1969: Concorde flies for the first time 2.3.1969

The supersonic airliner, Concorde, made a "faultless" maiden flight on 2^ndMarch 1969.. 

The Anglo-French plane took off from Toulouse and was in the air for just 27 minutes before the pilot made the decision to land.

The first pilot, Andre Turcat, said on his return to the airport: "Finally the big bird flies, and I can say now that it flies pretty well."

The test flight reached 10,000ft (3,000m), but Concorde's speed never rose above 300mph (480kph). The plane will eventually fly at a speed of 1,300mph (2,080kph).

Mr Turcat, his co-pilot and two engineers taxied to the end of the runway at about 1530GMT. Strong winds meant the test flight was in doubt for much of the day.

AIR INDIA First Flight 2nd April 1983, BOMBAY- SANA'A - BOMBAY 2.4.1983

AIR INDIA First Flight 2nd April 1983, BOMBAY- SANA'A - BOMBAY

Thank you Dear Ella for this nice cover. I think I am going to start a new album of First Flight Covers. 

AIR INDIA First Flight Cover - 1982 BOMBAY- MONTREAL 2.10.1982

AIR INDIA First Flight Cover - 1982 BOMBAY- MONTREAL- BOMBAY AIR INDIA FIRST FLIGHT ON GANDHI JAYANTI.
Thank You Ella.

Victory in Challenge Flights 5.5.1982

(27Zt) The RWD 6 was a Polish sports plane of 1932, constructed by the RWD team. It was a winner of the Challenge 1932 international tourist aircraft contest.Challenge 1932, held between August 11-August 28, 1932, was eventually won by Franciszek Żwirko (pilot) and Stanisław Wigura (mechanic) in their RWD 6 SP-AHN, with a start number O6. The other RWD 6, flown by Tadeusz Karpiński, took ninth place out of 43 competitors (SP-AHL, nr. O4). During contest, the RWD 6 was given the highest scores for technical evaluation of all participating aircraft. On September 11, 1932, the RWD 6 SP-AHN with Franciszek Żwirko and Stanisław Wigura aboard, crashed during a storm while flying to an air meeting in Czechoslovakia. Both died. The cause was found to be weak wing mountings, that caused wing warping at higher speeds. The last remaining RWD 6 (SP-AHL) was modified after this accident, receiving a strengthened wing with V-shaped struts and the new designation RWD 6bis.

(31Zt) The RWD 9 was a Polish sports plane of 1934, also constructed by the RWD team. In the Challenge 1934, held between August 28-September 16, 1934, Polish RWD 9S took the first (pilot Jerzy Bajan, SP-DRD) and second places (pilot Stanisław Płonczyński, SP-DRC). They won among others against German low-wing monoplanes Messerschmitt Bf 108 and Fieseler Fi 97. Polish RWD 9 took also the 7th and 15th places, and the Czechoslovak OK-AMD took the 8th place (pilot Jan Anderle).

Alberto Santos-Dumont 20.5.1973

Alberto Santos-Dumont (20 July 1873 – 23 July 1932) was a Brazilian aviation pioneer. The heir of a wealthy family of coffee producers, Santos Dumont dedicated himself to aeronautical study and experimentation in Paris, France, where he spent most of his adult life.

Santos-Dumont designed, built, and flew hot air balloons and early dirigibles, his rising fame in this field culminating in his winning of the Deutsch de la Meurthe prize on 19 October 1901 on a flight that rounded the Eiffel Tower.

Following his pioneering work in airships, Santos-Dumont constructed a heavier-than-air aircraft, the 14-bis.On 23 October 1906 he flew this to make the first powered heavier-than-air flight to be certified by the Aéro Club de France and the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI).

In his homeland, Brazil, Santos-Dumont is a national hero, having his name written in Brazilian Hero Panthéon. He is credited in Brazil as the "father of flight". Santos-Dumont occupied the 38th chair of the Brazilian Academy of Letters from 1931 until his death in 1932.

Charles Lindbergh - 50th Anniversary of the First Trans-Atlantic journey 4.6.1977

At 7:52 A.M., May 20, 1927 Charles Lindbergh gunned the engine of the "Spirit of St Louis" and aimed her down the dirt runway of Roosevelt Field, Long Island. Heavily laden with fuel, the plane bounced down the muddy field, gradually became airborne and barely cleared the telephone wires at the field's edge. The crowd of 500 thought they had witnessed a miracle. Thirty-three and one half-hours and 3,500 miles later he landed in Paris, the first to fly the Atlantic alone.

This French First Day Cover and the stamp on it commemorate the 50^th Anniversary of that epic Trans-Atlantic journey by Charles Lindbergh in 1927.

Thank you Dear Merja for this nice FDC.

First Flight of IBERIA Airways Airbus A300 B4 Flight from Las Palmas to Madrid on 1st May 1981

First Flight of IBERIA Airways Airbus A300 B4 Flight from Las Palmas to Madrid on 1st May 1981.

First Scheduled Boeing 747SP Flight from Johannesburg to Vienna 5.11.1976

This cover was issued to commemorate the first scheduled Boeing 747SP Flight from Johannesburg to Vienna on 5.11.1976.

Walter Mittelholzer 13.2.1977

On November 5, 1919 he co-founded an air-photo and passenger flight business, Comte, Mittelholzer, and Co. In 1920 this firm merged with the financially stronger Ad Astra Aero. Mittelholzer was the director and head pilot of Ad Astra Aero which later became Swissair.

He made the first North-South flight across Africa. It took him 77 days. Mittelholzer started in Zürich on December 7, 1926, flying via Alexandria and landing in Cape Town on February 21, 1927. Earlier, he had been the first to do serious aerial reconnaissance of Spitsbergen, in a Junkers monoplane, in 1923. On December 15, 1929 he became the first person to fly over Mt. Kilimanjaro, and planned to fly over Mount Everest in 1930. In 1931, Mittelholzer was appointed technical director of the new airline called Swissair, formed from the merger of Ad Astra Aero and Balair. Throughout his life he published many books of aerial photographs. He died in 1937 in a climbing accident on an expedition in the Hochschwab massif in Styria, Austria.

Among other Swiss air pioneers, he is commemorated in a Swiss postage stamp issued in January 1977.

25th Anniversary of Swiss Air flights over the North Atlantic 2.5.1972

This First Day Cover was issued to commemorate the 25^th Anniversary of Swiss Air flights over the North Atlantic.

The stamp on this cover was issued by Switzerland in the Pro Aero series in 1972. The Pro Aero Foundation pays the major part of the contributions it makes annually to the Swiss Aero Club for the promotion of aviation and the rising generation in flying. The contributions are then shared out appropriately. The branches of model flying, gliding, powered flying, ballooning and parachute jumping are particularly favoured here.

Thank you Merja.

20th Anniversary of Swissair's North Atlantic Flight 2.5.1967

This cover commemorates the 20th Anniversary of Swissair's North Atlantic Flight. This cover was on the Jamaica-Geneva run on 2^nd May 1967.

Thank you Merja.

First Aerial Postal Flight

This Liechtenstein stamp on the FDC was issued on 8.3.1979 to commemorate its first aerial postal flight from St. Gallen in 1930.

Thank you Dear Merja.

Switzerland 19.5.1988 - 50th Anniversary of the Pro Aero North Pole flight to Anchorage

Switzerland 1988, "Pro Aero" stamp showing a Junkers JU-52 and Matterhorn north face in 1938. The cover which was carried by a Zurich – Anchorage DC – 10 flight on 19.5.1988, marks the 50^th Anniversary of the Pro Aero North Pole flight to Anchorage.

This cover has also been postmarked by an interesting cancellation depicting a moose. The moose is an animal native to the State of Alaska in the USA.

The stamp was issued again in the year 1994 as stamp on stamp from Uruquay.

Thank you Maria for this interesting cover.

Wilbur and Orville Wright - 46th anniversary of the first successful flight of a heavier-than-air powered aircraft 17.12.1949

Wilbur and Orville Wright

The cover displayed has a 6c USA stamp showing Wilbur and Orville Wright and the aircraft they flew on that historic day in 1903. The stamp commemorates the 46th anniversary of the first successful flight of a heavier-than-air powered aircraft. The flight took place on December 17, 1903, at 10:30 a.m. at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, where this stamp was postmarked after issue on 17.121949. Two bicycle repairmen from Dayton, Ohio (Orville and Wilbur Wright) took their revolutionary vehicle to Kitty Hawk, where steady winds and high sand dunes were ideal for their gliding hobby. The very first flight lasted a mere 12 seconds and covered 120 feet.

The Wright brothers, Orville (August 19, 1871 – January 30, 1948) and Wilbur (April 16, 1867 – May 30, 1912), were two American brothers, inventors, and aviation pioneers who were credited with inventing and building the world's first successful airplane and making the first controlled, powered and sustained heavier-than-air human flight, on December 17, 1903. From 1905 to 1907, the brothers developed their flying machine into the first practical fixed-wing aircraft. Although not the first to build and fly experimental aircraft, the Wright brothers were the first to invent aircraft controls that made fixed-wing powered flight possible.

The brothers' fundamental breakthrough was their invention of three-axis control, which enabled the pilot to steer the aircraft effectively and to maintain its equilibrium. This method became standard and remains standard on fixed-wing aircraft of all kinds. From the beginning of their aeronautical work, the Wright brothers focused on developing a reliable method of pilot control as the key to solving "the flying problem". This approach differed significantly from other experimenters of the time who put more emphasis on developing powerful engines. Using a small homebuilt wind tunnel, the Wrights also collected more accurate data than any before, enabling them to design and build wings and propellers that were more efficient than any before. Their first U.S. patent, 821,393, did not claim invention of a flying machine, but rather, the invention of a system of aerodynamic control that manipulated a flying machine's surfaces.

They gained the mechanical skills essential for their success by working for years in their shop with printing presses, bicycles, motors, and other machinery. Their work with bicycles in particular influenced their belief that an unstable vehicle like a flying machine could be controlled and balanced with practice. From 1900 until their first powered flights in late 1903, they conducted extensive glider tests that also developed their skills as pilots. Their bicycle shop employee Charlie Taylor became an important part of the team, building their first aircraft engine in close collaboration with the brothers.

The Wright brothers' status as inventors of the airplane has been subject to counter-claims by various parties. Much controversy persists over the many competing claims of early aviators.

Libyan Arab Airlines

Libyan Airlines, known as Libyan Arab Airlines over several decades, is the oldest and the national flag carrier airline of Libya. Based in Tripoli, it operates scheduled passenger and cargo services within Libya and to Europe, North Africa and theMiddle East, the majority of which leave from Tripoli International Airport. Benina International Airport in Benghazi serves as a secondary base. The company is a member of the Arab Air Carriers Organization and the International Air Transport Association.

The airline was established in 1964 as Kingdom of Libya Airlines, and the first revenue flights took place in October 1965. From the beginning, it concentrated on providing services from Tripoli and Benghazi to Europe and the neighboring countries of Libya, as well as operating a multitude of domestic routes. By 1968, the international network included destinations like Athens, Beirut, Cairo, Geneva, London, Paris, Rome or Tunis, which were served using either Caravelle or Fokker F27 aircraft. There were interline agreements with Alitalia, Middle East Airlines and BOAC.

Thank you Maria for this interesting FDC dated1.10.1966.

25 years of Swissair Service over the North Atlantic, special mail transport & 50 years of international air-mail traffic, 1922-1972

By a special flight on 02 May 1947 Swissair took up its regular Service between Switzerland and the United States. To mark the 25^thAnniversary of this event the Swissair Flight Geneva – New York of 02 May 1972 undertook a special mail transport, for which PTT Switzerland authorised  the use of the special date stamp or cancellation on the special stamp on this First Day Cover. The special stamp was also issued on this day to mark 50 years of international air-mail traffic, 1922-1972 - Geneva-Zurich-Nuremberg, the PTT issued a special postage stamp. Receipts from the sale of the special stamps amounted to 2.7 million Swiss francs, 80% of which went to the Pro Aero Foundation and 20% to the Swiss Air Ambulance Service.

Thank you my dear friend Maria for this lovely FDC.

50th Anniversary of Finnair 1.11.1973

Finnair Plc is the flag carrier and largest airline of Finland with its headquarters in Vantaa, Finland and its main hub at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport. Finnair and its subsidiaries dominate both the domestic and international air travel markets in Finland. The largest owner is the government of Finland with 55.8% of the shares. Finnair is a member of the Oneworld airline alliance. In 2006, the airline transported 8.8 million passengers, on a network of 15 domestic and 55 international destinations. In addition there are about 60 seasonal charter-flight destinations. As of early 2012, the Finnish government is considering decreasing its share of Finnair ownership below 50%.Finnair is one of world's oldest continually operating airlines. The company was founded on 1 November 1923. In recent years, a key part of Finnair's strategy has been strengthening the company's position in the Asian market and particularly in traffic between Europe and Asia. The long-haul expansion is nothing new, however. At Finnair, long-haul expansion to the United States was first talked about in the 1930s, in the company's early years. The expansion had to wait, however, as plans were put on hold after the outbreak of the Second World War. Finnair flights from Helsinki via Copenhagen and Amsterdam to New York began on 15 May 1969. The new long-haul route was made possible by revolutionary navigation systems. Finnair flew to New York with DC-8 aircraft, which held nearly 200 passengers.
Today, Finnair's position in traffic between Europe and Asia is well established and growing strongly. In its Asian expansion, the company is supported in particular by Finland's favourable geographical position: the shortest routes from Europe to the Far East pass through Helsinki. Finnair is currently operating scheduled flights to 12 long-haul destinations: Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Delhi, Seoul, Singapore, Toronto and New York. In May 2012 Finnair will also introduce a nonstop flight to Chongqing. The long-haul fleet currently consists of 15 wide-bodied aircraft.
The stamp on the cover, and the cover itself were issued on 1.11.1973 commemorating the 50^th Anniversary of Finnair. This nice FDC was given to me by Pia.

Wright Brothers - Equatorial Guinea stamp MNH 1979 Aviation sheet

The Wright brothers, Orville (August 19, 1871 – January 30, 1948) and Wilbur (April 16, 1867 – May 30, 1912), were two Americans credited with inventing and building the world's first successful airplane and making the first controlled, powered and sustained heavier-than-air human flight, on December 17, 1903. In the two years afterward, the brothers developed their flying machine into the first practical fixed-wing aircraft. Although not the first to build and fly experimental aircraft, the Wright brothers were the first to invent aircraft controls that made fixed-wing powered flight possible.

The Wright brothers were two of seven children born to Milton Wright (1828–1917) of English and Dutch descent and Susan Catherine Koerner (1831–1889) of German-Swiss descent. Wilbur was born near Millville, Indiana, in 1867; Orville in Dayton, Ohio, in 1871. The brothers never married (no interference – that must have been the secret of their successes in Aviation). The other Wright siblings were named Reuchlin (1861–1920), Lorin (1862–1939), Katharine (1874–1929), and twins Otis and Ida (born 1870, died in infancy). In elementary school, Orville was given to mischief and was once expelled. In 1878 their father, who traveled often as a bishop in the Church of the United Brethren in Christ, brought home a toy "helicopter" for his two younger sons. The device was based on an invention of French aeronautical pioneer Alphonse Pénaud. Made of paper, bamboo and cork with a rubber band to twirl its rotor, it was about a foot long. Wilbur and Orville played with it until it broke, and then built their own. In later years, they pointed to their experience with the toy as the initial spark of their interest in flying.

This sheetlet of eight stamps was issued by the Republic of Equatorial Giinea on 1st May, 1979. The top four stamps feature Orville Wright, and the lower four show Wilbur Wright. These stamps were issued to commemorate Aviation.

Equatorial Guinea Stamps of Old Aircraft

This sheet let of 16 stamps issued by Equatorial Guinea in 1975, of aircraft around the world from 1896 to 1940 are individually portrayed on these stamps. From the plane built by the Wright Brothers to the “Spirit of Saint Louis” and many others. This sheet is almost a history of aircraft evolution. It was given to me by Maria.

Equatorial Guinea, officially the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, is a country located in Middle Africa. It comprises two parts: a Continental Region (Río Muni), including several small offshore islands like Corisco, Elobey Grande and Elobey Chico; and an insular region containing Annobón island and Bioko island (formerly Fernando Po) where the capital Malabo is situated.
Equatorial Guinea has one of the worst human rights records in the world, consistently ranking among the "worst of the worst" in Freedom House's annual survey of political and civil rights and Reporters Without Borders ranks President Obiang among its "predators" of press freedom. Out of 44 sub-Saharan countries, Equatorial Guinea ranks 9th highest in the Human Development Index (HDI) and 115th overall, which is among the medium HDI countries.

Pioneers of Aviation

Major invention of the twentieth century, aviation is also a great human adventure. The French Post has issued a series of stamps dedicated to the six aviation pioneers (Farman, Delagrange, the Wright brothers, Latham, Vedrines, Deroche).

Maurice Alain Farman was a French Grand Prix motor racing champion, an aviator, and an aircraft manufacturer and designer.

Leon Delagrange was a French aviator who established a record flight in an airplane in 1908 and made a sensational flight in a storm in England in 1909.

The Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur, were two Americans who were credited with inventing and building the world's first successful airplane and making the first controlled, powered and sustained heavier-than-air human flight, on December 17, 1903.

Arthur Charles Hubert Latham was a French aviation pioneer. He was the first person to attempt to cross the English Channel in an airplane. Due to engine failure during his first of two attempts to cross the Channel, he became the first person to land an airplane on a body of water.

The first airplane to visit the Holy Land was a Bleriot XI, flown by the French aviator Jules Vedrines, who participated in a competition to fly from Paris to Cairo. He landed near Jaffa, on the Mediterranean coast, on December 27th, 1913.

Elise Raymonde Deroche was the first qualified woman pilot in France and in the world.