1933>

Priceless

A ticket to the East Indies was by no means cheap in those days. In 1933, a one way ticket cost 1.750 guilders, and the price was simply doubled for a return ticket. Ajusted to today's rates, a ticket from Amsterdam to Jakarta would cost over 20.000 Euro's!

However, it bears mentioning that the journey was in fact a 14-days tour with full amenities, sleeping in the finest hotels available.

The Airline's fleet had consisted mainly of Fokkers, constructed of wood, linen and tubing. Negotiations between the two companies were sometimes laborious, because Albert Plesman and KLM management did not always see eye-to-eye with Anthony Fokker.

In 1933, Plesman got wind of a completely new type of aircraft and went to take a look: it was made entirely of metal.

During the 1930s, this prototype was developed further by the Boeing and Douglas aircraft factories.

Plesman later visited the Douglas factory to gather information about the new DC-2 and ordered the first metal plane at the end of 1933.

Plesman and Fokker subsequently became involved in a tussle over who would be licensed to build the plane in the Netherlands. Fokker ebentually obtained the rights, which did little to improve the relationship between the two men.

 

 

Captain Iwan Smirnoff, Co-pilot Piet Soer, Flight engineer Sjef Grosveld and Radio Operator Cees van Beukering, flying the Fokker F-XVIII 'Pelican'The spectacular return of the Pelican, december 1933

The crew of the Pelican, Piet Soer, C.H. van Beukering, J.M.H. Grosfeld en Iwan SmirnoffThe crew of the Pelican listening to the many speeches on Schiphol, after their difficult but save landing

The new Fokker FXX would fly this superfast Christmas postservice. However, on the moment of departure a enginefailure occured. Plesman then decided to choose for the slower but reliable FXVIII Pelican (Pelikaan)

The new Fokker FXX would fly this superfast Christmas postservice. However, on the moment of departure a enginefailure occured. Plesman then decided to choose for the slower but reliable FXVIII Pelican (Pelikaan)

Fokker F 20

Fokker F.XVIII Pelican. In the front the Snip, which made a succesfull flight to the Dutch West Indies in 1934

The year of the Pelican

During a special Christmas flight in December 1933, Captain Iwan Smirnoff, Co-pilot Piet Soer, Flight engineer Sjef Grosveld and Radio Operator Cees van Beukering, flying the Fokker F-XVIII 'Pelican', set a new record for the flight to Batavia: four days, four hours and 35 minutes.

They provided this record by ten minutes on the return journey and got a glorious welcome at Schiphol.

 

 

The crew of the Pelican listening to the many speeches on Schiphol, after their difficult but save landing

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Promotional articel to rember the flight

Well done Pelican!