1934 KLM’s first Transatlantic flight

[Bernard]

Mid December 1934 a very special flight departed from Schiphol. At ten minutes past midnight, the triple-engine Fokker F-XVIII “Snip” took off with a four-man crew on board. Their final destination was the Antillean island of Aruba. To get there they would have to cross the Atlantic Ocean. They would be the first KLM crew to do so, opening transatlantic service to the Dutch colonies in “the West”. Their journey was a true adventure, not least because the last and longest leg of the voyage went over sea. A thrilling endeavour, which had taken several years to prepare.

Others had crossed the Atlantic by then, of course, but KLM would be the first to fly from Porto Praia on the Cape Verdes Islands to Paramaribo in Suriname. The aircraft was fully equipped for the long-haul crossing. The entire interior had been completely stripped and even the windows had been replaced with linen sheets. This made the plane lighter, allowing eight extra fuel tanks to be installed, providing 3,500 litres of fuel, increasing the Fokker’s maximum range to 4,600 kilometres.

The plane had also been equipped with a radio, but KLM wanted to be absolutely sure that the long flight would be completed without a hitch. KLM therefore contacted the Royal Netherlands Steamboat Company, which had several ships that regularly sailed close to the route the Snip would be taking.

While the flight have been achieved Just some few weeks before Christmas, the Snip carried no fewer than 26,521 packages and letters. Christmas mail was part of a broader publicity campaign surrounding the flight, which was advertised as a great opportunity to send season’s greetings to Venezuela, Suriname and Curacao.

(Source: blog.klm.com/klms-first-transatlantic-flight/)


Here how the flight could appeared, even if the original PH-AIS has to be replaced by the model PH-AFV:


Approaching Alicante after a stopover at Marseille during the night




and doing a further stopover there.
.



On final at Casablanca Anfra during stormy weahter




and among French aircraft stationed at Morocco.
.



Flying over Suriname River while reaching the South American continent at Paramaribo




and landing on a strip which becomes later Zanderji Airport.




The Dutch Fokker flying over Essequibo River Delta




and Orinoco affluents.
.



Taxiing out after the sixth stopover at Caracas



and finally approaching Hato field at Curaçao.




BTW, this first KLM Transatlantic flight occured ten years after the first KLM intercontinental flight from Amsterdam to Batavia in 1924.


Bernard