A Fokker T.IV of the original series, with Lorraine-Dietrich engines and open crew positions, over the Madura Strait, off Java. The T.IV was intended mainly for anti-shipping missions, having an internal bomb bay for four 200-kg bombs; the Dornier Wal flying boat could not have bomb doors. Photo from: Nederlands Instituut voor Militaire Historie

First flown on 9 September 1939, the prototype of the Vultee V-48 / P-66 Vanguard fighter initially had a pointed nose housing an R-1830 radial engine, which overheated, and a normal radial cowling was fitted instead. The type also had stability issues. A Swedish order for 144 Vanguards was embargoed and 129 of these were sent to China via Karachi, although only 79 reached Chengdu to see action with the Chinese air force. Photo from: San Diego Air & Space Museum

Destroyed in a midair collision with Moth VH-UIQ over Rocklea in Brisbane on August 8, 1937. -UIE had arrived in Australia in 1929 and was originally G-AUIE ahead of British Empire nations receiving their own prefixes. Photo from: State Library of Queensland

Conceived by racing car driver, pilot and water speed record holder Henry Segrave, the Meteor G-AAXP was built by Saunders-Roe at Cowes in 1930. It was cancelled from the register as destroyed in September 1932. Two versions with metal fuselages were completed by Blackburn as Blackburn CA18 Segraves. A third one was used to test a tubular spar wing as the CA20 Seagrave II. Photo from: The National Library of Australia

The sole FK.48 was the last airliner built for KLM by the artisanal Koolhoven company, using a surplus FK.40 wing which was literally sawn in halves, interlinked in a gull shape and supported by four struts. Nicknamed 'Ajax', PH-AJX could carry six passengers in KLM service and was mainly used on the Amsterdam-Eindhoven route until it was relegated to sightseeing, air taxi and training duties. Photo from: Ruud van Ommeren collection

Klemm Kl 35 with wheel spats and covered front cockpit visiting Soesterberg military airfield. D-EYFE was registered to the manufacturer for some time. No other details known. Photo from: Nederlands Instituut voor Militaire Historie

The Dornier Do 217E-1 entered service in late 1940. A development of the Do 17, the Do 217 was classed as a heavy bomber by the Luftwaffe. This new aircraft carries its factory callsign TC-ZK. Photo from: Nederlands Instituut voor Militaire Historie

Crashed at Canberra on 29 November 1940. It had been in Australia for two years. Photo from: National Library of Australia

It is said that 90,000 people turned out for the XC-99's first flight. This transport derivative of the B-36 bomber never made much sense, and the wheel pressure caused by the original undercarriage even ensured there were very few places it could fly to! Its last flight was on 19 March 1957, following which it was preserved at Kelly AFB in San Antonio, TX. It was acquired by the USAF Museum in 1993, but it took 15 years before the aircraft was actually moved to their main facility in Dayton, OH, in early 2008. In 2012 the disassembled XC-99 was moved again, this time to Davis-Monthan AFB in Arizona for storage. It is said that restoration could take more than 30 years. Photo from: Nederlands Instituut voor Militaire Historie

One of only two Super Electras briefly operated by KLM in Europe, Ekster (magpie) arrived in Rotterdam on 10 March 1938 and crashed near Schiphol during a training flight on 9 December 1938. The four crew were all killed. The accident investigation blamed the experienced instructor for turning off the starboard engine too soon after take-off, while the trainee had only one hour on the type. Photo from: Amsterdam City Archives

The Saro A.19 Cloud was an enlarged derivative of the A.17 Cutty Sark. This airframe, powered by Armstrong Siddeley Serval III engines, is seen during a European sales tour. This particular example was sold in Czechoslovakia as OK-BAK, and its fuselage was later preserved at Kbely. Photo from: Amsterdam City Archives

Beautiful night shot by professional photographer Van de Poll. Havik (Hawk) served KLM from 1932 until 1936. To British Airways on 31 October 1936 as G-AEOT but already lost three weeks later. Photo by: Willem van de Poll / Nationaal Archief (Netherlands)

Crashed into Mount Dandenong near Melbourne on October 25, 1938 while with ANA. Photo from: State Library of Queensland

KLM opened its scheduled intercontinental service to Batavia (Jakarta) in 1930 on a fortnightly basis with the Fokker F.VIIb/3m. From 1 October 1931 it was flown weekly in both directions by the new Fokker F.XII, which carried four to six passengers on the route in addition to the mail. PH-AIV Valk (falcon) has been put up horizontally for an inspection by Queen Wilhelmina. The comfy chairs and the catering provisions are also displayed outside for the media, including the Polygoon cinema newsreel. Photo from: Amsterdam City Archives

This new Junkers Junior had made an emergency landing on a construction site in Amsterdam on 15 March 1930 due to a lack of fuel. It could be flown out but had this take-off accident at Schiphol the next day. G-AATH was not registered until 24 March. Sold to Germany in February 1931 it made yet another emergency landing in Holland on 20 February, at Numansdorp. Photo from: Amsterdam City Archives

VH-UOK being transported back to Archerfield after a rebuild at the home of the owner Andrew Gersckowski. The aircraft had crashed at Ingham on October 8, 1938, killing the pilot and passenger. It was sold to Australian National Airways in November 1939 and impressed by the RAAF in July 1940 as A7-103. Reduced to spares after a crash landing at Archerfield in January 1941. Photo from: State Library of Queensland

Prototype of the large twin-engined F.VIII airliner which had a 12-passenger interior in KLM service. It crashed near Sevenoaks, England after less than two months with the airline in 1927, but the company still ordered six production aircraft to serve its busiest European routes. Photo from: Nederlands Instituut voor Militaire Historie

Owned by movie mogul Hal Roach. Shipped to Australia and taken by barge to tiny Anderson Park. Flown from the park to Sydney (Mascot) Airport. The Lockheed Sirius Lady Southern Cross took off from the same park in 1934. NC12229 was flown across Australia then on to China and Africa. Crashed at Victoria Falls , Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) on November 11, 1932. Photo from: National Library of Australia

KLM's first multi-engined aircraft, the large FK.33 was designed by Frits Koolhoven for the NVI company. It was intended for evening services manned by two pilots and a radio operator. The three engines were uncovered. The pusher engine on the wing was not an afterthought although the aircraft did initially fly with two engines. Note the ladder behind the cabin. Seen here over Rotterdam with the Katendrecht peninsula in the foreground, 'Dikke Dirk' (Fat Derek) was not a succes and only flew 85 hours in KLM service between December 1925 and mid-1927 when it was sold to Germany as D-1250 and registered with the cn as 501, later changed to 1001. Photo from: Ruud van Ommeren collection

The very end of Dutch rule in the East. Hunters N-108 and N-135 of 322 squadron taxiing out at Mokmer airfield for a goodbye flight over Biak, New Guinea. These Mk.4 Hunters have the sawtooth wing leading edge modification. N-273, a Mk.6, is in the shelter on the right. Photo from: Nederlands Instituut voor Militaire Historie