[caption id="attachment_4310" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Painting by Keith Woodcock[/caption] AB Aerotransport was formed in March 1924 by, among others, Junkers Flugzeugwerk AG (a German aircraft factory that supported the formation of airlines throughout Europe) and the Swedish Florman brothers. The company started with routes Stockholm - Helsinki, Malmö - Hamburg and Malmö - Copenhagen, and managed to establish itself as the national airline in Sweden. In the period June – September 1939, it operated a route with landplanes to Norway. A short story. In 1926, AB Aerotransport inaugurated a route between Malmö, Copenhagen and Gothenburg and hoped that the Norwegian Junkers-owned...
The ‘Silver Spinner’ and ‘Tiger
[caption id="attachment_4103" align="aligncenter" width="680"] Children were facinated with aircraft and were here allowed to climb on the Friedrichshafen FF49C, N.3 of J. L. Tiedemanns Tobaksfabrik. (via Kay Hagby)[/caption] In 1920, the Norwegian tobacco compay 'J.L. Tiedemanns Tobaksfabrik' purchashed its first aircraft for advertisments flights and named it 'Silver Spinner'. During the next two years, a second aircraft was purchased, that was given the name 'Tiger'. We follow the history of the two aircraft. The 'Tiger' was involved in the first civil aircraft accident in Norway. In November 1920, the J. L. Tiedemanns Tobaksfabrik (a tobacco company from Christiania, now Oslo)...
No, Albert Plesman did not found KLM!
Many believe Albert Plesman, on 7 October 1919, was the founder of the airline KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. THIS IS NOT CORRECT. You can read here the correct story. More about this story can be found in the book “The Fokker Fours”, published by European Airlines Publishing House. In mid-1918, the KNVvL took the initiative to form a Commissie voor Luchtvaartverkeer (a commission for ‘aviation traffic’) that produced a report pleading for airmail services. A private company supported by the State should operate these. After the Armistice of 11 November 1918, the economic optimism grew in the Netherlands as well....
‘And the ship flies beautifully’
[caption id="attachment_3832" align="aligncenter" width="651"] Arrival of Kingsford-Smith and his crew after the flight from Hasbrouck Heights to Washington-Bolling. (via Gert Blüm)[/caption] In 1928, Charles Edward Kingsford Smith and his crew made the first trans-Pacific flight from the United States of America to Australia. Later, he made the first non-stop crossing of the Australian mainland, the first flight between Australia and New Zealand, and the first eastward Pacific crossing from Australia to the United States. Finally, he made a flight from Australia to London in 10.5 days. All these flights were made by the Fokker F.VIIb-3m, named Southern Cross. His aircraft...
Centennial: first flight Junkers F 13
[caption id="attachment_3813" align="aligncenter" width="1888"] The J 13 prototype (531) first flew on 25 June 1919. In the backgroundis an example of the single-seat Junkers J 9 fighter, military designationJunkers D.I, which was soon registered to Junkers-Flugzeugwerkas a commercial courier aircraft (Günther Ott)[/caption] On 25 June 2019, we celebrated the fact that it was 100 years ago, that the aircraft made its first flight! Read all about it in the special edition of the reprint of the successful book ‘Junkers F 13 – The World’s First All-Metal Airliner’. On 25 June 1919, a small six-seater aircraft lifted off from an airfield...
Fill ‘r up!
Today just a small, but nice photograph of the Fokker F-32 N334N (c/n 1204) We have received this fantastic photograph, which was placed in the 'Melbourne Herald' of July 21, 1930 with the following text: "Fuel, Oil, pressure greasing, water, anti-freese compressed air, towing, beacon and flood light service for airplanes on American landing fields, now is furnished by a fleet of Dodge Brothers’ two-ton trucks operated by the Shell Petroleum Co. Three of the trucks are shown here with the latest giant 32-passengers Fokker transport plane”. What a great plane and what great trucks. [caption id="attachment_3766" align="aligncenter" width="1141"] Fokker...
Europe’s first bridge drive in the air (?)
[caption id="attachment_3758" align="aligncenter" width="765"] Arrival passenger of the first bridge drive in the air in Europe. Photo: (Stadsarchief Amsterdam)[/caption] Today, just a short story. A first for KLM could be registered on Sunday, 2 June 1935, when the first bridge drive was organized on board the Fokker F XXXVI, PH-AJA Arend, while flying above the Netherlands. The airline had taken the initiative for this flight. Thirty-two of the best Dutch bridge players, among them the brothers Goudsmit, were invited to join. They departed at 1530, and returned at 1700. Hendrik Hagenaar, the editor of the newspaper Het Vaderland, was...
Royal Capital Tour with ‘Raceren’
In 1920, Tancred Ibsen started an airline called AS Aero. He purchased, among others, a Hansa Brandenburg W29, registered it as N.5 and was soon nick-named 'Raceren' - the racer. Ibsen had a good relationship with the newspapers in Norway. Of course, there was a win-win-situation, as he benefited from publicity in the newspaper about him and his seaplanes, and the newspaper had good stories to write about. The national newspaper Aftenposten came up with a good idea. In July, the newspaper asked Ibsen, if he was interested in making a bet: tour within 24 hours along the royal capitals...
Junkers Ju 52/3m – Success beyond the Luftwaffe
I have been interviewed by Christian Kamhaug for their Podcast called flypodden.no. The interview starts at the 40th minutt: Junkers Ju 52/3m - Success beyond the Luftwaffe [caption id="attachment_3151" align="alignleft" width="367"] This iconic thrre-engined aircraft deserved this book with a main focus on the non-Luftwaffe operators, both civil and military. But also the operation of the military type in Germany before 1935 has been described.[/caption]
Imperial Airways and the most beautiful Speedbird of the sky!
By: Rob Mulder - fleet information via Malcolm Fillmore For: www.europeanairlines.no De Havilland Ltd. designer Arthur E. Hagg designed one of the most beautiful aerodynamically airplanes of the pre-war era. But, as with the German Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor, the Second World War limited the civil use of the aircraft. On 20 May 1937, the prototype of the D.H.91 Albatross, marked “E.2.”, took to the air with the personnel of the factory witnessing the event. Before the war, the delivered aircraft had a good flying record and were a treat to look at. Check this link as well: https://youtu.be/6Q_zNrj0GpM [caption...