The day the wheels stopped turning

How often do those of us who have spent thousands of hours in the air become involved in discussions about just which aircraft was a particular favourite? I have my couple of favourites, namely the Lockheed Electra and the Douglas DC-9, which in some ways makes me the odd man out as the Boeing 727 often features as number one. But an aircraft which is missing from the ‘favourites’ list is, sadly, the Fokker F27.

This aircraft became a particularly reliable workhorse, replacing the DC-3 on many outback routes as well as adding to the frequencies of services along the east coast. It was a tough aircraft, with its rugged airframe and very reliable Dart engines. In all the years I flew the F27, the need to feather occurred only once, not because of an engine fault proper but only when a gearbox oil quantity warning appeared.