Nederlandse Modelbouw en Luchtvaartsite

Dutch Modelling and Aviation

In Memoriam

Klaas Willem Jonker
(Wilko)
† April 30, 2018

On Monday 30 April 2018, Wilko Jonker died after a long illness at the age of 58. He leaves behind a wife and two children. The Dutch military aviation and plastic modeling were his hobby and on this website he shared all the knowledge he has collected over the years. His hobby has been able to distract him from the persistent disease in his body until the last week of his life. The contacts with other hobbyists were a major support for him.

This website will be maintained by different people for as long as possible, so that other enthusiasts can continue to benefit from extensive content.

Piper L-4J Cub

After the Second World War, the former Dutch East Indies were (temporarily) governed by the British government.

Just in December 1945 put the first Dutch troops entered officially Dutch-Indian soil.

In the course of the year was a need for a liaison and also to support the KNIL (NEi Army) and 17 squadron was established.

At that time, four ex Japanese biplanes, obtained from the RAF, were used for reconnaissance purposes.

The first three Piper Cubs were purchased in September 1945 by F/O Captain Schoof for use as a sports aircraft for freed KNIL soldiers who stayed in a camp in Manila in the Philippines. The new aircraft were declared surplus and were obtained from a dump. The devices kept their American serials.

In early November 1945, the aircraft plus a fourth example were shipped to Balikpapan on Borneo with the intention to be further forwarded to Tjililitan Java, to support the 1st Infantry Battalion of the KNIL. However, the British wanted still not authorize the transfer of (military) equipment to West Java.

In late November, the four Japanese biplanes were obtained from the RAF to carry out explorations.

So the Pipers remained in storage. In December 1945, the infantry battalions II and IV and a battalion of marines were disembarked in Batavia. The four Pipers were intended to support this group.

Early March 1946 the brigade arrived to occupy Bali and Lombok. They took two temporarily registered as PC-3 and PC-4 Pipers with them. These were taken over from the detachment of 17 VARWA squadron which had received them late August 1946. The other two Pipers, temporarily registered as PC-1 and PC-2 were sent to Batavia to replace the Japanese aircraft based at Tjililitan. These aircraft arrived there in February 1946 and were for the Base Operations and late August they were used by the A patrol of 17 VARWA squadron.

On July 20, 1946 the official registration of the aircraft became PC0-1 to PC0-4, according to the (pre-war) registration system of the ML-KNIL. PC meant Piper Cub and 0 for unarmed training aircraft.

On August 16 it was changed in PC0-001 to PC0-004 and in late August again in PC4-001 to PC4-004 where 4 was military aid plane (army co-operation).

 

In May 1946 the BPM bought a five Piper Cubs, but initially had no pilots and maintenance technicians available. The Pipers were therefore loan to the NEIAF from late July 1946 until the end of December.

N94 02 25

Piper L-4 Cub, PH-UCS, as R345, photographed at the Open Day Dutch Air Force, July 1994 at air base Leeuwarden.

These aircraft PK-SAA to PK-SAE received no ML-registration, but just the last letter of the civil registration (small) on the tip of the tail. Four aircraft went to the A-patrol and the fifth went to the detachment on Andir

The four devices on Tjililitan went in September 1946 on the VOS (Pre-training school), This took care for the selection of trainee pilots for ML-KNIl (NEIAF) from September 26, 1946 and on.

December 31, a new loan agreement for one year was agreed. In April 1947 it was agreed that the ML-KNIL (NEIAF) would take over the aircraft at the end of the loan period and would deliver five new aircraft to the BPM.

In July 1947, the five (former) BPM Pipers recieved the registrations R-329 to R-333.

In June 1946, 24 new aircraft were acquired from the US in Leyte, Philippines, including 30 radios, and initial stock parts. These arrived on 24 August in Surabaya, where four planes were unloaded, the remaining aircraft were sent to Batavia.

In April 1947 another 46 US aircraft were obtained, including five aircraft for BPM. These arrived on June 7, 1947 in Batavia. The most aircraft were transferred to Tjililitan. These Pipers were registered as R-335 to R-380.