Airport, February 1988.

VH-FCF. Air N.S.W. - in the 'Southern Cross' livery at Melbourne Tullamarine Airport, June 1988.

VH-FCF. Air N.S.W. - in the 'Southern Cross' livery at Melbourne Tullamarine Airport, August 1988.

N284MA. Mesaba - in the basic Ansett 'Southern Cross' livery at Melbourne Tullamarine Airport, December 1988.

N284MA. Mesaba Northwest Airlink - in the standard livery at an unknown airport, April 1990.

N284MA. Eagle Airlines - in the standard livery at an unknown airport, March 1999.

HP-1542PST. Air Panama - in the standard livery at an unknown airport, January 2008.

HP-1542PST. Air Panama - in the revised livery at an unknown airport, circa 2009.