The next day Shaw flew back to London, now with a letter from the Amsterdam Mayor for his London collegae.
The plane and its crew had been contracted from the English company Aircraft Transport and Travel. In those early days, flying was a real adventure. Passengers were seated in the open cockpit of a plane that flew at an altitude of about 300 metres, where turbulence is not uncommon.
The pilots had a fairly reliable navigation system: they simply kept an eye on church steeples, railroad tracks and other topographical features.
These early flights attracted few passengers, and the Management Board therefore advised Plesman to advertise more regularly.
In this period the theme Flying Dutchman was invented.
In july 1920, an airmail service was started between Amsterdam and London. As was the case with previous flights, this service began on a trial basis.
Several other services were initiated, f.i. the service from Amsterdam-Bremen-Hamburg (see listing in this advertisement).
In september 1920 services were started at four places in three countries, KLM had 12 employees.
Fleat excisted of two DH-9 and two Fokker F II aircrafts.
The Fokker FII was brand new and a sensation,