Fleet list of Československa Státni Aerolinie - ČSA (1923-1939) By: Rob Mulder, www.europeanairlines.no We would like to receive information from the reader about the mistakes in this list. Abbreviations: B/u = Broken up Canx = cancelled from the register C/n = Constructor’s Number Dbr = Destroyed beyond repair F.u. = Fate unknown In = Date aircraft was taken in use / or registered Regn = Registration Type Regn. Name Regn. c/n In Fate <1929 > 1930 Regn. 1) Aero A-10 L-BALB 3 27.02.23 16.4.28 canx. Aero A-10 L-BALC 2 27.02.23 16.4.28 canx. Aero A-10 L-BALD 1 27.02.23 3.11.25...
Norway Air Express
By: Rob Mulder For: www.europeanairlines.no A long wait In August 1919 the Dutch lieutenant Albert Plesman (founder of Royal Dutch KLM) met with the management of the Norwegian airline company Det Norske Luftfartrederi A/S - DNL and they discussed the possibility to establish an air service between the Netherlands and Norway in cooperation with the other IATA-members. Unfortunately, DNL went brook and until 1933 not much more happened. In the twenties of the last century the Norwegian Captain Wilhelm Meisterlin functioned as personal member of IATA representing Norway. Since 1927 the KLM discussed the possibilities with several Norwegian parties. [caption...
Mr Batts flies in Norway
By: Rob Mulder For: www.europeanairlines.no Behind this curious title lies the history of the American aviator Carl Truman Batts, who on behalf of the American Curtiss Company arrived in April 1919 in Bergen, Norway to fly one of the products of the Curtiss Company, the Curtiss MF Seagull, the post-war version of the successful Curtiss MF flying boat. Here is the story of his stay in Norway. During his stay in Norway he made numerous flights and visited cities like Tønsberg, Kristiansand, Stavanger, Bergen, Kristiania and Hamar. The Norwegians, who referred to him as ”Mr Batts”, just loved him and...
Latvijas Gaisa Satiksmes Akciju Sabiedríba (1922-1928)
By: Rob Mulder For: www.europeanairlines.no After the struggle for independence ended in 1920, Latvia started as so many other European countries after the Great War, to rebuild its country. It supported in the beginning mainly on co-operation with Germany as Latvia saw Germany as a liberator of the country from the Russians and because of the historical ties. The foundation of the Latvijas Gaisa Satiksmes Akciju Sabiedríba was therefore not surprisingly supported by Germany or more directly by the Junkers Flugzeugwerk AG (Jfa) from Dessau, eager to find ways to avoid destruction of its fleet of Junkers F 13 and...
KLM and the Fokker F.II and F.III
By: Rob Mulder For: www.europeanairlines.no The Fokker F.II was the first of a long range of aircraft that KLM purchased from the Nederlandsche Vliegtuigfabriek NV (Fokker) before the Second World War. KLM had opened its first air service on May 17, 1920 with leased British aircraft, but ordered in July 1920 the first Fokker F.IIs. The fleet was within two years extended by the new Fokker F.IIIs. In this article we give a short introduction of both aircraft. This article is the second version. The first version has been taken down from the internet after just one day since the...
Farman F.121 Jabiru in Danish service
By: Rob Mulder For: www.europeanairlines.no John Stroud wrote in his book “European Transport Aircraft since 1910” that the Farman F.121 Jabiru (Stork) was “…one of the ugliest transport aeroplanes ever built”. He probably wrote this with a smile on his face. But in a way the F-3X and perhaps even more the three-engine version F-4X were not the best looking aircraft, but they were used on air services for some years. Four of them were even used in Denmark. This story is about speed, prestige and safety. The prototype Farman F-3X Jabiru The prototype, F-3X was a high-wing strut-braced monoplane...
AB Aerotransport and the Junkers G 24
By: Rob Mulder For: www.europeanairlines.no One of the most important aircraft factories of the period before 1945 was the Junkers Flugzeugwerk AG – Jfa. It produced the first useable all-metal aircraft. The first all-metal fighters were already constructed during the Great War (1914-1918) and after the war Junkers continued to develop military and civil aircraft of all-metal construction. Famous is the three-engined series of civil aircraft: Junkers Ju 252, Junkers Ju 52/3m, Junkers G 31 and Junkers G 24. Latter aircraft has been widely used by the Swedish airline company AB Aerotransport (AB standing for Aktiebolag – Limited company). AB...
STAR and the Nieuport-Delage 641
By: Rob Mulder and in co-operation with Robert Espérou and Régis Biaux For: www.europeanairlines.no A small airliner for a small airline company was the Nieuport-Delage 641, also known as Ni-D 641. This high-winged single-engine aircraft saw limited service in France and operated two international air services for the Société de Transports Aériens Rapide - STAR. Here is a short review of the use of the aircraft in France. The firm Société Anonyme des Établissements Nieuport But first a short review over the production of civil airliners constructed by the Société Anonyme des Établissements Nieuport. Edouard de Nieport, commonly known as...
Junkers F 13 in Norway
By: Rob Mulder For: www.europeanairlines.no One of the most important airliners from the twenties and thirties of the previous century was the all-metal Junkers J 13. The aircraft has had several designations: Until July 1919 Junkers J 13 (in line with previous models) July 1919 – June 1924 Junkers J 13 Type F (Freya) Since July 1924 Junkers F 13 The suffixes were not introduced until June 1927. The type is, however, generally known as the Junkers F 13 and this is how we will call it as well. The type saw only limited service in Norway. It successor the Junkers...
Fleet list of Ad Astra Aero AG and predecessors (1919-1931)
Fleet list of Ad Astra Aero AG and predecessors (1919-1931) By: Rob Mulder, www.europeanairlines.no We would like to receive information from the reader about the mistakes in this list. Abbreviations: b/u = Broken up Canx = cancelled from the register c/n = Constructor’s Number dbr = Destroyed beyond repair f.u. = Fate unknown In = Date aircraft was taken in use / or registered Regn = Registration One of the predeccessors of SWISSAIR was the airline company Ad Astra Aero AG, which in its turn came from a number of other airline companies. Fleet list of Frick & Co., Luftverkehrsgesellschaft...