Subject: [History] Aviation

Article:

It was not the KLM who would bring and take passengers and mail to and from Suriname. The colonial government did not want to subsidize the KLM in this endeavour. In July 1929, PAA (PanAmerican Airways) began service from Miami to various destinations in the Caribean and Paramaribo. The first clipper plane landed on the Suriname River on July 1, 1929. On Sept 23, Charles Lindberg flew a clipper to Suriname. It was a Sikorski S-38. The next day the plane left for Guyana (Georgestown). From 1929-1939, PAA even landed in Nickerie and was thus the first national airlines for mail and passengers. The plane continued then to Guyana and back to Paramaribo.

Another American airline also received landings rights in July 1929. It was the NYRBA ( New York-Rio-Buenos Aires Airline). They used commodore planes who land on water. They all landed near the 'marine trap'. A platform was built to refuel the planes on the river and bring the passengers and mail to shore with boats.

On 17 Dec 1929 a NYRBA plane landed with a burning wing. The pilot landed the plane safely on the river. The plane received two new wings which arrived on the ship ss Broomspark a month later. When the plane was repaired the pilot invited several VIPs for a flight over Paramaribo which was well received.

In August 1930, NYRBA became PAA.




Met dank aan Albert Buys