012417D: Abel Tasman pilot

Summary

The first Netherlands to Australia airmail, flown by PK-AFC, a Fokker F.VIIa-3m of KNILM, named "Abel Tasman".A KLM (Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij - Royal Dutch Airlines) Fokker F.VIIb-3m, registration PH-AFS "Specht" (Capt. M.P. Pattist Capt. J.J. Moll) flew from Amsterdam to Batavia (now Jakarta), Netherlands East Indies (now Indonesia). From there, KNILM Fokker F.VIIa-3m PK-AFC "Abel Tasman" carried the mail to Wyndham, then Brisbane and Melbourne, arriving there on May 19, 1931. Mail for NZ was off-loaded for Sydney and forwarded by trans Tasman steamer. Postage rate of was two shillings and sixpence (2/6) from the U.K. Special cachets were applied at Amsterdam to mail posted there and to most of the mail from the U.K. Details about the aircraft: Fokker F.VIIa-3m Construction number 5071. Originally registered H-NAFC in 20 August 1928. Registered PK-AFC on 1 July 1929 with KNILM (Koninklijke Nederlandsch-Indische Luchtvaart Maatschappij Royal Netherlands Indies Airlines), named "Abel Tasman". The aircraft was involved in an accident on 14 Feb 1932 in Langgan, Sumatra. Later sold to Netherlands East Indies Army, with serial number FTA-2, later re-serialled T-902. (History supplied by D. Eyre Sept. 07)