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

Montenegro Airlines

    Montenegro’s national airline began operations in May 1997 with a Fokker F-28, marking the start of its operational history with this aircraft on the route from its base in Podgorica to Bari. This model played a key role in the airline’s early development. Montenegro Airlines became a member of IATA in May2000. That same year, the airline began modernizing its fleet with the addition of Fokker F-100 aircraft, initiating a transition toward more advanced models. Its first brand-new aircraft, an Embraer ERJ-195, was delivered in Jun2008. The airline operated scheduled flights to London, Zurich, Frankfurt, Rome, Paris, Ljubljana, Vienna, Belgrade, Moscow, and Saint Petersburg. It also carried out important charter flights during the summer months. Montenegro Airlines ceased operations on 26Dec2020.

* 11176 Mk. 4000 YU-AOI dd. Jul98

* 11184 Mk. 4000 YU-AOH dd. Oct96

* 11187 Mk. 4000 YU-AOJ dd. Oct2001

Norcanair

    The origins of this company date back to 1930 when pilots Richmond Mayson and Angus Campbell founded M&C Aviation in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. They later moved to Prince Albert. The company survived the Great Depression, and during World War II, its facilities served as a maintenance base for aircraft used by the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan.

    In 1947, M&C Aviation was acquired by the government of Saskatchewan (Commonwealth Cooperative) and was renamed Saskatchewan Government Airways (SGA), serving the vast northern region of the province. In 1964, SGA was privatized and renamed Norcanair. Among the aircraft it operated were five Fairchild F-27s acquired from Hughes Airwest. John B. "Jack" Lloyd, president of Norcanair, announced in 1981 the sale of the airline back to the provincial government. The purchase failed, and the company was sold to Saskatoon businessman Albert Ethier, who merged the airline with his own charter company, Hi-Line Airways.

    On 23Dec1985, Norcanair added the Fokker F-28 C-GTEO (cn. 11991) to its fleet. On 02Feb1986, it announced the start of its jet services with three daily frequencies between Saskatoon and Regina, as well as a weekly flight to the United States, to Minneapolis–Saint Paul Airport. Another Fellowship joined the fleet on 03Oct1986 with the arrival of C-GTUU (cn.11006).

    By 1987, Norcanair was operating as a feeder line for CP Air and was acquired by Time Air in March of that year.

    C-GTEO was the only F-28 to wear Norcanair’s full livery, as the C-GTUU arrived directly in Canadian Pacific colors with “Norcanair” titles on the fuselage and “Canadian Pacific” on the nose.