A Special Flight

 At Zapala airport (APZ).

The Argentine Air Force's Fokker F-28 Mk.1000C TC-53 (CN. 11020) remains active, carrying out several flights these days.

A special flight took place on September 26, 2025, when it took off from El Palomar bound for Zapala (APZ) – San Carlos de Bariloche (BRC), finally landing in El Calafate (FTE). The aircraft transported Argentine Army troops who will conduct an operation in the El Calafate area, in the south of Argentina.

 Arriving in El Calafate

Thanks to: Fernando Jara, Marcos Funes, and DAD.

Southern Fellowships

 

Fokker F-28 in Patagonian environment (Farewell to the F-28 TC-54 cn.11018)

 

Miguel Antonio Geldres worked at Aerolíneas Argentinas from 1980 until his retirement. He served as an aircraft mechanic at the Comodoro Rivadavia airport in Argentina.

In Comodoro Rivadavia, Aerolíneas Argentinas' Fokker F-28 aircraft operated very little. On several occasions, Miguel was sent on assignment to service the Fellowship at some of the stops where it operated. In this way, in 1991 and 1992, he was assigned to Villa Gessell for the summer season. During those years, he also serviced flights at the Santa Rosa stop on three occasions, and also in Viedma.

 

"Once, during a landing in Santa Rosa, an F-28 had hydraulic problems that forced the crew to manually deploy the landing gear. First, the gear doors were opened using a crank located in the cockpit. After landing, both engines were shut down and the aircraft came to a stop on the runway. The passengers disembarked from the aircraft and had to walk to the terminal! The failure had occurred in one of the engines, so hydraulic fluid was added, the other engine was started, and with the momentum they were able to taxi the aircraft to the apron."

 

Special color scheme.

 

Over the years Miguel worked in Comodoro Rivadavia, he was able to observe the operation of Fokker F-28 aircraft of both the Argentine Air Force and the Naval Aviation.

We thank Miguel for his collaboration.

Fellowship´s wrecks

    The Ecuadorian city of Coca, also known as Puerto Francisco de Orellana, is located 605 kilometers east of Guayaquil —by land. It is the cantonal head and capital of Orellana Province, in the northern part of Ecuador's Amazon region. The city is surrounded by the Napo, Coca, and Payamino rivers. The area sits at an altitude of 255 meters and has a very humid climate. Oil activity brought a period of relative prosperity. Thus, although air transport had always played a significant role, the rise of "black gold" further boosted connections.
    On 07Apr2005, the Fokker F-28 HC-CDA -msn. 11230-, operated by the airline Ícaro was flying flight 504 from Quito to Coca. During landing, the aircraft touched down a few meters short of the beginning of runway 15, striking the edge of the pavement. It veered to the left off the runway and eventually came to a stop against a building wall. The damage sustained led to the aircraft being written off.
    At some point, for recreational purposes, the battered fuselage was placed on a barge and turned into a dance venue called Rumba Náutica. Unfortunately, a sharp drop in oil prices caused the city and its surroundings to fall into crisis, prompting part of the population to leave. Various commercial activities declined, including the recreational venue. A photographic production reveals the abandoned state of the fuselage, which is no longer located on the riverbed, while vegetation gradually begins to cover its surface.

Acknowledgments: Oswaldo Galán & Elías Padilla