By: Rob Mulder For: www.europeanairlines.no Remarks can be sent to: rob@europeanairlines.no In this article we highlight the history of the Handley Page O/400, G-EAKE. It was one of many Handley Page O/400s that spread its wings across Europe in order to establish political influence in the aviation of neutral states. The particular aircraft was involved in the race for the first flight between Kristiania (Oslo) and Stockholm. It was important for the young nation (as Norway was) to show its flag abroad. What an aircraft! The aircraft I talk about here was the Handley Page O/400. What an aircraft! Personally,...
Widerøe’s Flyveselskap A/S (1934-1945)
By: Rob Mulder Written for: www.europeanairlines.no Starting up an airline company In October 1932 five Norwegian met each other in Oslo to discuss plans for a promotion tour through Norway. The group consisted of the brothers Viggo and Arild Widerøe, Halvor Bjørneby, Helge Skappel and Leiv Brun. In connection with lectures, they wanted to give air shows all around Norway. The first air show was on March 13, 1933 at Ringerike, some 50 km north of Oslo. Participating were the Norwegian Aero Club's glider LN-ABO of the type Hol's der Teufel. Furthermore, the De Havilland D.H.60M Moth, LN-ABL, owned by...
A/S Norsk Aeroplanfabrik (1918-1921)
The first private aircraft factory in Norway By: Rob Mulder For: www.europeanairlines.no Aircraft construction in Norway prior to the Second World War was mainly limited to the manufacturing of military aircraft. During the Great War (1914-1918) neutral Norway depended on the goodwill from friendly states for the delivery of military aircraft. A good article about this subject can be found on the website of IPMS – Norway: http://www.ipmsnorge.org/hovedsider/artikler/haerfly_e.html. But one private initiative should be mentioned: The A/S Norsk Aeroplanfabrik, founded in 1918 with some ambitious plans. The foundation We can easily say that it was also the last major aircraft...
By Whale to Oslo
By: Rob Mulder at www.europeanairlines.no Comments can be sent to: rob@europeanairlines.no or to the forum on this website. On July 18, 2002 Lufthansa could celebrate the opening for 75 years ago of its air service to Oslo. From 1927 to 1933 the air service was operated by aircraft of the type Dornier Wal and Superwal. These aircraft were in Norway known as the “Airbus to the Continent”. Many German (military) pilots gathered valuable flying experiences on this air service. Trying to get a connection One of the pioneers of Norwegian aviation was Captain Wilhelm Meisterlin. He was born in Trondheim,...
Secret emergency landing at Nøtterøy
During my visit to the air show at Torp Airport near Sandefjord I was handed over one of the quarterlies of the Norwegian Dakota Association (Dakota Norway). It was number 1 of the year 2001. On page 14 it showed the picture of a DC-3 at Nøtterøy after an emergency landing. The article mentioned that after the landing Russian PoW were used to flatten out the land and to make a provisional runway. In the meantime the engine was fixed. After the work on the runway was finished the aircraft took off and disappeared to n unknown destination. The author...
Carl Truman Batts 1892-1969
1916 The war speeded up the development of aircraft as no other factor could. Airplanes of greater speed and reliability were built and put into use. One day, we were to see the speedy French "Spad" the foreign fighter plane shipped to Newport News for exhibition purposes. Carl Batts, who had taught Paul Culver to fly the land machine, was chosen to fly it and he looped and rolled at a rate we had never seen before. Those swift planes could fly 120 miles an hour and maneuver with lightning speed. They were armed with a machine gun rigidly mounted...
Société Anonyme Belge d’Exploitation de la Navigation Aériennes – SABENA
Fleet of Société Anonyme Belge d'Exploitation de la Navigation Aériennes - SABENA (1923-1945) By: Rob Mulder For: www.europeanairlines.no Abbreviations: b/u = Broken up Canx = cancelled from the register c/n = Constructor’s Number dbr = Destroyed between repair f.u. = Fate unknown In = Date aircraft was taken in use / or registered Regn = Registration Fleet list of Société Anonyme Belge d'Exploitation de la Navigation Aériennes – SABENA (1923-1945) Type Regn. Regn. c/n In Fate 1923-29 1929-1945 Rumpler C IV O-BREF 7960/18* 23.5.23 23.7.29 canx Airco DH.9 O-BEAU 23.5.23 5.10.25 crashed Airco DH.9C O-BELG 23.5.23 Sold to SABCA...
Iberia and the Rohrbach Ro VIII Roland I
By: Rob Mulder For www.europeanairlines.no The foundation of Iberia Foreign airline companies operated the first air routes in Spain. Two French airline companies started services between France and Spain. Latécoère opened a through service along the Mediterranean coast to Northern Africa, while Société des Transports Aéronautiques du Sud-Ouest – STASO and its successor Compagnie Franco-Bilbaïne de Transports Aéronautiques – CFB operated a service from Bayonne to Bilbao and later to Santander in the north-western parts of Spain. In Spain only one air service was operated. On October 15, 1921 the Compañia Española de Tráfico Aéreo – CETA opened an airmail...
Oliver Andre Rosto: The first Norwegian to fly (?)
By: Rob Mulder For: www.europeanairlines.no In 1912 Christian Lie was the first civilian to take off from Norwegian soil and to make a flight with his Grade monoplane. For generations this has been seen as the first flight of a Norwegian civilian from Norwegian soil. But thanks to the historian Hans Olav Løkken in Norway we have to rewrite Norwegian aviation history… or not? It was a great pleasure to read in the leading Norwegian aviation magazine Flynytt of February 2005 an article that could change the course of aviation history in Norway. Hans Olav Løkken wrote an interesting article...