Repaint of a 747-206B in KLM's 1970s/1980s livery for the payware CLS 747 HD. This was tested in FSX, but it should work for Prepar3D v1-3 (and v4-5 ports of this add-on).
Despite being a loyal customer of McDonnell Douglas at the time, KLM ordered the Boeing 747 for international routes in the late 1960's because of its higher passenger capacity and increased range over McDonnell Douglas' own DC-10. A new hangar had to be built at Schiphol airport to accommodate the maintenance of widebody aircraft before the first of KLM's 747s, PH-BUA "Mississippi", was delivered on January 16, 1971. KLM later carried out SUD (stretched upper deck) modifications on their 747-200s between 1984 to 1986 to give them the same capacity as the 747-300s they also operated. With the introduction of newer glass cockpit aircraft in the 1980's and 1990's, the 747 Classics were slowly phased out until the last of them, PH-BUN "Anthony H.G. Fokker", left KLM's fleet in 2004.
This repaint depicts PH-BUE as it appeared in 1987. PH-BUE was part of KLM's first batch of 747s ordered in 1967. Christened "Rio de la Plata," it was first flown on September 3, 1971 and delivered to the airline on September 30 that same year. Like other aircraft of its batch, PH-BUE was powered by Pratt and Whitney JT9D engines unlike KLM's later 747-200s that were equipped General Electric CF6s. Due to their weaker wing structure, JT9D-powered 747s in KLM's fleet were spared from undergoing SUD modifications and retained their short upper decks. PH-BUE was briefly leased to Air Siam in 1976 and Garuda Indonesia from 1990-1991 before being permanently retired from KLM's fleet in 1992. It flew with Corsair as F-GLNA before it was broken up at Paris Orly in March 2003.
