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Aviation History
1931
1931 - 0034.PDF
FLIGHT, JANUARY 9, 1931 All IE TRANSPORT TOWARDS AUSTRALIA The Dutch Make a Good Start By M. LANGLEY, A.M.I.Ae.E., A.M.Inst.N.A. THE work of the K.L.M. (Royal Dutch Air Lines)in Europe is well known. On their routes fromAmsterdam to London, Paris, Berlin and Malmo, theDutch have built up a reputation for safety, efficiency, and comfort which is worthy of a much larger and morepowerful nation. In England we hear much on the subject of Imperial•communications and of the value of fast air transport to the Empire. So far ,*e operate a weekly service to India,and a branch line to South Africa is shortly to be opened. The Dutch also have distant and important territorieshalf-way round the world, and the similarity of their problem is of interest. The Dutch East Indies provide one of themost important sources of rubber, oil, and rare metals in the world. They cover 736,400 square miles of territory andhave a population of over 50,000,000. Their distance from •the mother country is of the order of 8,000 miles.t» This route; is not only of considerable importance to Holland, but, as may be seen from the accompanying map, it follows the main airway to Australia, for the greater partbeing the same as that being developed by Imperial Airways, while the recently opened French line to Saigon also fallsalong the greater part of the same route. I was recently given the opportunity of discussing thematter with Mr. A. Plesman, managing director of the K.L.M., and with several other officials of the company, includingMr. P. Guilonard, the chief engineer, and Mr. L. F. Bouman, manager of the Waalhaven air port, and the following briefnotes concerning K.L.M. activities to and in the East Indies will, I hope, be of interest to FLIGHT readers.Official interest in an air mail and passenger service to the Indies was first taken in 1919, when commissions wereset up in Holland and Batavia to make reports. Their findings were entirely favourable, but no subsidy was securedFurther unsuccessful efforts were made in 1923 to start. and in 1924 the flight of Mr. Van der Hoop from Holland tothe Indies renewed the public interest. In 1927 the Royal Dutch Indian Airways (K.N.I.L.M.) was formed to operate THE START : The Fokker F.VII (Rolls-Royce " Eagle IX "), piloted by van der Hoop, leaving Amsterdamin November, 1924, on the first experimental flight to Batavia, Dutch East Indies. The route followed was much the same as that now used on the regular service, shown in the map at the top of this page. 36
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