Northrop Delta - AB Aerotransport: A piece of Nordic Aviation History

At the beginning of the 1930s, night mail services started to become more and more important for European airlines. Navigation and safety equipment had improved drastically and aircraft became much more economical to fly. The introduction of the fast Lockheed Orion by Swissair in April 1932 led to a true revolution within air transport. Everyone wanted aircraft that flew faster than their existing obsolete Fokker or Junkers aircraft did.

In Sweden, AB Aerotransport's Managing Director, Carl Florman, became interested in faster airliners as well. In 1933 he saw, during a visit to Norway, a Northrop Gamma and was interested in a similar aircraft for his airline. Offers were requested and through Northrop's representative, Norwegian aviator Bernt Balchen, AB Aerotransport ordered a passenger Delta 1C and a mail aircraft, the Delta 1E.

The operation of both aircraft was marked by problems and challenges for the pilots. It took them some time to master the aircraft. The Delta 1E never entered service, as it crashed on a trial mail flight. In 1937 AB Aerotransport sold the Delta 1C to Spanish airline Líneas Aéreas Postales Españolas — LAPE. It was in civil and
military service until well after World War Two.

Following intensive research, the author describes in detail the history of the Northrop Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta (civil and military), as well as the operation of the two aircraft in service with AB Aerotransport, illustrated with many photographs, tables, drawings and colour artwork by Juanita Franzi, Mats Averkvist and Nils Mathisrud.

About the book: 21.5cm x 30.2cm, 176 pages, hard covers, 187 b/w photos,
many tables, colour section with profiles.