Industry Aviation Founder Harmen and Henk Pander Key people Theo Slot Ceased operations 1934 | Fate Wound up Defunct 1934 (1934) Founded 1924 | |
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Native name Nederlandse Fabriek van Vliegtuigen H. Pander & Zonen | ||
Pander & Son was a Dutch aircraft company based in The Hague, founded by Harmen Pander and his son Henk Pander.
Contents
History
Harmen Pander was the managing director of a furniture company which in 1924 bought the assets of the bankrupt Vliegtuig Industrie Holland (VIH) company, which included the services of designers Theodorus Egbert Slot and H. Van der Kwast. Pander set up the Nederlandse Fabriek van Vliegtuigen H. Pander & Zonen ("H. Pander and Son Dutch Aircraft Company") and began construction of an improved version of the VIH Holland H.2, renamed the Pander D.
In 1929 the German sailplane builder Alexander Lippisch came to the Netherlands prompting Theo Slot to build the first Dutch glider in 1930. This aircraft, the P-1 Zögling, was a copy of the Stamer and Lippisch Z-12 Zögling.
The company built a small number of trainer and sporting aircraft, perhaps the most well-known aircraft being the Pander S4 Postjager, designed by Theo Slot. The design was suggested by pilot Dirk Asjes, who was critical of the slow development of Dutch airmail flights. He asked Pander to build a special mail plane. This was designated the S.4, and was known as the Postjager or Panderjager (and later, due to its mechanical unreliability, as the Pechjager - "Pech" being Dutch for "breakdown").
In October 1933 this aircraft flew to the Netherlands East Indies. It made an emergency landing in Italy, but eventually arrived at Batavia after 72 hours and 20 minutes in the air.
In 1934 it took part in the MacRobertson London to Melbourne Air Race. At Allahabad, India, the landing gear was damaged on landing. This was repaired, but the aircraft collided with a motor tractor on take off, crashed, and was burnt out. The crew escaped unharmed. This disaster meant the end for the Pander company which was wound up.
World War II
During World War II Henk Pander, an enthusiastic member of the Dutch Nazi Party (NSB), refounded the company and built 555 SG-38 gliders for the German paramilitary NSFK, and repaired German aircraft. After the war Henk Pander was arrested and tried for collaboration.