BLUEGRASS AIRLINES

October 2009

KLM at 90

By Allan Lowson

KLM (Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij – Royal Aviation Company) was founded on October 7^th. 1919. It is therefore the longest continually operating airline in the world. Apart from services within Europe, KLM were very early to start services to Dutch colonies in the Far East, within five years of being founded, and also across the Caribbean. As some of these routes were long and the aircraft slow, we will be taking sections of some of the longer routes to enable us to get a flavour of the extent of KLM history.

We will take a trip through the history of KLM propliners from the DH-16, which operated the first flight in May 1920 through some of the Fokker, Douglas and Lockheed airliners that followed.

Albert Pliesman was the driving force within KLM from the earliest days and always sought out the best aircraft for his airline. As a result KLM were the first European operators of both the DC-2 and DC-3 in the 1930s.

The DC-2 has a particular historic link with KLM as ‘Uiver’ was entered in the MacRobertson Race from Mildenhall to Melbourne in October 1934, 75 years ago this month, and came second only to an aircraft designed for the race, the de Havilland D.H.88. Winner of the handicap section, and second fastest with a flying time of 81 hours 10 minutes, the Douglas DC2 was entered by KLM to show that passenger air travel could be comfortable, safe and reliable. The crew were Parmentier, Moll, Prins and Van Brugge and the aircraft was carrying three passengers.

We have details of scheduled flights from 1919 to 1966, and finally a charter route from 2009 using the last Fokker (turbo)prop airliner in KLM service.

Although we have listed aircraft that flew each route at the date mentioned, it would be perfectly appropriate to use the default DC-3 for all the routes as it will have covered them at one time or another.

1920 First Service de Havilland D.H.16 (Holland-UK)

The first service flown by KLM was between Amsterdam and London using a chartered de Havilland D.H.16 from the British airline AT&T. The D.H.16 is available from www.flightsim.com in dh-16.zip for FS2004.

At the time international flights were operating from the newly opened Croydon Airport. The nearest default airport is Biggin Hill, but if you have the Vintage London Airways package vla.zip, which is available from www.flightsim.com, then you can substitute that airport. At the time flights over open water were kept to the shortest possible route or avoided, and therefore the route below passes over navaids that did not exist at the time. In practice pilots took road maps and navigated by towns and visible features.

Heading	Distance	Down	City Name	ICAO	Up	Heading	Distance
226	0	0810	Amsterdam	EHAM	1610ar		77.3
249	77.3		COA VOR	(110.05)		045	66.9
323	66.9		ING NDB	(387.0)		068	22.1
285	22.1		DVR VOR	(114.95)		143	50.9
	50.9	1010ar	London	EGKB	1410	105	0

1921 Amsterdam – Paris Route Fokker FII (Holland-Belgium-France)

In 1921 KLM started operations with their own aircraft beginning with the Fokker FII. The FII is available from www.flightsim.com in fokker02.zip for FS2004. The sim model has very optimistic flight dynamics, which should help us keep the following schedule from 1921. This came from a company history of Fokker Commercial aircraft. I’m fairly sure these are local times, but lack the Dutch to translate the timetable!

Heading	Distance	Down	City Name	ICAO	Up	Heading	Distance
215	0	0900	Amsterdam	EHAM	1605ar		23.7
	23.7	0930ar	Rotterdam	EHRD	1535	034	0
181	0	0945	Rotterdam	EHRD	1520ar		63.4
	63.4	1025ar	Brussels	EBBR	1400	001	0
217	0	1110	Brussels	EBBR	1315		141.5
	141.5	1325ar	Paris	LFPB	1100	036	0

1926 Rotterdam - Malmo Route Fokker FVIIa (Holland-Germany-Denmark-Sweden)

This route and times were taken from the 1926 timetable of Bjorn Larsson on www.timetableimages.com.

The Fokker FVIIa H-NACT shown in the timetable is available from www.flightsim.com in fviia_v2.zip for FS2004 and fviiv21.zip for FSX. This route was also served by the FVIIb/3m in later years. This is available in f7b_klm2.zip for both FS2004 and FSX.

Heading	Distance	Down	City Name	ICAO	Up	Heading	Distance
032	0	1210	Rotterdam	EHRD	1445ar		24.7
	24.7	1240ar	Amsterdam	EHAM	1415	213	0
068	0	1300	Amsterdam	EHAM	1345ar		204.7
	204.7	1510ar	Hamburg	EDDH	1135	250	0
037	0	1540	Hamburg	EDDH	1105ar		151.0
	151.0	1725ar	Copenhagen	EKCH	0905	218	0
102	0	1740	Copenhagen	EKCH	0845ar		25.2
	25.2	1755	Malmo	ESMS	0830	283	0

1934 Rotterdam - Athens Route Fokker FXII (Holland-Germany-Hungary-Greece)

In the ‘30s the winter weather conditions in Eastern Europe were considered unsafe for the aircraft of the time. Therefore the route to the Far East went through France and Italy to Greece in the winter months. We will follow the route to Athens along the summer route.

This route was taken from the 1934 timetable of Bjorn Larsson on www.timetableimages.com, and also a book issued to passengers on the KLM Far East route in the mid 30s. My copy came from Thomas Cooks in Rangoon.

The Fokker FXII is available from www.flightsim.com in f12_v20.zip for FS2004 and FSX. This route was previously served by the FVIIb/3m. This is available in f7b_klm2.zip for both FS2004 and FSX. The route was later covered by the DC-2 and DC-3.

The DC-2 is available for FS2004 and FSX in a payware package from the Uiver team at http://home.hccnet.nl/r.cappers/dc2/.

Heading	Distance	Down	City Name	ICAO	Up	Heading	Distance
100	0	Thurs	Amsterdam	EHAM	Thurs		281.1
	281.1		Halle/Leipzig	EDDP		283	0
135	0		Halle/Leipzig	EDDP			110.4
	110.4		Prague	LKPR		315	0
126	0		Prague	LKPR			254.1
	254.1	Thurs	Budapest	LHBP		308	0
162	0		Budapest	LHBP	Wed		163.1
	163.1		Belgrade	LYBE		342	0
154	0		Belgrade	LYBE			444.8
	444.8	Fri	Athens	LGAV	Wed	337	0

1940 Lydd - Bahrein Route DC-3 (Palestine- Bahrain)

This route was taken from the 1940 timetable on www.timetableimages.com. During the wartime occupation of Holland services from Europe ceased. Management of KLM transferred to the US and services operated from Lydd in Palestine to the Far East until the Pacific War cut off the Dutch East Indies too. For the balance of the war KLM services solely operated in the Caribbean.

A texture set for the default DC-3 is available from www.flightsim.com in KLM-DC-3.zip for FS2004. There are also a number of texture sets for the payware MAAM SIM DC-3 including dc3pkalw.zip which covers the time and route we have here.

Heading	Distance	Down	City Name	ICAO	Up	Heading	Distance
075	0	0800	Lydd	LLBG	1700ar		477.7
	477.7	1100ar	Baghdad	ORBS	1400	260	0
128	0	1130	Baghdad	ORBS	1330ar		238.0
	238.0	1415ar	Basra	ORMM	1245	310	0
145	0	1445	Basra	ORMM	1215ar		301.4
	301.4	1700ar	Bahrain	OBBL	1000	327	0

1947 Curacao – Aruba – Barranquilla – San Jose Route DC-4 (Antilles-Aruba-Columbia-Costa Rica)

This route was taken from the 1947 timetable on www.timetableimages.com.

The route was flown by the DC5 in 1939 and 1940, before the aircraft were shipped to KNILM in the Far East. We covered the DC-5 in KNILM service in an earlier feature. The DC-5 is available from www.flightsim.com in dougdc5.zip for FS2004. The route was flown by DC-3 in 1945 and then later by DC-4. The DC-4 is available in dv4_v21.zip for both FS2004 and FSX, with a texture for KLM in phtar.zip amongst others.

Heading	Distance	Down	City Name	ICAO	Up	Heading	Distance
294	0	0545	Curacao	TNCC	2155ar		65.5
	65.5	0620ar	Aruba	TNCA	2115	113	0
258	0	0645	Aruba	TNCA	2045ar		296.4
	296.4	0815ar	Baranquilla	SKBQ	1800	074	0
269	0	0840	Baranquilla	SKBQ	1730ar		558.0
	558.0	1135ar	San Jose	MROC	1220	081	0

1950s Amsterdam - Glasgow Route CV340 (Holland-UK)

This route was taken from the 1957 timetable on www.timetableimages.com.

The route was flown by the Convair CV340 in the 1950s, and was the first flight I took. The CV340 is available for FS2004 from www.calclassic.com and a KLM scheme is available for FS2002 from www.flightsim.com in CV340KL2.zip. The model for FS2002 differs from the FS2004 one, so to ensure it appears in FS2004 I made up an aircraft folder with the files in the CV340KL2 file, and then copied over the air file and aircraft.cfg technical data from the CV340 installation.

Heading	Distance	Down	City Name	ICAO	Up	Heading	Distance
304	0	1920	Amsterdam	EHAM	1245ar		382.2
	382.2	2145ar	Glasgow	EGPK	1030	124	0

1950s Amsterdam - Rome - Cairo Route Constellation (Holland-Italy-Egypt)

This route was taken from the 1947 timetable on www.timetableimages.com.

The route formed the first leg of the route to the Far East and was flown by the Constellation in the early 1950s, and was the second flight I took. The Constellation is available for FS2004 from www.flightsim.com in FSZDL049.zip and for FSX in CONFSX11.zip.

Heading	Distance	Down	City Name	ICAO	Up	Heading	Distance
154	0	0600	Amsterdam	EHAM	1630ar		698.1
	698.1	1230ar	Rome	LIRA	1200	336	0
120	0	1345	Rome	LIRA	1045ar		1161.0
	1161.0	2015ar	Cairo	HECA	0315	310	0

1957 Jakarta - Singapore - Bangkok Route Super Constellation (Indonesia-Singapore-Thailand)

This route was taken from the 1957 timetable on www.timetableimages.com.

The route formed the first leg of the route back to Europe from the Far East and was flown by the Super Constellation in 1957. The Super Constellation is available for FS2004 from www.flightsim.com in L1049G.zip and L1049G_U.zip. There is an additional KLM scheme in phlkw.zip.

Heading	Distance	Down	City Name	ICAO	Up	Heading	Distance
340	0	0630	Jakarta	WIII	1635ar		477.3
	477.3	0855ar	Singapore	WSSS	1410	160	0
345	0	0955	Singapore	WSSS	1255ar		778.7
	778.7	1300ar	Bangkok	VTBD	0850	165	0

1962 Miami - Curacao Route DC-6 (USA-Cuba-Jamaica-Aruba-Antilles)

This route was taken from the 1962 timetable on www.timetableimages.com.

The route was flown by the DC-6 in 1962. The DC-6 is available for FS2004 in DC6_V20.zip, with KLM textures in KLMDC6.zip, and for FSX in DC6_V20X.zip, with KLM textures in KLMDC6X.zip.

Heading	Distance	Down	City Name	ICAO	Up	Heading	Distance
218	0	1040	Miami	KMIA	1820ar		204.3
	204.3	1200ar	Havana	MUHA	1705	035	0
134	0	1235	Havana	MUHA	1635ar		437.8
	437.8	1450ar	Kingston	MKJP	1425	318	0
132	0	1520	Kingston	MKJP	1355ar		509.7
	509.7	1820ar	Aruba	TNCA	1205	317	0
113	0	1850	Aruba	TNCA	1135ar		65.5
	65.5	1925ar	Curacao	TNCC	1100	294	0

1962 Amsterdam - Milan Route DC-7C (Holland-Italy)

This route was taken from the 1962 timetable on www.timetableimages.com.

This route was flown by the DC-7C in 1962. The DC-7 is available from www.calclassic.com with a KLM texture set from www.flightsim.com in DC7C_KLM.zip. The panel and sound aliases in the KLM package should be copied over from the Calclassic installation for the best results.

Heading	Distance	Down	City Name	ICAO	Up	Heading	Distance
157	0	1005	Amsterdam	EHAM	1725ar		447.8
	447.8	1220ar	Milan	LIML	1505	337	0

1966 Amsterdam - Stuttgart Route DC-7F (Holland-Germany)

This route was taken from the 1966 timetable on www.timetableimages.com.

By 1966 the jet engine had taken over the prime passenger routes, with the piston powered aircraft consigned to freight duties. This route was flown by the DC-7F in 1966. The DC-7 is available from www.calclassic.com with a KLM texture from www.flightsim.com in DC7C_KLM.zip. The panel and sound aliases in the KLM package should be copied over from the Calclassic installation for the best results.

Heading	Distance	Down	City Name	ICAO	Up	Heading	Distance
143	0	1045	Amsterdam	EHAM	0105ar		274.3
	274.3	1320ar	Stuttgart	EDDS	2200	323	0

2009 Amsterdam – St Gallen Charter Route Fokker F50 (Holland-Switzerland)

KLM Cityhopper is the part of KLM that used to serve internal routes within Holland, but is now the charter element of the company. This route is taken from the KLM website and is one of the charters available using the turboprop Fokker F50, which has now been withdrawn from scheduled services. Being a charter flight you can leave and return whenever you like.

The F50 is available from www.flightsim.com in SGA50KLM.zip. A panel alias is required; the sound is aliased to the Beechcraft King Air 350.

Heading	Distance	City Name	ICAO	Heading	Distance
148	0	Amsterdam	EHAM		342.6
	342.6	St Gallen	LSZR	329	0