Entry into service of the DC-3 on the Indies line

From 1935, the American aircraft manufacturer Douglas Aircraft Company built a new type of aircraft, the DC-3, also known as the Dakota. In the Netherlands, the first DC-3 was purchased by KLM in 1936, which christened the aircraft Ibis (PH-ALI). With the DC-3, the frequency of flights to and from the Dutch East Indies could be increased from two per week to three per week. On June 5, 1937, the first scheduled flight from the Netherlands to the Dutch East Indies was operated using a DC-3. This took place with the aircraft PH-ALS, named 'Specht'. With this first flight using this type of aircraft, the air freight charge that had to be paid on top of the standard postage of 6 cents for a letter weighing up to 5 grams—30 cents—was simultaneously abolished. For this, a special stamp of 36 cents was even issued in September 1931, a combination of 6 cents postage and 30 cents air duty. In October 1933, another triangular stamp was issued with a value of 30 cents for the payment of air duty, to which the text was added: "Airmail stamp for special flights." This stamp was valid only for use for the record flights of a few aircraft to the Dutch East Indies in December 1933 and was subsequently withdrawn. From March 1937, the stamp was made available again, not as an ordinary postage stamp but exclusively, after announcement, for the franking of mail items with 'special flights'. An impression of an advertising stamp indicated that, effective June 5, 1937, a new rate applied to the shipment of mail to the Dutch East Indies (Insulinde) and that the air freight surcharge was abolished. The second image of the stamp is slightly clearer and comes from another, similar envelope. However, the envelope used to travel on the first flight of the DC-3 still appeared to have the old rate and duty paid. Was this because the stamps were postmarked in Zaandam on June 3, 1937, thus before the date of abolition? Or because this flight was designated as a 'special flight'? Probably the latter. Upon arrival, the envelope was stamped with a standard date stamp from the post office in Bandung with the date June 10, 1937. For the return flight on June 16, 1937, the sender had affixed two stamps from the Dutch East Indies, the series issued on May 1, 1937, dedicated to the World Jamboree in the Netherlands. The rate for the return flight was 20 cents, so that was exactly right. However, in Zaandam, the two stamps were mistakenly cancelled with the Zaandam post office stamp dated June 3, 1937. They had therefore become invalid for the return flight. To avoid disadvantaging the sender for the error made in Zaandam, an ordinary Dutch East Indies postage stamp with a value of 20 cents was affixed to the reverse side ex officio in Bandung and stamped with the Bandung stamp dated June 16, 1937. Additionally, an impression of a special stamp commemorating the return flight on the same date was applied. Mr. Eelman from Zaandam, the sender, was probably quite satisfied with the procedure followed by the Dutch East Indies Post and Telecommunications. I, at least, was. From the Dutch East Indies, it was also possible to send mail on the flight of June 16, 1937. Special envelopes were made available for this purpose. Together, the two envelopes bear witness to a development in the field of aviation and the transport of mail by aircraft. That even the aircraft depicted in the lower left was the 'Ibis' is evident from the registration letters PH-ALI. In this case, the last letter, the letter I, stands for the first letter of the aircraft's name: Ibis. The 'Specht' therefore had the registration PH-ALS. Now we know that too!