I'm in a hurry! There's no time to waste!

 

On Thursday, June 19, 2025, the tireless Fokker F-28 Mk.1000C TC-53 (cn. 11020) of the Air Force performed another regular passenger service for "Líneas Aéreas del Estado" (LADE). This was flight 5U502, which departed from Buenos Aires - Jorge Newbery Airport - and, after making stops in Mar del Plata and Bahía Blanca, landed in San Carlos de Bariloche. The return flight was 5U503, which departed from Bariloche with Aeroparque as its final destination and intermediate stops in Bahía Blanca and Mar del Plata.

We thank Francisco Jaime and Agustín Esparza for the images sent.

 

Fairchild 228. A Frustrated Dream

 

The Fairchild 228 was a regional jet developed in the United States by Fairchild Hiller in association with Fokker based on the new F-28 Fellowship.

On January 4, 1967, an agreement was signed between Fairchild Hiller Corporation and Fokker to assemble the new model and also to sell the Fokker F-28 in the Western Hemisphere. This agreement was announced at a press conference on February 1, 1967.

Fairchild optimistically estimated orders of 260 to 460 units for the North American market and 600 to 800 aircraft for the rest of theworld.

The 228 was basically an F-28, only one meter shorter, with three-slotted flaps and different engines. The new aircraft would cruise at 800 km/h (500 mph) with a máximum range of 649 km (403 mi). It had seating for 50 passengers and could operate on 1,200-meter (4,000-foot) runways.

The engine chosen for the new Project was the Rolls-Royce RB-203 Trent high-bypass ratio (3.3:1) twin-flow engine specially designed for the F-228. This powerplant was 15% more fuel-efficient, quieter, and had greater thrust than the Rolls-Royce Spey engine that powered the Fokker F-28.

 

Initially, it was decided to purchase sub-assembled F-28 parts. Both models were intended to have the largest parts pool. Fokker withdrew the fuselajes of examples c/n 11005 (A-5) and c/n 11007 (A-7) from the F-28 production line, modifying them for the Fairchild F-228 variant, renaming them S-1 and S-2. These parts were shipped to Baltimore, United States, and transported by road to Hagerstown, Maryland. The components of the first fuselage (S-1) arrived in October 1967.

 

The first order came from West Coast Airlines, which ordered three aircraft. This announcement was made by Fairchild on September 20, 1967. Later, Interior Airways signed a letter of intent in February 1968 fort wo F-228s, planning to put them into service by January 1971.

 

Towards the end of 1967, the rigorous testing program of the selected engine, - Rolls-Royce Trent-, began, yielding good results.

Unfortunately, by 1968, delays in the planned work occurred, causing Fairchild to postpone the first flight date. Among the reasons cited was the American manufacturer's inability to deliver the model to the intended specifications, while also having to overcome financial problems.

 

In June 1968, Fairchild canceled the F-228 project, with two aircraft already well under construction. As compensation, it acquired ten F-28 Fellowships for sale in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. However, it was only able to sell two aircraft. The remaining aircrafts were returned to Fokker. They were flown to Woensdrecht to be offered to new operators.

Source: airlinercafe, Jan FolkertHomma, Arnold Bejeman.

Another One

 

 Final destination, Comodoro Rivadavia, Argentina.

Our beloved Fellowship never ceases to amaze us. Yesterday, June 10, 2025, the Fokker F-28 Mk.1000C TC-53 (cn. 11020) completed another LADE (Líneas Aéreas del Estado) passenger flight!

It was service 5U504, departing from Jorge Newbery Airport in Buenos Aires with a final destination of Comodoro Rivadavia and intermediate stops in Mar del Plata and Bahía Blanca.

The return flight was made on flight 5U505, Comodoro Rivadavia (CRD) – Bahía Blanca (BHI) – Mar del Plata (MDQ) – Aeroparque/Buenos Aires (AEP).

 

 Intermediate stop, Bahía Blanca, Argentina.

These are undoubtedly the last passenger flights on a Fokker F-28 in the world!

We must highlight both the nobility of the aircraft and the skills of the Argentine technicians, who make it possible for the Fellowship to continue flying!.

Acknowledgments: Aeropuerto Comodoro Rivadavia Facebook Group (Miguel Geldres) – Bruno Diaz – Leandro Levian.

Parade

 

As is the case every May 1st, a date that has marked the Air Force's history, a ceremony was held to commemorate the anniversary of the institution's Baptism of Fire during the Battle for the Falkland Islands in 1982. The commemorative ceremony took place in the morning at Morón Air Base.

Among the aircraft participating in the air parade were the Fokker F-28 Fellowship T-51 (cn. 11203) and TC-53 (cn. 11020).

 

Days prior to the parade, the aircraft conducted practice drills on April 29 and 30, 2025.

We must not fail to mention that half of all F-28s in service worldwide participated in this parade!.

 Only four Fellowships remain in service worldwide: two in Argentina (T-51 and TC-53), one in Colombia (FAC1041), and one in the Philippines (1250).

 Acknowledgments: Adrián Gómez, Fernando Fantini, and Mariano Gómez.

Never delivered #11

 

In 1994, Aerolíneas Argentinas decommissioned the three Fokker F-28 Mk.1000s it operated. These were registered aircraft LV-LOA (cn 11085), LV-LOC (cn 11083), and LV-LRG (cn 11046).

On April 13, 1994, they made a low-altitude pass over the runway at Jorge Newbery Airport in Buenos Aires and were then parked on the industrial apron.

In May 1994, the airline Servicios Aéreos Patagónicos Sociedad de Estado (SAPSE), through an engineering firm, evaluated the three F-28s for a possible acquisition, which ultimately did not materialize. At the time of the evaluation, LV-LOA had 34,660 flight hours, LV-LOC had 35,654 hours and 53,960 flight cycles, while LV-LRG had a total of 42,448 hours and 64,939 flight cycles.

The three aircraft could not be sold and were flown to Ezeiza Airport, where they were scrapped in 1996.