Nog wat info over de Specht:
12) KLM PH-AGR “Reiger”pictured at night at Schiphol – Amsterdam airfield.
PH-AGR “Reiger” flew almost 7 years with KLM until it was officially sold to Crilly Airways on the 12th of August 1936.
According to Gerald Howson the true story was a little different but far more spectacular (Source and copyright: Air Enthousiast nr 13 – August-November 1980):
The accredited Spanish air attache in Paris and London had been one Commandante Carmelo de las Morenas Alcala, who, sympathetic to the Nationalist cause, had resigned his post on 23 July, after having endeavoured to persuade Spanish embassy officials to join the rebellion. He had then negotiated the purchase of a number of aircraft from Poland on behalf of the Nationalists and, on 1 August, had gone to Amsterdam to buy two F VIIb-3ms (
PH-AFS Specht and PH-AGR Reiger).
The Dutch government had, however, already declared for a policy of non-intervention and forbade the sale. Hearing that four ex-British Airways Fokker F XIIs were back at Gatwick after an abortive attempt to reach the Nationalists in Burgos, he returned to the UK on 3 August to see if he could arrange for the purchase of these larger trimotors via his "Polish Connection" and thus attempt once more to get them to Spain. He was still optimistic that, by some means or other, he would be able to acquire the two KLM F VIIb-3ms as well, as was demonstrated by his engagement of the celebrated racing pilot, Capt T Neville Stack, to fly one of them to Spain!
13) Nice profile Juan Millan put on this forum some time ago. Source: la Enciclopedia de la Aviacion Militar Española de Quiron.
As pilot for the other F VIIb-3m, Stack suggested to de las Morenas that he employ Donald Salisbury Green, who was both familiar with the Fokker trimotor and with the northern Spanish terrain. Salisbury Green was invited to meet Spanish representatives at the Savoy Hotel, London, on 10 August, where he was introduced to de las Morenas, Juan de la Cierva and another Spaniard (believed to have been the Duke of Alba). It was proposed that he and Stack be given bank drafts of up to Fl 40,000, fly to Schiphol and there buy the F VIIb-3ms privately, subsequently flying them to Burgos.
Early in the morning of 11 August, the two British pilots arrived at Schiphol, but KLM refused their offer while indicating that they would be willing to sell the Fokkers to Crilly Airways (with whom they had dealt with before) for Fl 37,000 (£5,000) provided they be flown to the UK by KLM pilots.
14) PH-AGR coded 20-4 at Extremadura
(ook hier de opbouw op de vleugeltip!)
The necessary arrangements were speedily made and two KLM pilots, Fraenkel and Scholte, flew the Fokkers to Croydon where they arrived on the evening of the same day. Five gallon (22,71) fuel drums were strapped to the passenger seats at Croydon, the intention being to transfer their contents to the wing centre section tanks by means of a hand pump and rubber tube inserted in the feed pipe between the passenger salon and flight deck. This endowed the F VIIb-3m with sufficient range to reach Burgos non-stop but dictated inclusion of a second crew member. Stack already had a very competent mechanic, but Salisbury Green, having insufficient time to engage a mechanic that he could trust, enlisted the services of an old friend who, in the event, proved to be an alcoholic who found flying nerve-wracking! However, there was no time to find a replacement.
Meer info op
deze site
Groeten, Ramses