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locAl Friday 31 July 2020
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Aruba to me is ….

ORANJESTAD — Aruba To- What do you do? “I Love Aruba & the Barceló
day welcomes readers to It’s easy. Mail us your vaca- resort is outstanding. There
participate in our newspa- tion picture(s) together with aren't any strangers, just
per. Now that we are open completing the sentence: people you haven't met
to visitors again after the Aruba to me is …….. (Email: yet. We will return again
three months of lockdown news@arubatoday.com) and again.”
we are all ears to hear and we will publish this in Please do note: By submit-
about you. How do you feel our newspaper. This for sure ting photos, text or any oth-
to be back or maybe this is is a great vacation memory er materials, you give per-
your first time in Aruba? Let to take home with you. mission to The Aruba Today
us know! Send us a picture Newspaper, Caribbean
and tell us about your ex- For today’s newspaper Speed Printers and any of
perience because we love we received some great its affiliated companies to out compensation. Thank you for supporting
to share this with our read- pictures from Annette use said materials, as well Last but not least: check our free newspaper, we
ers. Heneghan who is staying at as names, likeness, etc. for out our website and Face- strive to make you a happy
the Barceló. She says: promotional purposes with- book page! reader every day again. q

History of Aruba’s airport

ORANJESTAD — Aruba’s men had any real experi-
aviation history dates ence in the air. To over-
back more than 90 years; come this handicap, the
the air service network has trio engaged an ex-Braniff
become a critical and vi- Airways’ pilot A.J. Viccel-
tal element for Aruba’s na- lio. His task was to assist
tional economy. in building up aviation in
Aruba by means of instruc-
It was on Saturday, Au- tion and the possible de-
gust 18, 1923 when two velopment of an airline.
US Navy Curtiss H-16 long- The group next bought a
range maritime patrol fly- Bird CK Bi-plane powered
ing boats landed for the with a 100 horsepower Kin-
first time in the Paarden- ner K5 radial engine. It had
baai harbor of Oranjestad. room for three passengers
The two aircraft operated and the pilot. However, the
out of the Coco Solo Na- aircraft was ruined by rust
val Air Station (NAS) in the and wandering goats. The
Panama Canal Zone. After group was later enlarged
a short stay on the island through Mr. Viccellio in-
both aircraft continued struction to William I. Ewart, shipped to Aruba and Fokker tri-motor, ushered ties later became known
their flights at 11.40 a.m. to E.V. Miller and G.T. Borsch. handed over to Lago and in the scheduled flying as the “Dakota Airport”.
Curacao. They contracted to buy a sent to Mr. Viana of the age in Aruba on January During the period the air-
On Saturday, July 4, 1925 plane in Texas. The plane Caribbean Flying Service. 19, 1935. Together with the port served as the base of
Aruba was once again left Texas, but never com- In 1934 the aircraft was KLM’s “Oriol”, the PJ-AIO, operations for the U.S. Sixth
visited by a flying boat. pleted the trip to Aruba; registered to the Caribbe- also a three-engine Fok- Air Force defending Ca-
This time it was SCADTA’s it was forced down in Ta- an Flying Service with reg- ker, they flew until 1946, ribbean shipping and the
Dornier Do J Wal seaplane pachula, Mexico. Mr. Vic- istration number PJ-ZAA after which they were Panama Canal against
with Italian registration I- cellio went to Mexico to and used for scheduled scrapped. KLM transport- German submarines, until
DOOR that descended see if he could regain the service between Aruba ed with its bi-weekly Aru- it was disestablished after
around 09.00 hours on plane but returned empty and Curacao. Operations ba-Curacao operations the end of the war in Oc-
the sea in the Paarden- handed. However, he did ceased December 1934 2,695 passengers on 471 tober 1945.
baai harbor with governor arrange the return of the after the start of opera- flights. The third terminal build-
Nicolaas J.L. Brandjes and ferry pilot and his wife to tions of KLM West-Indisch In early 1942, the German ing was inaugurated on
the harbormaster C. Hoek the States. Bedrijf. Manuel Viana was Navy began anti-shipping March 18th, 1950. On Oc-
of Curacao on board. The In 1934, commercial avia- paid by KLM to stop the operations using U-Boats tober 22, 1955 the “Dako-
Dornier Do J Wal returned tion was introduced in scheduled service. in the Caribbean. The subs ta Airport” was dedicated
to Curacao around 10.00 Aruba by Manuel Viana of KLM’s “Snip” made its first sank several tankers in the to Princess Beatrix of the
hours. Father Maria Radul- Viana Auto Supply. Once appearance in Aruba on harbor at San Nicolas, and Netherlands during the
phus, substitute education each week his six-passen- December 24, 1934, when shelled the Lago oil refin- visit of HRH Queen Juliana.
inspector in Aruba made ger single-engine Loening the Fokker F.XVIII touched ery in an attempt to dis- The opening ceremony
the return flight to Schotte- C2H Air Yacht amphibious down at 10.20 a.m. on the rupt the supply of fuel to was presided over by
gat harbor in Curacao. airliner carried passengers mudflat runway in Sava- the war effort in Europe; H.R.H. Prince Bernard. Fur-
In 1933, the first locally and mail between Aruba neta. KLM later transferred prompting the Govern- thermore, during this same
based aircraft, a Curtiss- and Curacao with pilot its operations to its own ment of Aruba to build a year the old Dakota termi-
Robin was brought to Aru- A.J. Viccellio at the con- graded runway, the KLM 5,100 foot long air strip for nal building was changed
ba. Manuel Viana, James trols. Manuel Viana bought Field, located at the site the US Army Air Corps to- into the airport fire depart-
Hathaway, and James A. the Loening C2H Air Yacht later known as the Dakota gether with a small building ment garage.
Massey flew it from a mud- from the Standard Oil Co Field. that served as a terminal,
flat runway near the sea at of Venezuela. In Decem- which was inaugurated on
Savaneta. None of these ber 1933 the aircraft was KLM’s Snip, the PJ-AIS a June 4, 1942. These facili- Continued on Page 32