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 Segrave II. Photo from: The National Library of Australia

The RY-3 was a transport version of the PB4Y Privateer. Like the earlier C-87 / RY-2 Liberator Express, it had surprisingly serious problems and most of the 34 RY-3s built were disposed of to the Royal Air Force, receiving the Liberator C.IX designation but seeing only brief service from February 1945 until April 1946. This airframe, BuNo 90021 which became the RAF's JT973, was transferred to the RCAF as an ice research aircraft named Rockcliffe Ice Wagon, escaping the wrecker until 1949. Photo from: US Navy

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 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 pilot 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. It was sold as OK-BAK to the Bata family and later to ČSA. The Czechoslovak airline used it on its Adriatic Express service from Sušak near Rijeka to Split and sometimes Dubrovnik. The hull is preserved at Kbely. This photograph was taken by KLM Fototechnische Dienst, photo number GF1807. 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 the Dutch East Indies 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 could carried four to six passengers on the 15,000-km route in addition to the mail. PH-AIV Valk (falcon) has been put up horizontally for an inspection by Queen Wilhelmina. The comfy chairs, courtesy suitcases and catering provisions are also on display 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 vacant lot 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 back to Germany in February 1931 it made 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

The very end of Dutch rule in the Far 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

Speed or comfort? Announced together with the luxurious F.XXXVI (F.36) in December 1932, the F.XX (F.20) was the only prewar Fokker airliner with retractable landing gear. Like its big sister, it was not ordered in series by KLM which opted for the metal DC-2. The only example, KLM's Zilvermeeuw (herring gull) is best known for going tech on 18 December 1933, an F.XVIII, PH-AIP Pelikaan, making a hyped Christmas mail flight to the Netherlands East Indies instead. Despite carrying the legend Holland-Java on its belly, the F.XX served on European routes. It ended up with the Spanish airline LAPE and crashed at Barcelona - El Prat in February 1938. Photo from: Nederlands Instituut voor Militaire Historie

One of a few oddballs in the KLM fleet by Koolhoven, the other Dutch manufacturer. The FK.40 was a domestic airliner designed to carry up to six passengers, but the sole example was given a spacious interior for four. It was sold to a private pilot in 1936 and ended up in the Spanish Civil War. Photo from: ETH-Bibliothek Zürich

VH-UHT seen here at Archerfield ahead of the 1936 air race to Adelaide - Parafield with its race number, 22. It had been G-AUHT registered in 1928 and reregistered in 1932. Crashed at Kadina, South Australia, on May 15, 1937. Photo from: State Library of Queensland