An emergency landing in a Bulgarian grass field and a journey that took no less than 55 days. It is unthinkable in 2024, but 100 years ago brave pilots took off from Schiphol – then no more than a muddy field – and set sail for Batavia, today’s Jakarta. NH reporter Eline Boshuizen delved into this fascinating history. Tonight the documentary Flight Pioneers will premiere on the NH TV channel.
The pilots had to travel 12,000 kilometers in their Fokker F.VII, a single-engine aircraft made of wood and a few metal tubes with linen. With the first intercontinental flight, the pioneers wanted to demonstrate that the Dutch East Indies could be reached much faster than by boat. That was especially interesting from a business perspective.
Huge achievement
“It was incredibly special that we as Dutch people achieved this. On November 24, 2024, we finally arrived in Batavia, after a long, challenging journey. The whole world was impressed, because we Dutch had accomplished this beautifully. kicked,” says the documentary maker.
“It was also the start of the growth of our airport,” she says. “We showed that the Netherlands counted and put Schiphol on the map.”
The 3-part series about this first flight was published on YouTube last month. You can watch the episodes below.
Episode 1: The beginning of flying
The first episode shows how aviation is still in its infancy. Airplane builder Anthony Fokker from Haarlem is one of the aviation pioneers who has the dream to make flying great. He decides to fly above the city with his purchased plane – even though he says he built it himself – above his own Haarlem.
Episode 2:
In the second episode we see how the crew gets on the plane and starts the big journey to the Indies. Flying at that time is very adventurous and accidents occur with some regularity. This flight also does not go as hoped: the pilots experience engine trouble en route and have to make an emergency landing.
Episode 3: The great growth of Schiphol
Although that first flight was successful, this did not mean that planes full of passengers immediately flew to the Indies. For a long time, flying remained for the elite: a ticket cost 3,000 guilders. In the third episode we delve into the history of Schiphol’s growth. What did the first pioneer flight to India mean for the growth of the airport?