Wednesday 7 November 2012

Saved from the dustbin (14)

In the first post of this series I described how two of my former colleagues, Aris Zwart en Bert Besseling, saved many old KLM Royal Dutch Airlines pictures from being trashed. In that post and the next 12 with the same title, I have shown the most remarkable images. In this 14th post I'll display some pictures showing aircraft that may have disappeared from your mind. Still they are part of a development that started with flying crates such as the one below.
Aircraft type of unknown manufacture 
Obviously fuel capacity of pre-WW2 planes was limited. Apparently strategists determined that in times of war it was important to be as close as possible to the battle field. Therefore, Anthony Fokker came up with this design of an easily transportable aircraft. Fokker produced aircraft in Germany during WW1. This fact combined with the Daimler "undercarriage" and the German (?) license plates suggest that the German military had a certain interest in this development.
A Fokker design of a transportable aircraft
Being on the subject of warplanes, here is an aircraft designed by or for the Danish Air Force.  The picture itself was marked "Top Secret".
A Danish warplane with a remarkable decoration
Prior to 1928 the registration of Dutch aircraft consisted of five letters e.g. H-NABC. Effective 1928 Dutch civil aircraft obtained a call sign starting with PH. This was a consequence of the Washington Telecommunications Treaty of 1927.
One of the first Dutch aircraft with PH-registration in 1928,
a Fokker FVIIb possibly the PH-AEN.

Update Feb. 20, 2017 Most likely the above text is incorrect.
This is probably the PH-AFL Leeuwerik sometime after
Dec. 23, 1930 and before Apr. 6, 1935 when it crashed.
In the picture below, taken shortly after WW2, the apron at Schiphol Airport is still being repaired. The aircraft is a De Havilland D.H.89A Dominie. It was used by KLM to operate domestic services within The Netherlands.
The PH-RAC, a De Havilland aircraft, is being repaired.
Please note the running starboard engine.
The type number of the Fokker F-XXII referred to its seating capacity: 22. In total four of these aircraft have been built, three for KLM and the SE-ABA 'Lappland' for AB Aerotransport (ABA). Please note the giant nose light.
The Fokker F-XXII operated by ABA, a Swedish carrier and co-founder
of Scandinavian SAS.
The first (and only) Fokker F-XXXVI was handed over to KLM on July 12, 1934 approx. It could carry 32 passengers and 4 crew. Although KLM promised to buy six of these aircraft, eventually Plesman preferred the Douglas DC-2. This Fokker ended its life as a flying classroom for Royal Air Force navigators.
Arrival of the Fokker F-XXXVI, the PH-AJA 'Arend' 
Most aircraft facts in this post have been obtained from the comprehensive site of Herman Dekker.

Update Nov. 8, 2012: received information from Jan Willem de Wijn that the first picture shows a French Voisin. It was built in 1907. Please see this site for details.

6 comments:

  1. It must have taken great bravery to go up in that first plane. Not much protection against a rough landing - or worse.

    ReplyDelete
  2. @Wendy
    Sometimes I dream of being a hero but never in such a crate!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Peter sir

    Thanks for sharing these vintage period photos etc. sir please share more of such vintage period articles and photos etc. which are helpful for the younger generation people like me and others.

    sir please look into my collections blog and share your comments on my vintage post cards etc.

    http://collections-of-dokkasrinivasu.blogspot.in/

    ReplyDelete
  4. @Dokka
    Thank you for visiting and following my blog! You may have seen that there are 13 more posts under the same title. The first one is http://patmcast.blogspot.com/2012/02/saved-from-dustbin-1.html
    I'm sure you noticed I visited your blog as well.
    Good luck.

    ReplyDelete
  5. The photo with the Fokker you think is the PH-AEN, is in fact the PH-AFL "Leeuwerik" a Fokker F.XII.

    ReplyDelete
  6. @Anonymous Tks, you are probably right. On the original photo an "L" can be distinguished underneath the left hand wing. This aircraft was operated by KLM as from Dec. 23, 1930. So this picture must have been taken after that date.

    ReplyDelete

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