One for the West Aussies (if you're older than 35)

[Lee G]

Came across this today - apologies for the scan quality but it's a rather old photo and was taken around April 1983.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/2010288/VH-FKA_1200.jpg

[Grahame Hutchison]

Lee, I am over 35 but not a Sandgroper, and have a photograph similar to your Airlines Of WA F28 shot above, this one is at Parabadoo WA in December 1983. I will scan it tomorrow and post it also.

[Lee G]

Grahame,

That would be great. Brings back a lot of memories from my first job in aviation up in Karratha. I still have a soft spot for those F28's!

[Raymond Rowe]

Grahame,

I still have a soft spot for those F28's!


Unless you had to fix the flaming things.Nice aircraft but shocking to fix.

[Grahame Hutchison]

Lee, Here are a couple of the Airlines of Western Australia F28s at Parabadoo, and an East West F28 at Mascot. I also found the East West F28 Safety On Board Card from my collection.

Airlines of Western Australia F28 VH-FKC at Parabadoo on 23/11/1983
http://www.16right.com/MessageBoard/F28%20VH-FKC%2019831123%20Parabadoo.jpg

Airlines of Western Australia F28 VH-FKJ at Parabadoo in December 1983
http://www.16right.com/MessageBoard/F28%20VH-FKJ%20198312%20Parabadoo.jpg

East West F28 VH-EWB at Mascot on 4/3/1984. I flew on a couple of the East West F28s and they were comfortable and well equipped
for the day.
http://www.16right.com/MessageBoard/F28%20VH-EWB%2019840304%20Mascot.jpg

http://www.16right.com/MessageBoard/SOB_East_West_F28_Mk_4000_P1.jpg

http://www.16right.com/MessageBoard/SOB_East_West_F28_Mk_4000_P2.jpg

[Robert Zweck]

The F-28s were great performers and is why they were known as the "The Pocket Rocket "

In the mid 1970s I regularly had to fly on the MMA F-28s, commuting from Darwin to Kununurra, Gove and Groote Eylandt.

My only gripe was MMA charged the equivalent of First Class fares, the seating was 12 rows of 5 abreast ( like a DC-9 ) and certainly wasn't First Class seating. Especially if you were in Row 12 near the engines

For that cost you didn't always get a bite to eat, either.

Just coffee and biscuits....not good value!

But the crews were always down to earth and very friendly and that made up for it a bit. Jump seat travel was common. ( unlike today )

[Bob C]

I agree with Robert's comments as in the early 80s I also flew on the F28s from Darwin to Gove and Groote Eylandt.

They made a pleasant change to the Herons, Cessnas and other types that I flew in to Aboriginal communities.

[Tony G]

I like the shot of eastwest Grahame, I spent a lot of time as a kid taking photos with my first camera on the eastwest terminal ( thanks to Brian Chidlow for taking me to the airport most weekends). Great location for early in the morning. There were also the red and yellow coloured F27s that parked there ( AIR NSW i think)

If I am not wrong I remember seeing an old control tower there. Not sure if it was KSA first. Maybe someone on the board might know.

[Grahame Hutchison]

Tony, you are probably refering to ....

http://www.16right.com/MessageBoard/Ansett/Ansett F27-500F VH-FCF 19811100.jpg


http://www.16right.com/MessageBoard/Ansett/Ansett%20F27-500F%20VH-FCF%2019810300.jpg

and there was also ...

http://www.16right.com/MessageBoard/Ansett/Ansett F27-500F VH-FCC 19810300.jpg

[Peter Agatsiotis]

Memories, I flew on FKJ as Ansett WA on Anzac Day 1987. We landed at Ayres Rock and because of runway length, temperature, full load etc we had to go to Alice Springs to fuel up and got to Sydney about 2hrs late.
At Alice everyone else headed for the terminal, I headed straight for the hangars and logged around 20 a/c.
Very friendly, got up to the cockpit and managed a few shots of the Olgas and the Rock.

I have scanned a few old negatives and have most of the EW. series in a variety of schemes including 4 of them at Tulla in 1997 awaiting their fate.

If interested visit:

http://paggsy.smugmug.com

and choose 'pre-digital'

The only other F28's I flew on were Air NSW FKA & FKD when they used to do the Dubbo run.

[Lee G]

Peter,

I have a similar experience with FKG from Sydney to Perth back in 1986. We didn't divert but I had the pleasure of jumpseat into and out of AYQ. The approach took in the Rock out to the LH side of the aircraft at about 6000' and the departure was directly over the Olgas at 8000'.

Still remember it to this day - if I can find the pictures (I think I still have them) I will post them.

[Peter Agatsiotis]

I have the photos but can't find the negatives for my Perth trip.

To highlight the changes in aviation since then I remember spotting at Mascot with a friend and we were walking along Vickers Ave and spotted a F28 in the Ansett hangar. The rear door was not fully open and we just could not see the reg. The F28's had only just started being used in Sydney and we had only seen one at Tulla in 1973.
There was an engineer working near the front of the plane so we got his attention to ask the reg.
To our surprise he came over to the fence and after a few pleasantries he asked us if we would like to 'look over' the plane.
After our initial shock (we were used to being told to p... off) he got us through the security gate and we followed him up the stairs and he showed us the cockpit and switched on the master and after a nice wind up all the instruments lit up.
He spent about ten minutes explaining all the instruments and we then sat down in the cabin for a little chat.
We had both flown before but never been in the cockpit of an airliner so it was a nice experience.