92 years back in time: Flying with KLM in a Fokker (video)
(Logtnest/Shutterstock.com)
Many of us have flown with KLM to Bangkok or from Bangkok to Amsterdam. What some people don't know is that KLM is the oldest airline in the world. The Netherlands has therefore played an important role in the history of aviation. For example, Anthony Fokker (1890 – 1939) was a famous Dutch aviation pioneer and aircraft manufacturer. The aircraft company Fokker is named after him.
On Tuesday, October 7, 1919, the 'Royal Aviation Company for the Netherlands and Colonies' was founded in The Hague. On 12 September 1919, Queen Wilhelmina granted KLM the designation 'Royal'. The first KLM office was opened on 21 October 1919 on Herengracht in The Hague. This makes KLM the oldest airline operating under its original name.
KLM's first commercial flight was operated on May 17, 1920 from London to Amsterdam. In the years that followed, the fleet grew with its own aircraft, mostly Fokker aircraft, and more and more European destinations were flown.
KLM first flew to Batavia on October 1, 1924, in what was then the Dutch East Indies, now Jakarta in Indonesia. It was the longest scheduled flight before World War II. During this period, KLM grew into the third largest airline in the world, after Pan American Airways and Imperial Airways.
Video of a KLM flight in 1929
It is therefore nice to go back in time and fly in 1929 with KLM in a Fokker F.VII aircraft from Amsterdam to Paris. No long check-in times, no conveyor belts, no gates, no baggage drop-off points, no queuing, no security check, no jumbos, but instead just a simple boarding ladder to board the plane with your suitcase in hand and join the other six passengers to add.
Aircraft at that time were noisy, cold, jerky and could only fly at low altitudes due to the lack of a pressurized cabin. The seats were made of cane and the only entertainment was the flight attendant trying to serve coffee while trying to keep her balance.
The original black and white film is now digitally stabilized, speed corrected and colorized. In short, a wonderful insight into a piece of history and especially Dutch Glory.
Watch the video here:
Nice video. Five different Breeders seen, namely: PH-AEZ, PH-AEH, PG-AGA, PH-AEF and PH AED.
For many years flown with breeder from Brussels, there used to be no direct flight to Bangkok, first had to go via Amsterdam.
Never flown with a Fokker and the first photo posted in this article is a DC 3 in the 50s widely used by KLM.
Flying with KLM in the 50s from Schiphol to Djakarta with a DC 3 was an unprecedented experience for me as a toddler. Seating was in 4 chairs facing each other and at a table in the middle. Many overnight stays during the journey ie from Schiphol – Rome (day1) – Damascus, Tehran, Bombay, Ceylon, etc. until the last day from Singapore to the destination Jakarta. There was only flying during the day below 10.000 m (no pressurized cabin) and through a lot of storms. In any case, turbulence was impressive at the time. In the afternoon after arrival, all passengers with the crew boarded the same bus to the same hotel and the next morning the same ritual back to the airport for the next adventure.
Jet lag did not exist then.
for those interested: There has just been a very nice exciting series on BVN about the history of Fokker, so that much of what you write was recognizable to me from the film…
The Flying Dutchman, well worth seeing, especially for those interested in aviation