Arnhem’s Aerial Splendor: 1926 Fokker Flight in Lush Color!

This captivating colorized footage unveils a breathtaking flight over Arnhem, Netherlands, in 1926—nearly a century ago—aboard a Fokker F.VII aircraft with the registration H-NACT, offering a vibrant glimpse into the city’s pre-war beauty. Filmed as a silent documentary in vivid hues, the film captures the pilot lighting a cigarette before preparing for takeoff, then soaring over Arnhem’s historic streets, the winding River Rhine (visible nearly 20 years before World War II), and landmarks like the John Frost Bridge (later central to the 1944 Battle of Arnhem, depicted in the 1977 film A Bridge Too Far with stars like Sean Connery). The footage showcases the city’s picturesque landscapes, medieval architecture, and rural surroundings, reflecting its role as a key hub in Gelderland Province with a population of about 70,000 in 1926. Tragically, the original H-NACT was destroyed at Schiphol Airport during the German invasion in May 1940; a similar aircraft, possibly from Sweden, was later acquired and renamed H-NACT, now displayed (subject to confirmation) at the Aviodrome Museum in Lelystad. A dazzling window into 1920s Dutch aviation and Arnhem’s golden age, this restored archive grips history buffs, aviation enthusiasts, and WWII scholars, offering a vivid glimpse of a city frozen in time.