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October 20, 1934 - The Melbourne Race takes off!

October 20, 1934 – The Melbourne Race takes off!

Perhaps the most important event for civil aviation ever started today, exactly 81 years ago. The hangar doors of RAF Mildenhall opened at 06.30 and twenty contenders took off in rapid succession for the longest air race held at that time – London to Melbourne. Devised by the Lord mayor of Melbourne, the race formed a part of the Melbourne Centenary  Celebrations. A prize fund of $75,000 was put…

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The Need for Speed...

The Need for Speed…

If you decided between 1929 and 1935 to journey by air from Amsterdam to Batavia (or vice-versa) it would mean sitting ten and a half days in a Fokker FXII or FXVIII  tri-motor. These airplanes were constructed along the lines of the famous WW1 Fokker D VII fighter: a plywood wing and a fabric covered fuselage constructed of welded tubes. They lacked somewhat in comfort as there was no sound…

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KLM in the East Indies

KLM in the East Indies

The KNILM (Royal Netherlands East-Indies Aviation Company) was an independent corporation in which KLM Netherlands had a share but, much to KLM Management’s chagrin,  no controlling interest. At the beginning of ‘The Java Gold’  the KNILM network covered all Indonesian Islands, some foreign destinations such as Singapore and Saigon, plus a long distance route to Melbourne.

Linked up with the…

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