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On 1 January 1946, the Rijks Luchtvaart School Holland, the Dutch
Government Flight Training School, was founded. Gilze-Rijen was selected
as its operational base. In March 1946, delivery started of the DH-82A
Tiger Moth, acquired by the Netherlands Government from R.A.F. supplies
and in April 1946, the R.L.S. begun its flying operations with the
DH-82a aeroplanes. As on 10 January 1946, the former Commando Luchtvaart
Opleidingen of the military LSK also choose for Gilze-Rijen as an
operational base for their air training Gilze-Rijen became too busy.
Therefore the aircraft of the RLS were diverted to and based at several
airfields in the Netherlands. On 3 October 1951, the Dutch government
decided that the RLS had to move out of Gilze-Rijen to Eelde airfield
near Groningen. On 16 August 1954, the R.L.S. fleet was finally flown to
its new base. The Rijksluchtvaartschool operated in the period 1946-1969
a total of 15 Beechcraft D-18S aeroplanes. Beech D-18S PH-UDU was
registered by the Rijksluchtvaartdienst, holder RLS, on 12 December
1948. On 24 October 1969, the registration PH-UDU was cancelled after
the aircraft was being withdrawn from service with the
Rijksluchtvaartschool. Four ex RLS Beech D-18S, including the PH-UDU,
were sold to Dutch Air Sprayers on
behalf of Agrarflug GmbH, Worms, Germany / International Ag-Cat Distributors Inc., Arlington (VA), USA.
The four Beech D-18S aircraft (PH-UDH, PH-UDS, PH-UDU and PH-UES) were
parked in front of the German hangar at Groningen-Eelde awaiting resale.
The PH-UDU was re-registered N9473 and departed to Worms in Germany on
21 March 1970. After the aircraft was scrapped, registration N9473 was
cancelled on 10 October 1994. |
Luchtvaart déjà vu
