The 'Snip' is famous for operating the first transatlantic flight for KLM. Between 15-22 December 1934, it flew the routing Amsterdam - Marseille, Alicante, Casablanca, Porto Praia, Paramaribo, La Guaira, Curaçao. Covering 10488 km in 54h27. For support, the Dutch Navy submarine "K XVIII" and ships "Stuyvesant" and "Van Renelaer" were based in the Atlantic Ocean. The aircraft stayed at the Antilles and was reregistered PJ-AIS in February 1936 to KLM West-Indisch Bedrijf. Written off in April 1948 and used as fire trainer. At upload, the cockpit section still preserved at the Curacao museum. Location unknown, although likely to be Curacao.

Registered to KLM in late February 1929 and damaged in a storm near Haamstede on July 15, 1936. The registration was cancelled on August 7, 1936 and the aircraft was scrapped. Parts were said to be sold to Air France.

Belly titles are not a modern invention - KLM aircraft on the East Indies route carried the legend 'Holland-Java'. A reliable but conservative type, the F.XVIII (F.18) was replaced on this route by the DC-2. Snip then made the first flight by a Dutch aircraft to the West Indies, crossing the Atlantic between Praia and Paramaribo. Ironically this was in fact a ferry flight, relegating the Fokker to KLM's West Indies branch as PJ-AIS. Photo from: Leiden Photo University Libraries

This early F.VII was displayed by Anthony Fokker at Croydon in 1925. It then had a Napier Lion engine. Bought by KLM it received a Bristol Jupiter and here it has an unusual tailfin shape. Also the rudder appears to be red, white and blue. Sister aircraft H-NACJ is known to have had this too in 1926, but the Dutch army disapproved of this for civil aircraft. The provisional Bessonneau hangar was replaced by a permanent Hangar B after a whirlwind destroyed it in 1928. Photo by: Jacob Gerrit van Es / Erfgoed Leiden en Omstreken

Nice prop blur and a nice catch for Mr Hahn, although he left the unique Fokker F.XX unidentified in the German archive. Note the removal of the aircraft's wheel doors in comparison with our earlier photo. Photo by: Walter Hahn / SLUB / Deutsche Fotothek

A KLM DC-3 framed with three DC-2s, PH-AKN, -R and -S. Note the word 'Amsterdam' on the platform, and the modern spelling IJ rather than Y in the titles of the DC-3. PH-AKS was badly damaged on 28 October 1938. It was eventually repaired but only to be requisitioned for Lufthansa by the Germans, as was PH-AKR. AKN and ARX were destroyed by bombing here on 10 May 1940. Photo from: Amsterdam City Archives

This really is the former OY-ASE.

Dutch crown princess Juliana on her way to Surinam (Dutch Guyana) in 1943, escorted by an American B-25 and a Dutch one, 42-65102. PJ-AIM was delivered to KLM's West Indies branch in July 1938. Retired in 1948 and dumped into sea in 1949. Photo from: Nationaal Archief (Netherlands)

This was to have been the first DC-5 for KLM, but PH-AXA "Alk" was not taken up. On 8 May 1940, shortly before the German invasion in Holland, this aircraft arrived at Curaçao on delivery to KLM's West Indies branch as PJ-AIW "Wakago". It was transferred to KNILM in the East Indies as PK-ADC in June 1941. Flown to Australia in early March 1942 and transferred to USAAF two months later. Damaged beyond repair in an emergency landing at the Lurnea Siding Airstrip near Charleville, QLD on 6 Nov 1942. Scrapped on site in May 1943. Photo from: San Diego Air & Space Museum

Painted as PH-APM, but is really the ex N213GB.

Painted as PH-APM, but is really the ex N213GB.

Somewhat backlit to get a shot of this side of the new DC-3 in the miniature city of Madurodam theme park. This DC-3 originally N213GB was rescued from Florida in 2018. Some pictures of the airplane there are available on this website too. Search the web for the blog of the "Dakota Hunter" to read his story about the journey of this aircraft.

New in the miniature city of Madurodam theme park in the city of The Hague is this fully restored DC-3. In the future it will offer "flights" over the miniature town, in a mechanical way. It looks like a large jack will lift the fuselage. This feature is not yet ready. The DC-3 is ex N213GB which was transported by boat from Florida in late 2018. The fake registration PH-APM refers to Albert Plesman, founder of KLM in 1919, over 100 years ago. Note for photographers, it is pretty difficult to get the registration in on this side, which has the afternoon sun. Bring a long lens to allow a distant shot.

Not one of Van de Poll's best photos, but it shows Hedon airfield which was a stop on the KLM route to Liverpool in 1934-1935. It then fell into disuse. Military use was avoided because of its proximity to the petrochemical industry at Salt End; is that what we see on the far left? Photo by: Willem van de Poll / Nationaal Archief (Netherlands)

KLM image. Crashed Curacao on August 13, 1948. Photo from: Civil Aviation Historical Society, Melbourne, Australia

Ex. OY-DED, SE-ASE and OY-ASE. It was later acquired by Fokker and the KLM, to be displayed at the Aviodrome in Lelystad as "H-NACT". The aircraft was never owned or operated by KLM. Currently displayed as H-NADP at the Aviodrome.

On the road - a KLM DC-2 on the East Indies route. Karachi's airport, across the road from RAF Drigh Road, developed from a never used station for British airships in the 1930s. Photo by: Arnold Heim / ETH-Bibliothek Zürich

Destroyed in an air raid on Schiphol on May 10, 1940.

KLM had 7 Fokker VIII's in their fleet, with the first one arriving on June 24, 1927. They were used exclusively on the European routes. The PH-AED was exported to Venezuela on March 10, 1938. PH-AEF became G-AEPT on November 11, 1936 (wfu at Gatwick in May 1938, scrapped afterwards). PH-AEG became SE-AEB (later Tp.10/916) on October 19, 1934. PH-AEH was cancelled on November 9, 1936. PH-AEI was cancelled on November 28, 1936 and became G-AEPU, SE-AHA, OH-FOA and FE-1. Written off in Latva on September 27, 1941.

This old lady started her life in the USAF as 42-92298, became FZ549 in the RAF and then moved on to civilian duties. Those duties started with a transfer to KLM in 1947 and in 1949 it got registered as PH-TDV, was reregistered PH-UEV for a brief while before becoming PH-DAV (also with KLM). After that, she went to Itavia as I-TAVE and she ended her life with Pluna as CX-BDA. She never flew for Pluna, but was used for spare parts and is subsequently scrapped now.