22 Mar

Last Flight of Chief Pilot 747 & Cpt TRI TRE Paul van de Ven @ KLM

After an enormous career Chief Pilot 747 & Captain B747 TRI – TRE Paul van de Ven got his last flight due to retirement at KLM. The ‘Majestic B747’ was his beloved aircraft. Together with former 747 pilots Cpt Jan-Joost van Hemel and FO Willem Luijten as his ‘Wingmen’, and KLM Pilot in being daughter Lisa heading for final destination Capetown and back Amsterdam. I operated Paul’s final pushback at homebas Amsterdam Airport on special request. Stand Echo 19 , standard pusback with tail to the tower and giving a ‘Wing Wave’ as all-clear signal as respect to my special […]
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03 Mar

Last Flight of Pilot FO Bart Woortman @ KLM

First Officer Bart Woortman got his last flight due to retirement at KLM. Started his Flight Career as F16 Fighter pilot from 1987 till 1997. Thereafter ,Bart became commercial pilot at KLM in November 1997. After a huge career at KLM, 25 years and 6 months he operated his retirementflight to Bogota-Cartagena. Assisted by his daughter (Second Officer) Lisa as his ‘Wingwoman’ and by Captain Paul van de Ven as his ‘Wingmen’. Son Lars ,aspiring KLM pilot in training was on this flight as well. As tugdriver at KLM Aircraft Towing Department daughter Lisa got me to operate his last […]
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30 Apr

Very Last Operational Landing in History @ KLM B747

Chief Pilot Paul vd Ven was honoured to operate the last operational 747 flight. It would be the very very last 747 flight in KLM history during the flightoperations of KLM. In view of the 90% decline in flights and anticipated future capacity, KLM previously decided in early March that it would phase out its remaining Boeing 747s in April 2020, instead of in the summer of 2021. With pain in all hearts of 747 pilots and 747 lovers we had to experience this unwished but true event. KL686 , Mexico City to Amsterdm,callsign KLM72-Yankee ,operated with the PH-BFT , […]
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22 Feb

Last Flight of Captain B747 Hans Hollink @ KLM

Captain Hans Hollink made his last flight due to retirement at KLM with about 20.000 flight hours . Hans did have a special cockpitcrew for this remarkable flight. The ‘Hans Hollink Express’ operated with First Officer Allard Oskam,Second Officer Paul Reijnen and Chief Pilot 747 Paul van de Ven. Flight KL601 with a RWY 24 departure and operated with the B747-Combi reg PH-BFW. Backflight KL602 got operated with the PH-BFS ‘City of Seoul’. This has a special meaning for Paul and his wife Anneke. They met eachother in Seoul !!! In front of his final landing a Delta aircraft did […]
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08 Dec

Farewell KLM B747 @ PH-BFG // ‘City of Guayaquil’

The very last departure of the fullpax B747 with registration ‘PH-BFG’ as ‘City of Guayaquil’ She got delivered to KLM on April 1990. So after 29,7 years of duty she finally gets phased out. Yesterday,7th of December 2019, she departed for her last commercial flight to Toronto – YYZ. This morning she came back in the early morning.  This afternoon, 8th of December 2019, after some technical checks in hangar 11, they asked finally for her very last clearance. ‘Clearance to final destination Echo-Golf-Bravo-Papa , Volla-One-Papa departure,RWY27 , as you climb level Six-Zero Squawk 6260’ After a pullout of hangar […]
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07 Oct

Last Flight of Captain Theo Konijnenberg @ KLM

Captain Theo made his final flight due to retirement by KLM Flight KL735 ( callsign KLM137-Heavy) heading to Curacao with the PH-BFH. Flight 137 with a runway 36L departure,and in front of the departure a wonderfull ATC and greet by flight KL591 with captain Eric Balkema. Backflight KL736-Heavy got operated with the PH-BFN and a awesome runway 27 arrival. Guidance by many follow-me cars of Schiphol Airport and Ron Onclin. A slow part of taxying into Echo 24 with his mother as marshaller on the VOP. The flight got supported by chief-pilot B747 Unit Paul van de Ven ( as […]
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