About Jacob Veldhuyzen van Zanten
Jacob Louis "Jaap" Veldhuyzen van Zanten (5 February 1927 – 27 March 1977) was a Dutch aircraft captain and flight instructor. He was the captain of the KLM plane (designated as Flight 4805) involved in the Tenerife airport disaster and died in the collision, which is the deadliest accident in aviation history. He was KLM's chief instructor and commonly appeared on advertising. == Biography == Born in Lisse, Netherlands, Veldhuyzen van Zanten obtained his private pilot's licence on 21 June 1947, and his commercial pilot's licence on 18 April 1950. That year, he began working for KLM Royal Dutch Airlines as a flight director, and in 1951, he commenced duty as a first officer on the Douglas DC-3. He then obtained his Flight Radio Telephone Operator's Licence on 22 September 1952, Airline Transport Pilot's Licence on 19 October 1956, and Flight Navigator's Licence on 6 August 1963. On 23 January 1971, Veldhuyzen van Zanten was type-rated on the Boeing 747. That same month, he and two colleagues went to Seattle to take delivery of KLM’s first 747, christened the Mississippi (registration serial PH-BUA). At the time of the disaster, he had 11,700 flight hours (1,545 of which were on the Boeing 747). In addition to his duties as a regular airline pilot, he had been promoted to chief flight instructor for the Boeing 747.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.