Very early Icelandic visionaries realized that Aircraft would be ideal to transport people, but especially to transport mail. The first "Flugfélag Íslands" (Icelandic Airways) was founded in 1919 and the first aircraft was acquired from England.
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1. Avro 504K H2545 |
The second attempt was made in 1928 under the leadership of Dr. Alexander Johannesson. The second "Flugfélag Íslands" was founded. A contract was made with the German airline Lufthansa for a Junkers F13 Seaplane to be operated in Iceland with a German Crew. "Flugfélag Íslands H/F " came to an agreement with the Royal Post office on transporting mail and packets. (At this time Iceland was still under the Danish crown). The operation was intended to span over the sumer months. Winter operation was regarded to be impossible due to wind and Ice.
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2. Junkers F13 "Súlan" C/N 764 On 29th of May 1928 a Junkers F13 arrived in Reykjavik. Regular passenger and post flights started around Iceland. The aircraft was also used to search for Herring flocks and for sight-seeing. The aircraft was flown and maintained by Lufthansa employees and it kept its German registration D-463. The Icelandic flag was painted on the tail and the aircraft bas baptized "SÚLAN". The Aircraft came back from its last flight on 8th September. It was taken apart and shipped back to Germany. |
The operation was regarded a success. The
Junkers F13 aircraft had flown 500 passengers, carried 865 kg of post and flown
26000 Kilometers in three months. The Icelandic government awarded a scholarship
to send one young man to Böblingen in Germany to become the first Icelandic
Pilot flying in Iceland . Later three more scholarships were awarded to learn
aircraft maintenance. In 1929 Flugfélag Íslands leased two Junkers F13 Aircraft
for the sumer operation.
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3. Junkers F13de "Súlan" C/N 764 On June 26th 1929 the first of the two Junkers F13 arrived in Reykjavik. This was the same aircraft that had been in Iceland 1928. The aircraft had been converted to F13de type. The BMW IV engine had been replaced by a L-5 engine and the horizontal stabilizer had been changed to a bigger one. Engine cowling and exhaust pipes where changed too. It received the same name as before . It was sent back to Germany in September and the last known registration was D-OMUH. |
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4. Junkers F13de "Veiðibjallan" C/N 740 The second aircraft arrived a month later on July 16th 1929. It had registration D-410. Both aircraft performed well. Regular passenger and post service was flown amongst other tasks such as "Fish-spotting". Both aircraft where shipped back to Germany in late September 1929. |
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5. Irwin Meteorplane F-A-I In 1929 Albert Jóhannesson ordered a small aircraft through the post (Mail order). It was delivered on 14 June 1930 in a box and was the first privately owned aircraft in Iceland. It flew until 1932 when it was transformed into a propeller driven snow sled. It was never registered. |
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6. Junkers F13de "Veiðibjallan" (former D-410) C/N 740 On June 15 1930 the first of the two Junkers arrived in Reykjavik. It was the same aircraft that served Iceland the sumer before. This time it got an Icelandic registration ISLAND-2. In 1931 the aircraft sank into sea when one of the pontons got damaged. The aircraft was salvaged but after Flugfélag Íslands had ceased operation the aircraft was stored and in the end it was scrapped in Iceland. The cabin of the F13 ended as a cabin on a Ford automobile . |
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7. Junkers W33d "Súlan III" (former D-1894) C/N 2564 The second Junkers arrived on June 25 1930. This time not an F13 but the bigger Junkers W33d. This aircraft got an Icelandic registration ISLAND-1. In 1931 the aircraft was flipped over by strong wind and it was seriously damaged. The Aircraft was repaired and when Flugfélag Íslands ceased operation it was returned to Lufthansa. It was later sold to Eurasia Aviation Corp. in China. |
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8. Junkers F13 "Álftin" In July 1931 Flugfélag Íslands bought their third aircraft. This was a Junkers F13. It was registered Island-3. The Aircraft was returned to Lufthansa in 1932. In 1933 it was modified to F13L. Its last known registration was D-OBAZ. It is believed that Both this aircraft and D-463 ended their career in Brazil flying gold out of the Gold mines in the jungle. This has not been confirmed since most reliable documents were destoyed in WWII. |
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9. Blackburn L.1C Bluebird Mk
IV TF-LOA (TF-ISL) C/N SB. 209 19 July 1936 a new aircraft came to Reykjavik. This was a two seat bi-plane aircraft of Bluebird type. The aircraft had been registered G-AAOF in England. This aircraft became known as "Lóa". (The aircraft first flew in Iceland 1st June 1937. In the pilot's log books it is written down as TF-ISL. The TF-LOA does not appear until 1939. Another fact is that G-AAOF was not unlisted from the British air registry until 23 February 1946) |
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10. WACO YKS-7
TF-ÖRN (TF-AKR) S/N 4683 In April 1938 the newly formed Flugfélag Akureyrar bought a WACO YKS Seaplane.This plane took up regular air transportation which has grown ever since and are today a most common service. (Flugfélag Akureyrar was later renamed Flugfélag Íslands which merged with Loftleidir in 1973 and became Icelandair.) The aircraft was destroyed when it crashed short after takeoff in Reykjavik in 1942. The pilot and one passenger survived, but two passengers where killed. |
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11. Klemm KL-25E TF-SUX S/N 897 On June 25th a German group sent by the German Aero club where sent to Iceland with two Sailplanes and a Klemm KL-25E aircraft. (D-ESUX). The purpose was to help Icelandic sailplane enthusiasts to develop their hobby. The germans left the aircraft in Iceland and it became TF-SUX in 1939. This aircraft was used a lot and later it was restored and registered TF-SUX CAA 435 in 1982. This aircraft still exists in excellent airworthy condition! |
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12. WACO ZKS-7 TF-SGL S/N 5237 In 1940 Flugfélag Akureyrar changed its name to Flugfélag Íslands. In that same year a new Waco ZKS-7 was added to the fleet. It had better equipment and a more powerful engine then the first Waco. The aircraft was destroyed when it hit a reef on takeoff at Hornafjarðarós in 1943. Nobody got hurt. |
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13. TF-OGN In 1932 three Icelandic aircraft mechanics designed and built an aircraft after Flugfélag Íslands had been closed and they lost their jobs. The work was well on its way in June 1932 but the money was missing for the engine and instruments so the project was put on hold. Later they continued the task and the first flight was flown 23 November 1940. This aircraft is preserved in the waiting lounge in the Keflavik air terminal. |