Khouw Khe Hien

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Khouw Khe Hien (1907–1938) was a Chinese-Indonesian aviation pioneer, businessman and millionaire heir.[1][2] He is best remembered today for commissioning Walraven 2, the first aeroplane manufactured in the Dutch East Indies, now Indonesia.[3][4]

Biography[]

Khouw Khe Hien with the aircraft he commissioned and flew, Walraven 2 (October 1936).

Born on August 29, 1907 in Muntilan, Central Java, Khouw came from a wealthy Peranakan business family.[1][2] His father, the entrepreneur , founded N.V. Merbaboe Bedrijven, a large livestock, milk and beverage conglomerate in late colonial Indonesia; and his mother was a pribumi Indonesian woman.[5][2] He also had a younger sister, Keng Nio, who became noteworthy in her own right as an aviator and businesswoman.[4]

Khouw Khe Hien was educated at the Europeesche Lagere School (ELS) in Magelang, then at the Meer Uitgebreid Lager Onderwijs (MULO) in Yogyakarta; only elite non-Europeans were allowed at both institutions.[2]

Khouw first became interested in aviation when he realized its potential as a more efficient alternative to land and sea transportation for the family company's many fresh products.[4] To this end, he placed an order in March 1934 for an aircraft from , and others, who were technicians in the Luchtvaartafdeling or 'Aviation Service' of the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army Air Force.[4] Khouw's order specified that the aircraft was to be a twin-engined cabin monoplane, able to carry a cargo of 130 kg and to fly over long distances.[4] Built and assembled at Walraven's private workshop in Bandung, West Java, Khouw's aircraft was finished towards the end of 1934, and was christened Walraven 2.[4]

Khouw, who in the meantime had trained as a certified pilot, was so satisfied with Walraven 2 that he made plans for an aircraft factory.[2] In order to gain more publicity, Lieutenant C. Terluin and Khouw, as co-pilot, flew the new aircraft from Batavia, the capital of colonial Indonesia, to Schiphol, Netherlands.[6] A media sensation, the 20-day-long journey was extensively covered on each of its stops, from Singapore to Rangoon, through Calcutta and Aleppo, and on to its final destination.[7][8][9][10][11] Walraven 2 arrived at Schiphol, Amsterdam to a rapturous welcome; among others, the Indonesian-born Anthony Fokker, founder of the aircraft manufacturer Fokker, was there to greet Khouw and Terluin.[12]

In 1937, Khouw also made an equally well-publicized trip on Walraven 2 from Batavia to Hong Kong, and on to Guangzhou, Nanjing and Shanghai in China.[13][14][15] He was welcomed at his ancestral country by the then Chinese president, Chiang Kai-shek.[1]

Early the following year, however, on February 26, 1938, Khouw was involved in a fatal accident in Cililitan, while flying a Glenn Martin bomber 506 during a blackout exercise.[1][16][2] His remains were buried at his native hometown of Muntilan in Central Java.[1]

Private life[]

Khouw's mother died in Batavia two months after him in April 1938.[17] His sister, Khouw Keng Nio, took the reins of the family business and expanded it.[2]

Khouw Khe Hien was also survived by his widow, Lena Oey Non Nio (1906-1994), and four children, Khouw Teng Han, Khouw Teng Hwa, Khouw Teng Giok and Khouw Teng Hwie, who all eventually migrated to the Netherlands.[18]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e "KHOUW KHE HIEN †". Bredasche courant. W. van Bergen. 23 February 1938. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g Setyautama, Sam (2008). Tokoh-tokoh etnis Tionghoa di Indonesia (in Indonesian). Jakarta: Kepustakaan Populer Gramedia. ISBN 9789799101259. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
  3. ^ The Netherlands Indies, Vol. 3. 1935. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f Mukthi, M. F. "Burung Besi Pertama Buatan Hindia Belanda". Historia (in Indonesian). Historia. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
  5. ^ "MEVR. KHOUW KIM GOAN †". Bataviaasch nieuwsblad. Kolff & Co. 21 April 1938.
  6. ^ "Luitenant Terluin en de heer Khouw Khe Hien, die met hun sportvliegtuig den terugtocht". De grondwet. J. Van Poll-Suykerbuyk. 25 November 1935. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
  7. ^ "KHOUW KHE HIEN. Te Singapore Gearriveerd". Het nieuws van den dag voor Nederlandsch-Indië. NV Mij tot Expl. van Dagbladen. 16 September 1935. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
  8. ^ "Khouw Khe Hien. In Rangoon". Het nieuws van den dag voor Nederlandsch-Indië. NV Mij tot Expl. van Dagbladen. 18 September 1935. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
  9. ^ "Khouw Khe Hien Te Caicutta Gearriveerd". Het nieuws van den dag voor Nederlandsch-Indië. NV Mij tot Expl. van Dagbladen. 19 September 1935.
  10. ^ "Khouw Khe Hien Zondag jl. te Aleppo". Het nieuws van den dag voor Nederlandsch-Indië. NV Mij tot Expl. van Dagbladen. 23 September 1935. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
  11. ^ "DE AANKOMST VAN DE SPORTVLIEGERS KHOUW KHE HIEN EN LUIT. TER LUIN —". Haagsche courant. A. Sijthoff jr. 28 September 1935. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
  12. ^ 50 Tahun (1962-2012) Aeronautika & Astronautika ITB. Bandung: Institut Teknologi Bandung. Jan 28, 2013.
  13. ^ "SPORT-TELEGRAMMEN LUCHTVAART. DE VLUCHT VAN KHOUW KHE HIEN". De Sumatra post. 7 May 1937. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
  14. ^ "KHOUW IN NANKING". Bataviaasch nieuwsblad. Kolff & Co. 22 May 1937. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
  15. ^ "KHOUW KHE HIEN". Bataviaasch nieuwsblad. Kolff & Co. 21 July 1937.
  16. ^ "Vlieger Khouw Khe Hien begraven Slachtoffer van de Glenn Martinramp in Indië". De Tijd : godsdienstig-staatkundig dagblad. 27 February 1938. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
  17. ^ "MEVR. KHOUW KIM GOAN †". Bataviaasch nieuwsblad. Kolff & Co. 21 April 1938. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
  18. ^ "Familiebericht". De Telegraaf. 24 June 1994. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
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