Passengers boarding, destination not known to me.

Superb photo of this twin-engined Fokker flying over the port of Rotterdam. The Van Nelle coffee, tea and tobacco factory, now a World Heritage site, stands out near the top of the photo towards the left. It was built between 1925 and 1931. Photo from: Nationaal Archief (Netherlands)

It was long thought that all pre-war KLM airrcaft were lost, until museum employees got a tip from Venezuelan colleagues during a conference in 1999. 6 months after, the pilot who had flown the Fokker in 1939 was found and thanks to his info, the aircraft was found. The aircraft had been cannibalized by local Indians, but they were willing to trade in their parts. There are videos available of this expidition, which show way more than I could ever write here. The elevated viepoint for this photo also gives a nice impression of the other '100 years of aviation' exhibitis.

For some perhaps a bunch of junk, for me a Fokker F.VIII. After its life with KLM (as PH-AED), it was sold to the Venezuelan Government in March 1939. In April 1939, the aircraft flew to Gran Sabana to try to find Captain Cardona Puig in the area of Kamarata. The aircraft landed with a tail wind and was unable to stop in time. It ran into a ditch and the left engine caught fite. While the crew managed to put out the fire, the aircraft had to be abandoned. The remains were found in 2001. Recovered by Aviodrome volunteers and transported back to the museum for display.

The aircraft entered the Dutch register on February 28, 1929. It was given the name 'Duif' (dove) on December 16, 1937. Cancelled on March 10, 1938. To PJ-AED and sold to Venezuela in March 1939 as YV-AFO. Written off in April 1939.