The detail of the two doors

    The history of aviation is fascinating, and gaining an in-depth understanding of a particular aircraft type even more so. When we began working on the Fokker F-28 Fellowship blog, we gathered a large number of images. As we examined them closely, one detail caught our attention.

    On some Fokker F-28 Mk.1000 Fellowship aircraft, the forward cargo hold was fitted with two doors, while others had only one. At first, we believed this feature to be exclusive to the Fairchild Hiller FH-228, as most of the complete fuselages built or assembled at the American manufacturer’s facilities displayed this configuration.

    Indeed, three of those four aircraft — with construction numbers 11991, 11992 and 11993 — had a forward hold with two doors, whereas cn 11994 (PH-FPT) was equipped with a single-door forward hold. It is worth noting that these F-28s carry out-of-sequence construction numbers, a characteristic used to identify their Fairchild origin.

    This detail also appeared in Fairchild Hiller advertising material, brochures, and in a Fokker diagram that ultimately clarified the matter: the forward cargo hold with two doors — one forward and one central — was not exclusive to Fairchild, but rather an optional feature offered by Fokker itself.

    This was further confirmed by photographs of the third Fellowship built, which was also the first production F-28, PH-MOL (cn 11003). This aircraft already featured a forward cargo hold fitted with both forward and central doors.

    The information was later verified with fellow enthusiasts and specialists with extensive experience on the Fellowship, who confirmed that this configuration was indeed a simple factory option: a forward cargo hold with two doors.

    Among the original operators to select this option were LTU — on the first two aircraft it acquired — Itavia, Linjeflyg, the first aircraft purchased by Aviaction (D-AHLA, cn 11027), and two F-28s operated by the Australian Department of Aviation.

    A total of ten Fokker F-28s were delivered to Fairchild Hiller in an attempt to market the type in the United States. These aircraft were N281FH (cn 11016), N282FH (cn 11018), N283FH (cn 11020), N284FH (cn 11024), N285FH (cn 11033), N286FH (cn 11038), N287FH (cn 11043), N288FH (cn 11044) and N289FH (cn 11047). All of them were fitted with the two-door forward cargo hold. However, there was one notable exception: N280FH (cn 11048), also operated by Fairchild Hiller, which did not feature this option.

 

   Three aircraft originating from Fairchild Hiller were later modified to the Mk.1000C standard, and the central door of the forward cargo hold was also sealed. These were aircraft cn 11018, 11020 and 11024, which became TC-54, TC-53 and TC-55 respectively, entering service with the Argentine Air Force. In the photographs below, details indicating the former presence of the sealed central door can be clearly observed.

    Garuda operated a mixed fleet. It included aircraft equipped with two-door cargo holds, such as cn 11037, originally ordered by Itavia but not taken up, which became PK-GJR, as well as two aircraft sourced from Fairchild Hiller: cn 11043 (N287FH), later registered PK-GVN, and cn 11044 (N288FH), re-registered PK-GVO.

    The F-28 cn 11053 was the prototype of the Mk.2000 and carried the registration PH-ZAX. It was later transferred to Nigeria Airways as 5N-ANB. Initially, it did not feature a two-door forward cargo hold, but after being returned to Fokker it was modified to include this configuration. It was subsequently seen in the colours of the French airline TAT, registered as F-GDUS.

    From the production Mk.2000 F-28s onwards, the two-door forward cargo hold became standard configuration, a feature also adopted on the Mk.6000 and Mk.4000 variants. This was not the case with the Mk.3000, which left the factory with a single-door forward cargo hold.

    Below is the list of all Fokker F-28 Mk.1000 aircraft fitted with a two-door forward cargo hold.

Msn. - Model - Registers

11003 Mk.1000 PH-MOL/ LN-SUM/ EP-PBF/ F-GOML/ P2-ANL/ F-GIMG/ F-GIMH/ C5-ADD/ TZ-AZH.

11004 Mk.1000 PH-ZAA/ D-ABAQ/ I-TIDU/ F-GECK/ C5-ADE.

11006 Mk.1000 PH-ZAB/ D-ABAX/ I-TIDB/ C-GTUU/ OB-1779-P.

11014 Mk.1000 PH-ZAI/ I-TIDA.

11015 Mk.1000 PH-ZAK/ I-TIDE.

11016 Mk.1000 PH-ZAL/ N281FH/ N27W/ N930TL/ VR-BNC/ C-FHCP/ N43AE/ N500WN.

11018 Mk.1000 PH-ZAN/ N282FH/ PH-EXW/ TC-54/ LV-VCS/ TC-54.

11020 Mk.1000 PH-ZAP/ N283FH/ TC-53.

11024 Mk.1000 PH-EXC/ N284FH/ TC-55.

11027 Mk.1000 D-AHLA/ PH-ZBG/ EP-PAS/ PH-ZBG/ F-GBBX/ C5-ACE/ F-GBBX/ 5V-TPO/ 5Y-AXH/ 5V-TPO.

11032 MK.1000 PH-EXB/ PH-ZAV/ LN-SUM/ PH-ZAV/ OB-R-390/ OB-R-1030/ TC-JAZ/ PH-ZAV/ PK-GVM/ N282N/ N461AU/ C-FAIF/ C-FCRU.

11033 Mk.1000 N285FH/ CF-TAV/ C-FTAV/ P2-ANE.

11037 Mk.1000 PH-EXE/ PH-EXH/ PH-ZBF/ PK-GJR/ PK-GVY/ PH-EZA/ N293N/ N458US/ C-FCRP.

11038 Mk.1000 PH-EXM/ N286FH/ CF-TAY/ P2-ANF/ VH-XNG.

11043 Mk.1000 PH-EXA/ N287FH/ PH-EXM/ PK-GVM/ PH-EZY/ N291N/ N459US/ C-FCRI.

11044 Mk.1000 N288FH/ PH-EXR/ PK-GVO/ PH-EXV/ N286N/ N460AU/ C-FCRC.

11047 Mk.1000 N289FH/ PH-EXI/ VH-ATD/ C-FTAR/ TU-PAB/ TU-TGW.

11049 Mk.1000 PH-EXD/ 5N-AGN/ P2-ANB.

11053 Mk.2000 PH-ZAX/ 5N-ANB.

11067 Mk.1000 PH-EXL/ SE-DGA.

11068 Mk.1000 PH-EXI/ SE-DGB.

11069 Mk.1000 PH-EXK/ SE-DGC.

11082 Mk.1000 PH-EXN/ VH-ATE/ C-GTAH.

11084 Mk.1000 PH-EXP/ VH-ATG/ C-FTAY.

11991 Mk.1000 I-TIDI/ C-GTEO.

11992 Mk.1000 FAC001/ FAC0002.

11993 Mk.1000 PH-ZAU/ 5N-ANA.

Acknowledgments: Sebastian Acosta, Daniel Carneiro, & Ron Mak.

THY - Türk Hava Yolları

    

Turkish Airlines began operations in 1933 under the name Devlet Hava Yolları (State Airlines of Turkey), originally as a department of the Ministry of Defense. Its early mission was clear: to improve connectivity across a geographically complex country.

    However, true progress would not arrive until the postwar years, marked by the introduction of the Douglas DC-3 and an unprecedented expansion of regional services. This momentum continued into the late 1950s, when the airline embarked on a modernization program with the arrival of the Vickers Viscount 794 (1958) and the Fokker F-27 Friendship (1960).

    By the mid-1960s, Turkish Airlines was preparing to enter the Jet Age. Proposals from BAC, Douglas, Hawker Siddeley, and Sud Aviation were evaluated, with Douglas ultimately selected and the DC-9 entering the fleet in 1966. This decision triggered the gradual retirement of piston-powered aircraft, beginning with the venerable DC-3s and later the Vickers turboprops.

    The transformation did not stop there. The F-27, despite its relative modernity, was also slated for replacement. Following the familiar philosophy of “better than a Fokker is another Fokker,” the airline turned its attention to the Fokker F-28 Fellowship. By that time, the F-28 had already established itself across Europe as a capable short- and medium-haul jet, particularly well suited to operations from challenging airports where aircraft like the DC-9 were at a disadvantage.

    This was a critical factor for Turkey, where many inland airports were located in mountainous regions and suffered from limited infrastructure during the early 1970s.

    In 1973, Turkish Airlines achieved its objective of becoming an all-jet airline. The F-27s were withdrawn, Boeing 707s entered service, negotiations began for the future acquisition of the Douglas DC-10, and the first Fokker F-28s arrived.

 

 

The inaugural aircraft, msn 11057 (TC-JAO), joined the fleet in January 1973, followed by msn 11058 (TC-JAP) and msn 11060 (TC-JAR). The final aircraft, msn 11070 (TC-JAS), was delivered in July.

    Additionally, a leased F-28, msn 11032, arrived in June. Previously used for demonstration and temporary operations, it wore a SATCO livery—belonging to the Peruvian company specializing in commercial and demonstration flights—with THY titles. Registered as TC-JAZ, it remained in service until August 1973.

     Reflecting Turkish Airlines’ commitment to national identity and regional integration, the aircraft were named after inland cities: Van, Bursa, Sivas, and Samsun. These cities also became regular destinations, along with Konya, Erzurum, Balıkesir, Bandırma, Kayseri, Diyarbakır, Trabzon, Antalya, Adana, Malatya, and Izmir, all served from Istanbul.

 

 

     A particularly notable operation was the Ankara–Istanbul shuttle, where the F-28 replaced larger aircraft during periods of lower demand. International regional routes included Beirut, Nicosia, and Athens.

    Tragically, the fleet’s history was overshadowed by two fatal accidents. The first occurred in January 1974, when TC-JAO, operating Flight 301, failed to take off from Izmir. One year later, TC-JAP, operating Flight 345—also from Izmir—crashed into the sea during its approach.

   These accidents effectively sealed the fate of the F-28 within Turkish Airlines. The aircraft were relegated to a secondary role, and all plans for further acquisitions were abandoned.

    Nevertheless, the two remaining aircraft continued flying until late 1987. In their final year, they were transferred to the subsidiary Boğaziçi Hava Taşımacılığı (Bosphorus Air Transport), created to rationalize THY’s operations while maintaining capacity in specific markets. As Turkish Airlines modernized and standardized its mainline fleet, its oldest aircraft were assigned to BHT, where the last F-28s concluded their careers, primarily on charter services. Both remaining aircraft were sold to Transport Aérien Transrégional in September 1987.

 

    Over time, the Fokker fleet at Turkish Airlines became the subject of persistent rumors. Among the public, the aircraft were widely regarded as “cursed.” Other claims—likely originating within the airline—suggested that the aircraft had been delivered with inherent defects. These allegations prompted an investigation by the Turkish Ministry of Transport, which ultimately determined that no technical faults existed and that both accidents were the result of human error.

    While this conclusion helped to partially restore the aircraft’s reputation, the legend of a “cursed fleet” has endured—particularly in aviation forums and online discussions—cementing the Fokker F-28’s unique and controversial place in the history of Turkish Airlines.

 

Never delivered #21

 

When MMA returned the Fokker F-28 Mk.1000 VH-MMJ (c/n 11013), it departed on a ferry flight from Australia to Amsterdam on 13 June 1970. While stopping in Kathmandu, the aircraft was shown to Royal Nepal Airlines.

Had the Nepalese airline purchased the Fokker F-28 Fellowship, it would probably have looked like this.