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General Philatelic/Gen. Discussion : Aviation Pioneers: Postal History

 

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pigdoc

14 Mar 2018
05:57:13pm
I'm working on an exhibit of picture postcards commemorating the earliest events in aviation history. Ideally, items in the exhibit will be postally used during the event being commemorated. Even better if the message by the sender references the event! I have accumulated about 3 dozen items, so far.

Here is an item that I received today, a real gem, despite its condition issues:

Image Not Found

By the legend, it depicts Louis Bleriot on August 23rd, 1909, setting a world speed record for 10km of 8 minutes, 42.4 seconds, at the Grande Semaine D'Aviation, in 1909. That's 41.34 miles per hour. I can just tell from the image that the plane is his Model XII, #22, his latest hotrod of the period, with the LeRhone Gnome rotary engine of 50hp and a 4-bladed propeller. Interestingly, he broke his own record the next day over the same course, with a speed of 44.57 MPH. And, again, on August 28, 1909, with a speed of 46.17 MPH!

This was the premier (if not exactly the first) air exhibition and competition held in the world to date. There were 40 fliers entered, and 200,000 francs paid out in prizes - about $40,000 then, but today, that would be more than a half $million. About a half million people attended the event.

What I really like about this postcard is that it was posted DURING the event, and bears the special hexagonal cancel for the event, "BETHANY AVIATION MARNE". What's more is that the sender is speaking of the event (and so, was probably there) and mentions the names of fliers Bleriot and Latham in the message. Plus, it's an international posting, with a Mallorca receiver cancel.

I paid $7 for this postcard. And, to boot, the seller included this one as a freebie:

Image Not Found

This one honors the same event a year later, again with the hexagonal special cancel, and posted DURING the event. I don't know what Mr. DuBonnet's accomplishments were during this event yet, but he's sitting in the cockpit of a very obscure Tellier monoplane.

I've also been watching for poster stamps in this genre, and will share these two:

Image Not Found

They commemorate the 1909 and 1910 events at Reims (Betheny), to match the two postcards I present here. I think these make a very nice adjunct to the exhibit! I wish I had the item that the 1909 poster stamp was soaked off of! I can't make out the complete date in the CDS, but it's definitely "REIMS" and it looks like "09".

All this to just demonstrate that some REALLY COOL postal history stuff is still out there for the picking.

Isn't postal history invigorating?

-Paul
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JohnnyRockets
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14 Mar 2018
07:04:22pm
re: Aviation Pioneers: Postal History

Hi Paul,

-Quote-

"All this to just demonstrate that some REALLY COOL postal history stuff is still out there for the picking.

Isn't postal history invigorating?"

-/Quote-


I have to admit, that investigating stamps is the sole reason I became interested in this hobby and your example of what is "still out there" is invigorating indeed! Thumbs Up


JR

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ChrisW
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APS# 175366

16 Mar 2018
06:31:00pm
re: Aviation Pioneers: Postal History

pigdoc (are you a vet by any chance?),

Very nice postcards! One of my interest is worldwide airmail stamps, so I was particularly interested in your postcards. By the way, what's a "poster stamp"?


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"Collecting worldwide classic era stamps"
keesindy
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17 Mar 2018
10:34:08am
re: Aviation Pioneers: Postal History

Paul, here is one with the Wright Brothers at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1910. Worth watching for if you haven't already encountered it. I borrowed this postcard along with many others several years ago from a local Indianapolis postcard collector. He was an elderly gentleman and was said to have the largest collection of Indianapolis postcards ever assembled. He was very proud of having this one.

I've scanned other circa 1910 postcards of Indiana pilots (including one woman) with their planes on the ground as well as a couple of crashed planes. Others include the scenes where the planes were added to the scene later. These are all part of my growing Indiana History project at Flickr, but I've never felt I had enough to create a separate album for the pilots and their aircraft.

https://flic.kr/p/boGoRK

Edit to add: If balloons are also of interest, follow the link on the Wright Bros. postcard page to my "Indianapolis Motor Speedway" album. They also held balloon races at the speedway and the two postcards I've included in the album were created from a rare original panoramic photograph view of the event.

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"I no longer collect, but will never abandon the hobby"
pigdoc

17 Mar 2018
10:48:42am
re: Aviation Pioneers: Postal History

Thanks, keesindy,

Interestingly, the Wrights themselves were not AT ALL interested in participating in competitions. However, their airplanes, though not speed demons, were flown by many competitors in 1909 and 1910. The real speed demons were the later model Bleriots and Deperdussins.

The Chicago air races, in 1911, were marred by a number of horrific crashes. I think 3 competitors lost their lives at that event.

By then, top speeds were approaching 80MPH.

More later!
-Paul


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pigdoc

16 Aug 2018
06:14:23pm
re: Aviation Pioneers: Postal History

BUMP!

Wanted to use a couple of postal history items to tell a story about the short-lived Aéroplanes Deperdussin. Established in 1909, this was its earliest successful product, the 1910 model:
Image Not Found
This is the one that still flies in the Shuttleworth collection, believed to be the 43rd Deperdussin produced and the world's second oldest airworthy type.

Here is a picture postcard that I procured today for my collection:Image Not Found

from the "FLYING AT HENDON SERIES". Hendon, being the famous Aerodrome in England. First used as an airfield by Louis Paulhan as his point of departure in quest of the Daily Mail prize (£10,000) for the first flight from Manchester to London, 195 miles. The race was hotly contested, between Paulhan and Claude Grahame-White and won by Paulhan, after 4 hours in the air, split by an overnight stay. Grahame-White went on to purchase the land from which Hendon Aerodrome arose, intent on manufacturing aeroplanes. Bleriot established a flying school there. From 9 to 16 September 1911, the first official UK airmail was flown between Hendon and Windsor as part of the celebrations of the coronation of King George V.

Which brings me to the reverse of the postcard:Image Not Found

The stamp is the 1/2 penny KGV, looks like the 1912 re-engraved issue (Sc #153). Cancellation is hard to read, but it looks like "August 11 192" to me, with the "2" misregistered and a missing "1". Given the tied stamp, 1912 seems more plausible than 1920-something.

So, back to the story. Hendon hosted the "Aerial Derby" held in June, 1912, thronged by between 500,000 and 1,000,000 people. The event created quite a stir. The writer of this postcard was apparently at Hendon a couple of months later, to soak up any residual aura...

Anyway, the aircraft on the card is interesting. There are several non-stock features. Most obvious is a plug between the firewall and the cockpit, seeming to move the CG forward. I also see that the fuel tank right behind the engine is missing, or it is smaller. I wonder if the CG was shifted forward to compensate for a second flyer, a trainee. The shape of the canard strut on top is different as well. The 1910 Deperdussin was produced in five types, including a "School Type" and a "Military Two-Seater". Both airplanes depicted here have the 3-cylinder Anzani Radial. At any rate, the aircraft on the postcard has been modified, perhaps not surprising, given the times and the enterprises at Hendon...

The rest of the story:
Aéroplanes Deperdussin produced a number of notable racing aircraft, including the groundbreaking Deperdussin Monocoque, which won the 1912 and 1913 Gordon Bennett Trophy races, set several world speed records and was the first airplane to exceed 200 km/h:Image Not Found

The company declared bankruptcy in 1913 after its founder, Armand Deperdussin was arrested on charges of fraud. The company name was changed to Société Provisoire des Aéroplanes Deperdussin (SPAD). The family resemblence is striking:Image Not Found

-Paul



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pigdoc

20 Aug 2018
02:11:57pm
re: Aviation Pioneers: Postal History

I had to throw a detail image up of the modified (ca. 1912) Deperdussin, depicted above:

Image Not Found

The postcard itself is a high-resolution B&W print, looks like the card was made directly from the photographic negative. Under magnification, I can almost count the fins on the cylinders.

Anyway, what I see is TWO 3-cylinder Anzani radials, mounted nose-to-tail to make a 6-cylinder engine. The cylinder pointing to 1 o'clock (as viewed from the front of the aircraft) is part of the fore bank, and the cylinder pointing to 11 o'clock is part of the aft bank. I'm guessing this is a 50hp engine, since the 3-cylinder Anzanis were rated at 25hp. Not a huge amount of power, but enough to support a passenger. I still think the fuselage plug in front of the wing is to move the engine forward to compensate for the added weight of the passenger, behind the wing. So, it's an experimental model.

Also, on the original image, I can make out what looks like the top half of a two-digit number on the rudder, black numbers on a white background. Could be 18 or 48...

One of the more interesting postcards in my collection!
-Paul
PS, I can also definitely identify the stamp as the 1912 re-engraved issue, Sc #153.

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pigdoc

05 Sep 2018
10:05:55am
re: Aviation Pioneers: Postal History

This posting is really an announcement. While not postal history, per se, I'm going to attempt to create some!

Anyway, on September 29, in Ithaca, NY, a recently restored Thomas Morse S-4B Flyer will take to the air. You can read all about it here:
http://www.tommycomehome.org/
Also, there was an article in the latest issue of Air & Space magazine and there's a link to that article on the web page. There were only about 125 of the SC-4B and 500 of the SC-4C built, all in Ithaca, NY. Only a dozen or so remain. I think the plan is to fly this one once, and then place it in a museum.

Ithaca is about a 4-hour drive from my place, so I'm seriously considering going up to witness the flight. I thought I might create a philatelic souvenir or two, while I'm there. So, I've gathered up/created a couple of postcards. This one, restored in 1965, is at the USAF Museum in Dayton, an S-4C:

Image Not Found

And:
Image Not Found

This is also an S4-C, distinguished primarily by the straight trailing edges on the ailerons. To me, this photo (a modern reprint) appears to have been taken soon after the aircraft in the photo was completed, before it was painted. So, I'm presuming the photo was taken at Ithaca. I've carefully glued it to index card stock to give it some stiffness for mailing.

Now, my biggest dilemma is what to frank these cards with. I'm thinking of using an Air Mail stamp, should be $0.50, I guess. I can't recall ever seeing a stamp in the Transportation Series depicting an airplane.

Are there any stamps (of any country) depicting a Thomas Morse Flyer? I could use one of these as a label, in addition to the stamp for postage.

In my dreams, I convince the pilot to actually carry my postcards during the flight!

Open to suggestions.

Thanks,
-Paul


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pigdoc

05 Sep 2018
10:20:51am
re: Aviation Pioneers: Postal History

And, another announcement.

The annual Early Days of Aviation event at the Golden Age Air museum is this Saturday, September 8:

https://www.goldenageair.org/events.htm

I will be there, weather permitting. The airstrip (grass) is about midway between Harrisburg and Allentown, along I-78, near the town of Grimes. The forecast is for rather unsettled weather, but if there is not too much wind, they'll put the Fokker DR-1 replica with an original rotary engine up, along with a Sopwith Cub.

Obligatory Stamp Collecting Content:

This JN-4 is always there:
Image Not Found

...and it is an awesome sight to see it slowly motoring the skies!

-Paul

PS, here's an excellent video from last year's show:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTCTlvK5iLQ

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ikeyPikey
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10 Sep 2018
10:06:17pm
re: Aviation Pioneers: Postal History

A recent thrift shop find, which I'll post with apologies for posting without research.

Image Not Found

Hand-dated on the reverse:

Image Not Found

Cheers,

/s/ ikeyPikey

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"I collect stamps today precisely the way I collected stamps when I was ten years old."
pigdoc

11 Sep 2018
04:57:21pm
re: Aviation Pioneers: Postal History

Very cool!
From wikipedia:

"After Charles Lindbergh crossed the Atlantic from West to East in May 1927, the idea of flying in the opposite direction, which is more difficult because of the prevailing winds, became more and more popular. In 1927 Hünefeld bought two Junkers W 33 aircraft from the Junkers company in Dessau, naming them after the two Norddeutscher Lloyd flagships SS Bremen and SS Europa. His plans were supported by Hugo Junkers and Hermann Köhl, a World War I pilot and head of the Deutsche Luft Hansa Nightflight Branch.

After some test flights, and breaking the record for flight duration, Hünefeld and Köhl flew to Baldonnel, Ireland, where they met James C. Fitzmaurice, the Irish Air Corps Commandant of the Baldonnel Airodrome. On 12 April 1928 these three left Baldonnel in the Bremen and crossed the Atlantic Ocean, landing at Greenly Island at the south coast of Labrador, Canada. Even though they failed to reach their initial goal, New York City, they were the first to cross the Atlantic from Europe to America. By a special act of the Congress of the United States on May 2, 1928, Hünefeld and his two companions were awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross."

Von Huenefeld was dead less than a year later.

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pigdoc

11 Sep 2018
09:00:11pm
re: Aviation Pioneers: Postal History

Here's a recent acquisition:
Image Not Found

It was posted from Monaco, a few weeks after the 1910 Cote D'Azur air show in Cannes. Henri Rougier was a rock star at that time, having won top awards at major air events in Italy, Germany, Belgium, and Egypt earlier in 1910, flying the Voisin biplane depicted on this card. And, he was flying in Monte Carlo in January, 1910. I have not researched his accomplishments at Cannes in 1910 but the card is implying that he competed there. The photo was taken less than 5 months after he earned Aviator's Certificate number 11. (He was also the winner of the inaugural Monte Carlo Gran Prix the following year.)

I love the very high resolution in the images on some of these cards. Under magnification, I can almost make out the brand of cigarette that Henri is smoking on his way to the cockpit.Happy The 4 gendarmes and their uniforms are also very interesting. The crowds around air events in these times were practically uncontrollable in their frenzy to get close enough to touch the machines and the men. Flyers were known to land on and take off from city streets at this time. I'm sure there's more to the story depicted on this card!

I wonder what the young lady has to say to Monsieur Georges?
Translation, anyone?

-Paul

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pigdoc

08 Dec 2018
10:15:43am
re: Aviation Pioneers: Postal History

The other day, I made mention of recently acquiring a "crown jewel" for my early postal history of aviation collection. Here it is:

Image Not Found

It depicts "June Bug", otherwise known as Aerodrome No. 3. This airplane was conceived and built in Hammondsport by Glenn CurtissF.W. (Casey) Baldwin, as part of a group of 5 aviation pioneers who joined a club sponsored by Alexander Graham Bell called the Aerial Experiment Association, conceived in 1907, and formally activated on January 1, 1908.

June Bug represents a radical departure from Curtiss' earlier designs, called Red Wing and White Wing. The most distinguishing feature of June Bug is the straight wings. Earlier trials had arced wings, which were much harder to build.

June Bug incorporated several minor modifications from Baldwin's earlier machine, White Wing. Close examination of the wingtips reveals the triangular ailerons, which were carried over as a source of lateral stability.

Curtiss registered and flew the aircraft to compete for the Scientific American Trophy, offered for the first flight of more than one kilometer, and would be awarded permanently to the competitor who completed all 3 of the required feats, which Curtiss eventually accomplished.

The attempt was scheduled and completed on July 4, 1908, in Hammondsport, NY. Charles Manly measured the course to be flown. He was Professor Langley's pilot in earlier days.

I believe the image on this postcard was taken immediately prior to the flights of July 4, which occurred at 7PM and 7:30PM on that day. The first flight was abortive, as it was discovered immediately after takeoff that the rear tailplane was mounted with too much down angle, causing the plane to pitch up violently. Curtiss accomplished a landing after flying about 2000 feet and the tailplane angle was corrected. In the postcard image, if you compare the angles of incidence of the tailplane and the main planes, it is clear that the tailplane has an excessive down angle. The record-setting flight occurred at 7:30PM, covering close to a mile. The biography of Glenn Curtiss that I am referencing states, "More than any other aircraft up to that moment, June Bug convinced the world of the reality of human flight."

Other features of the postcard image worth noting are Curtiss himself, in the center, wearing a necktie. I have some more research to do to figure out who else is in the photo, particularly the fellow to Curtiss' right, possibly David Fairchild, Bell's son-in-law or, more likely Casey Baldwin himself. The image is very high resolution. Under magnification, I can count the spokes in the wheels. And, close examination of the 4 8-cylinder engine, uncooled, with individual carburetors for each cylinder (also built by Curtiss) can be made.

June Bug became the prototype for Gold Bug was the follow-on model, designed by Curtiss with easier-to-build straight wings, which was the prototype for Reims Racer model that Curtiss flew to a world's speed record in September, 1909, in Reims, France, beating out Louis Bleriot by a few seconds.

The reverse shows a Hammondsport cancellation, applied 41 days after the flight. I have done some preliminary research, attempting to determine the identity of the sender and recipient. Nothing to report yet, except that Elmira Heights is just to the southeast of Hammondsport, about 40 miles by winding road.

I'm so tickled to have made this acquisition! Curtiss' accomplishments FAR overshadowed the Wrights' in this pioneering era of aviation.

-Paul

After further research, I must make a number of corrections to this posting. Additions in red.

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pigdoc

09 Dec 2018
12:29:10pm
re: Aviation Pioneers: Postal History

Hey, Antonius and cdj, your VALUABLE postings more properly belong in this Discussion thread:

Early airmail postal history and stamps

Can you (or moderator?) please move your postings to that thread?

I'm sorry for starting two threads with such similar names. Will fix that soon...

THANKS!
-Paul

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cdj1122
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Silence in the face of adversity is the father of complicity and collusion, the first cousins of conspiracy..

10 Dec 2018
01:58:10am
re: Aviation Pioneers: Postal History

No, Paul, my comment was referring to the discussion above
in this thread that you wrote; (11 Sep 2018, 04:57:21pm)
about the first westerly airmail flight across te Atlantic.

" ... After some test flights, and breaking the record for
flight duration,
Hünefeld and Köhl flew to
Baldonnel, Ireland, where they met James C. Fitzmaurice,
the Irish Air Corps Commandant of the Baldonnel Airodrome...."


Thus, I added;
Just for the hell of it I looked up Hünefeld's full name; Ehrenfried Günther Freiherr von Hünefeld and Herman Köhl. No wonder writers just use "Hünefeld."

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".... You may think you understood what you thought I said, but I'm not sure you realize that what you think you heard is not what I thought I meant. .... "
pigdoc

10 Dec 2018
08:29:06pm
re: Aviation Pioneers: Postal History

Thanks for that contribution, cdj! I just missed the connection with the earlier posting.
I'll pay closer attention from now on!

-Paul

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pigdoc

04 Jan 2019
10:06:02am
re: Aviation Pioneers: Postal History

I'll revive this thread with a posting on Alberto Santos-Dumont, an early aviation pioneer from Brazil. On 23 October 1906 his "14-bis" made the first powered heavier-than-air flight in Europe to be certified by the Aéro-Club de France and the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale. Here is a picture postcard depicting a flight:

Image Not Found

Image looks like a composite, but it is a nice, detailed view of the aircraft, flying from left to right, with the pilot Santos-Dumont standing. The craft was named 14-bis because it used the re-purposed nacelle from one of his earlier dirigibles, number 14. Two previous flight attempts in August and September, 1906 were unsuccessful, but the flight of October 23 was 60 meters, lasting 7 seconds. On November 12, 1906, Santos-Dumont made a series of 6 successful flights at Le Bagatelle field, near Paris. The longest was 220 meters, lasting about 21 seconds. At the time, the December, 1903 flights by the Wrights were not yet believed to have happened, and so these by Santos-Dumont were thought to be the world's first flights by a heavier-than-air craft. Apparently, the postcard commemorates the November, 1906 flights. Posted in November, 1908, from Paris. Today, La Bagatelle is a park about 4 miles NW of the center of Paris.

And then, more recently, this item caught my eye:
Image Not Found

The reddish-violet 500 reis stamp commemorates Santos-Dumont's November 12 flight, with a nice engraving of 14-bis in a similar setting as the postcard. The cover was flown on the second voyage of Graf Zeppelin to/from South America in the summer of 1933. It is backstamped with a June 13 Bodensee receiver. It makes a nice addition to my Zeppelin cover collection as a companion to the cover I have from the first South American flight (October, 1931)!

Enjoy!
-Paul









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philb
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04 Jan 2019
09:23:48pm

Auctions
re: Aviation Pioneers: Postal History

Paul, have you been to Cole Palens WW1 aerodrome in Rhinebeck N.Y. ?

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"And every hair is measured like every grain of sand"
pigdoc

18 Apr 2019
10:45:52am
re: Aviation Pioneers: Postal History

Here's a rather shabby one that I want to use in my Aviation Pioneers presentation next week:
Image Not Found
It's significant in a number of ways.
- It depicts Bleriot's Model VIII, which was his first really successful aeroplane, apparently in flight in October, 1908. He made his longest flight to date on October 21, 1908 at Issy le Moulineux, just SW of Paris where he flew 7 kilometers in 6 minutes 40 seconds. The characteristic background in the image confirms the location of the shot as Issy. The Model VIIIter was one of the earliest applications of movable ailerons - see the wingtips in the image - and was the immediate predecessor of his Model XI.
- It's posted on August 5, 1909, with a London receiver of August 6. This is a scant 11 days after Bleriot's immensely famous flight across La Manche, the English Channel, on July 25, 1909 in the Model XI.

I have to believe that the sender's message refers in some way to the historic flight, only I can't make a dent in translating it.

Can anyone make a stab at translating it? Looks like it's in French.

G. Harold Radford is a name associated with Rolls Royce, who started a Bentley coachbuilding business in the 1940s. 100 Hatton Garden is about 3 miles from where this establishment was located (now Lamborghini of London). I have no idea if this is the same Radford.

THANKS!
-Paul

PS, until Henri Farman did it on July 6, 1908, no European had flown for more than 15 minutes, continuously. The Wrights first did it nearly THREE YEARS before then in the US, and Wilbur had made more than a dozen flights of more than 15 minutes in France before October 29, 1908.

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Charlie2009
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19 Apr 2019
05:21:42am
re: Aviation Pioneers: Postal History

My French is very rusty but it says something about: working tirelessly and arriving today.I see the words amis travail inlassablement abouter nous somme arivee aujord'hui,at least I think so.I stand corrected.Somebody with better french might be able to do better.

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www.hipstamp.com/store/my-stamping-ground
pigdoc

19 Apr 2019
08:59:39am
re: Aviation Pioneers: Postal History

Charlie,

I think you have the gist of it!

Not to beat a dead horse, but I think the key word that begins the fourth line is "abrutir", to stupefy.

So, I make the translation as:

“Friends, Working without pause, tirelessly, to stupified or we arrive today.”

In the modern vernacular, they worked themselves stupid and are apologizing for not arriving today. I wonder if the a- at the end of the third line could be a contraction of "aussi" for "too" in English...

Often something is lost in translation of phrases written 110 years ago!

Message does not seem to relate directly to Bleriot's feat, but it does illustrate the typical messages on postcards that were used, in lieu of the telephone, to communicate mundane announcements.

Thanks for providing an opening, Charlie!
-Paul

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pigdoc

19 Apr 2019
10:57:43am
re: Aviation Pioneers: Postal History

Speaking of Bleriot, here's another that I pulled out of the collection:
Image Not Found
This is one of a series of 8 or more embossed artists' impressions of significant Aviation Pioneers. I have seven different, including the Wrights, Curtiss, Latham, Farman, Delagrange, and Esnault-Pelterie.

I pulled this one out yesterday again, and had not noticed before that it was sent to Annam (Vietnam)! From Charleroi, Belgium. Receiver cancels indicate that it took about 5 weeks to make the journey!

Curious if the stamp has any significance: "Do not deliver on Sunday", in French and Dutch.

Enjoy!
-Paul






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Bobstamp
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20 Apr 2019
02:41:34am
re: Aviation Pioneers: Postal History

Nice Bleriot postcard, Pigdoc. I’ve been in Tam Ky. More precisely, I went through Tam Ky in a truck convoy with a Marine Corps truck convoy in 1966, at the beginning of Operation Double Eagle II.

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pigdoc

04 Dec 2020
03:46:17pm
re: Aviation Pioneers: Postal History

I'm going to be bumping a few of my favorite threads.

Here are a couple of recent additions to my Aviation Pioneers postal history collection. The concept for the picture postcard collection is: postally used near the time of the event depicted. Ideally, the sender's message references the postcard's subject.

Louis Bleriot's crossing of "La Manche" (The English Channel) generated as much or more excitement as/than the 1969 moon landing, in its day. As such, it was widely celebrated for months after it occurred, on July 25, 1909. Which coincidentally, was just a few days less than 60 years prior to the landing of Apollo 11.

Image Not Found

I had been looking for a suitable example of the top card for a couple of years. Bleriot is in the photo, with his huge mustache and flying helmet. Interestingly, the image in the bottom card is faked. The plane depicted is a Model VIII, with ailerons at the wing tips. The actual plane flown across the Channel was a Model XI, which did not have that feature. Also, if you compare the rudder in both images, you see the obvious difference.

And, now, for the reverse:
Image Not Found

The postmark on the top card is August 13, 1909, a scant 19 days after the event depicted. Comparing the dateline at the lower left with the postmark, it was a local delivery.

Bottom card was mailed on October 13, 1909. Messages on both cards are similarly arcane.

Enjoy! And, post 'em if you got 'em!
-Paul



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pigdoc

31 Mar 2021
12:38:25pm
re: Aviation Pioneers: Postal History

Back on 10-Sep-2018 ikey (RIP) provided a posting in this topic showing a postcard depicting Bremen, a historic Junkers W 33 (derivative of the F 13). It's about halfway up.

Well, this month, Smithsonian's Air & Space magazine did a piece on the airplane. Very entertaining read, here:

Bremen

Enjoy!
-Paul

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pigdoc

14 Mar 2018
05:57:13pm

I'm working on an exhibit of picture postcards commemorating the earliest events in aviation history. Ideally, items in the exhibit will be postally used during the event being commemorated. Even better if the message by the sender references the event! I have accumulated about 3 dozen items, so far.

Here is an item that I received today, a real gem, despite its condition issues:

Image Not Found

By the legend, it depicts Louis Bleriot on August 23rd, 1909, setting a world speed record for 10km of 8 minutes, 42.4 seconds, at the Grande Semaine D'Aviation, in 1909. That's 41.34 miles per hour. I can just tell from the image that the plane is his Model XII, #22, his latest hotrod of the period, with the LeRhone Gnome rotary engine of 50hp and a 4-bladed propeller. Interestingly, he broke his own record the next day over the same course, with a speed of 44.57 MPH. And, again, on August 28, 1909, with a speed of 46.17 MPH!

This was the premier (if not exactly the first) air exhibition and competition held in the world to date. There were 40 fliers entered, and 200,000 francs paid out in prizes - about $40,000 then, but today, that would be more than a half $million. About a half million people attended the event.

What I really like about this postcard is that it was posted DURING the event, and bears the special hexagonal cancel for the event, "BETHANY AVIATION MARNE". What's more is that the sender is speaking of the event (and so, was probably there) and mentions the names of fliers Bleriot and Latham in the message. Plus, it's an international posting, with a Mallorca receiver cancel.

I paid $7 for this postcard. And, to boot, the seller included this one as a freebie:

Image Not Found

This one honors the same event a year later, again with the hexagonal special cancel, and posted DURING the event. I don't know what Mr. DuBonnet's accomplishments were during this event yet, but he's sitting in the cockpit of a very obscure Tellier monoplane.

I've also been watching for poster stamps in this genre, and will share these two:

Image Not Found

They commemorate the 1909 and 1910 events at Reims (Betheny), to match the two postcards I present here. I think these make a very nice adjunct to the exhibit! I wish I had the item that the 1909 poster stamp was soaked off of! I can't make out the complete date in the CDS, but it's definitely "REIMS" and it looks like "09".

All this to just demonstrate that some REALLY COOL postal history stuff is still out there for the picking.

Isn't postal history invigorating?

-Paul

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JohnnyRockets

14 Mar 2018
07:04:22pm

re: Aviation Pioneers: Postal History

Hi Paul,

-Quote-

"All this to just demonstrate that some REALLY COOL postal history stuff is still out there for the picking.

Isn't postal history invigorating?"

-/Quote-


I have to admit, that investigating stamps is the sole reason I became interested in this hobby and your example of what is "still out there" is invigorating indeed! Thumbs Up


JR

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ChrisW

APS# 175366
16 Mar 2018
06:31:00pm

re: Aviation Pioneers: Postal History

pigdoc (are you a vet by any chance?),

Very nice postcards! One of my interest is worldwide airmail stamps, so I was particularly interested in your postcards. By the way, what's a "poster stamp"?


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keesindy

17 Mar 2018
10:34:08am

re: Aviation Pioneers: Postal History

Paul, here is one with the Wright Brothers at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1910. Worth watching for if you haven't already encountered it. I borrowed this postcard along with many others several years ago from a local Indianapolis postcard collector. He was an elderly gentleman and was said to have the largest collection of Indianapolis postcards ever assembled. He was very proud of having this one.

I've scanned other circa 1910 postcards of Indiana pilots (including one woman) with their planes on the ground as well as a couple of crashed planes. Others include the scenes where the planes were added to the scene later. These are all part of my growing Indiana History project at Flickr, but I've never felt I had enough to create a separate album for the pilots and their aircraft.

https://flic.kr/p/boGoRK

Edit to add: If balloons are also of interest, follow the link on the Wright Bros. postcard page to my "Indianapolis Motor Speedway" album. They also held balloon races at the speedway and the two postcards I've included in the album were created from a rare original panoramic photograph view of the event.

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pigdoc

17 Mar 2018
10:48:42am

re: Aviation Pioneers: Postal History

Thanks, keesindy,

Interestingly, the Wrights themselves were not AT ALL interested in participating in competitions. However, their airplanes, though not speed demons, were flown by many competitors in 1909 and 1910. The real speed demons were the later model Bleriots and Deperdussins.

The Chicago air races, in 1911, were marred by a number of horrific crashes. I think 3 competitors lost their lives at that event.

By then, top speeds were approaching 80MPH.

More later!
-Paul


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pigdoc

16 Aug 2018
06:14:23pm

re: Aviation Pioneers: Postal History

BUMP!

Wanted to use a couple of postal history items to tell a story about the short-lived Aéroplanes Deperdussin. Established in 1909, this was its earliest successful product, the 1910 model:
Image Not Found
This is the one that still flies in the Shuttleworth collection, believed to be the 43rd Deperdussin produced and the world's second oldest airworthy type.

Here is a picture postcard that I procured today for my collection:Image Not Found

from the "FLYING AT HENDON SERIES". Hendon, being the famous Aerodrome in England. First used as an airfield by Louis Paulhan as his point of departure in quest of the Daily Mail prize (£10,000) for the first flight from Manchester to London, 195 miles. The race was hotly contested, between Paulhan and Claude Grahame-White and won by Paulhan, after 4 hours in the air, split by an overnight stay. Grahame-White went on to purchase the land from which Hendon Aerodrome arose, intent on manufacturing aeroplanes. Bleriot established a flying school there. From 9 to 16 September 1911, the first official UK airmail was flown between Hendon and Windsor as part of the celebrations of the coronation of King George V.

Which brings me to the reverse of the postcard:Image Not Found

The stamp is the 1/2 penny KGV, looks like the 1912 re-engraved issue (Sc #153). Cancellation is hard to read, but it looks like "August 11 192" to me, with the "2" misregistered and a missing "1". Given the tied stamp, 1912 seems more plausible than 1920-something.

So, back to the story. Hendon hosted the "Aerial Derby" held in June, 1912, thronged by between 500,000 and 1,000,000 people. The event created quite a stir. The writer of this postcard was apparently at Hendon a couple of months later, to soak up any residual aura...

Anyway, the aircraft on the card is interesting. There are several non-stock features. Most obvious is a plug between the firewall and the cockpit, seeming to move the CG forward. I also see that the fuel tank right behind the engine is missing, or it is smaller. I wonder if the CG was shifted forward to compensate for a second flyer, a trainee. The shape of the canard strut on top is different as well. The 1910 Deperdussin was produced in five types, including a "School Type" and a "Military Two-Seater". Both airplanes depicted here have the 3-cylinder Anzani Radial. At any rate, the aircraft on the postcard has been modified, perhaps not surprising, given the times and the enterprises at Hendon...

The rest of the story:
Aéroplanes Deperdussin produced a number of notable racing aircraft, including the groundbreaking Deperdussin Monocoque, which won the 1912 and 1913 Gordon Bennett Trophy races, set several world speed records and was the first airplane to exceed 200 km/h:Image Not Found

The company declared bankruptcy in 1913 after its founder, Armand Deperdussin was arrested on charges of fraud. The company name was changed to Société Provisoire des Aéroplanes Deperdussin (SPAD). The family resemblence is striking:Image Not Found

-Paul



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pigdoc

20 Aug 2018
02:11:57pm

re: Aviation Pioneers: Postal History

I had to throw a detail image up of the modified (ca. 1912) Deperdussin, depicted above:

Image Not Found

The postcard itself is a high-resolution B&W print, looks like the card was made directly from the photographic negative. Under magnification, I can almost count the fins on the cylinders.

Anyway, what I see is TWO 3-cylinder Anzani radials, mounted nose-to-tail to make a 6-cylinder engine. The cylinder pointing to 1 o'clock (as viewed from the front of the aircraft) is part of the fore bank, and the cylinder pointing to 11 o'clock is part of the aft bank. I'm guessing this is a 50hp engine, since the 3-cylinder Anzanis were rated at 25hp. Not a huge amount of power, but enough to support a passenger. I still think the fuselage plug in front of the wing is to move the engine forward to compensate for the added weight of the passenger, behind the wing. So, it's an experimental model.

Also, on the original image, I can make out what looks like the top half of a two-digit number on the rudder, black numbers on a white background. Could be 18 or 48...

One of the more interesting postcards in my collection!
-Paul
PS, I can also definitely identify the stamp as the 1912 re-engraved issue, Sc #153.

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pigdoc

05 Sep 2018
10:05:55am

re: Aviation Pioneers: Postal History

This posting is really an announcement. While not postal history, per se, I'm going to attempt to create some!

Anyway, on September 29, in Ithaca, NY, a recently restored Thomas Morse S-4B Flyer will take to the air. You can read all about it here:
http://www.tommycomehome.org/
Also, there was an article in the latest issue of Air & Space magazine and there's a link to that article on the web page. There were only about 125 of the SC-4B and 500 of the SC-4C built, all in Ithaca, NY. Only a dozen or so remain. I think the plan is to fly this one once, and then place it in a museum.

Ithaca is about a 4-hour drive from my place, so I'm seriously considering going up to witness the flight. I thought I might create a philatelic souvenir or two, while I'm there. So, I've gathered up/created a couple of postcards. This one, restored in 1965, is at the USAF Museum in Dayton, an S-4C:

Image Not Found

And:
Image Not Found

This is also an S4-C, distinguished primarily by the straight trailing edges on the ailerons. To me, this photo (a modern reprint) appears to have been taken soon after the aircraft in the photo was completed, before it was painted. So, I'm presuming the photo was taken at Ithaca. I've carefully glued it to index card stock to give it some stiffness for mailing.

Now, my biggest dilemma is what to frank these cards with. I'm thinking of using an Air Mail stamp, should be $0.50, I guess. I can't recall ever seeing a stamp in the Transportation Series depicting an airplane.

Are there any stamps (of any country) depicting a Thomas Morse Flyer? I could use one of these as a label, in addition to the stamp for postage.

In my dreams, I convince the pilot to actually carry my postcards during the flight!

Open to suggestions.

Thanks,
-Paul


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pigdoc

05 Sep 2018
10:20:51am

re: Aviation Pioneers: Postal History

And, another announcement.

The annual Early Days of Aviation event at the Golden Age Air museum is this Saturday, September 8:

https://www.goldenageair.org/events.htm

I will be there, weather permitting. The airstrip (grass) is about midway between Harrisburg and Allentown, along I-78, near the town of Grimes. The forecast is for rather unsettled weather, but if there is not too much wind, they'll put the Fokker DR-1 replica with an original rotary engine up, along with a Sopwith Cub.

Obligatory Stamp Collecting Content:

This JN-4 is always there:
Image Not Found

...and it is an awesome sight to see it slowly motoring the skies!

-Paul

PS, here's an excellent video from last year's show:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTCTlvK5iLQ

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ikeyPikey

10 Sep 2018
10:06:17pm

re: Aviation Pioneers: Postal History

A recent thrift shop find, which I'll post with apologies for posting without research.

Image Not Found

Hand-dated on the reverse:

Image Not Found

Cheers,

/s/ ikeyPikey

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pigdoc

11 Sep 2018
04:57:21pm

re: Aviation Pioneers: Postal History

Very cool!
From wikipedia:

"After Charles Lindbergh crossed the Atlantic from West to East in May 1927, the idea of flying in the opposite direction, which is more difficult because of the prevailing winds, became more and more popular. In 1927 Hünefeld bought two Junkers W 33 aircraft from the Junkers company in Dessau, naming them after the two Norddeutscher Lloyd flagships SS Bremen and SS Europa. His plans were supported by Hugo Junkers and Hermann Köhl, a World War I pilot and head of the Deutsche Luft Hansa Nightflight Branch.

After some test flights, and breaking the record for flight duration, Hünefeld and Köhl flew to Baldonnel, Ireland, where they met James C. Fitzmaurice, the Irish Air Corps Commandant of the Baldonnel Airodrome. On 12 April 1928 these three left Baldonnel in the Bremen and crossed the Atlantic Ocean, landing at Greenly Island at the south coast of Labrador, Canada. Even though they failed to reach their initial goal, New York City, they were the first to cross the Atlantic from Europe to America. By a special act of the Congress of the United States on May 2, 1928, Hünefeld and his two companions were awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross."

Von Huenefeld was dead less than a year later.

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pigdoc

11 Sep 2018
09:00:11pm

re: Aviation Pioneers: Postal History

Here's a recent acquisition:
Image Not Found

It was posted from Monaco, a few weeks after the 1910 Cote D'Azur air show in Cannes. Henri Rougier was a rock star at that time, having won top awards at major air events in Italy, Germany, Belgium, and Egypt earlier in 1910, flying the Voisin biplane depicted on this card. And, he was flying in Monte Carlo in January, 1910. I have not researched his accomplishments at Cannes in 1910 but the card is implying that he competed there. The photo was taken less than 5 months after he earned Aviator's Certificate number 11. (He was also the winner of the inaugural Monte Carlo Gran Prix the following year.)

I love the very high resolution in the images on some of these cards. Under magnification, I can almost make out the brand of cigarette that Henri is smoking on his way to the cockpit.Happy The 4 gendarmes and their uniforms are also very interesting. The crowds around air events in these times were practically uncontrollable in their frenzy to get close enough to touch the machines and the men. Flyers were known to land on and take off from city streets at this time. I'm sure there's more to the story depicted on this card!

I wonder what the young lady has to say to Monsieur Georges?
Translation, anyone?

-Paul

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pigdoc

08 Dec 2018
10:15:43am

re: Aviation Pioneers: Postal History

The other day, I made mention of recently acquiring a "crown jewel" for my early postal history of aviation collection. Here it is:

Image Not Found

It depicts "June Bug", otherwise known as Aerodrome No. 3. This airplane was conceived and built in Hammondsport by Glenn CurtissF.W. (Casey) Baldwin, as part of a group of 5 aviation pioneers who joined a club sponsored by Alexander Graham Bell called the Aerial Experiment Association, conceived in 1907, and formally activated on January 1, 1908.

June Bug represents a radical departure from Curtiss' earlier designs, called Red Wing and White Wing. The most distinguishing feature of June Bug is the straight wings. Earlier trials had arced wings, which were much harder to build.

June Bug incorporated several minor modifications from Baldwin's earlier machine, White Wing. Close examination of the wingtips reveals the triangular ailerons, which were carried over as a source of lateral stability.

Curtiss registered and flew the aircraft to compete for the Scientific American Trophy, offered for the first flight of more than one kilometer, and would be awarded permanently to the competitor who completed all 3 of the required feats, which Curtiss eventually accomplished.

The attempt was scheduled and completed on July 4, 1908, in Hammondsport, NY. Charles Manly measured the course to be flown. He was Professor Langley's pilot in earlier days.

I believe the image on this postcard was taken immediately prior to the flights of July 4, which occurred at 7PM and 7:30PM on that day. The first flight was abortive, as it was discovered immediately after takeoff that the rear tailplane was mounted with too much down angle, causing the plane to pitch up violently. Curtiss accomplished a landing after flying about 2000 feet and the tailplane angle was corrected. In the postcard image, if you compare the angles of incidence of the tailplane and the main planes, it is clear that the tailplane has an excessive down angle. The record-setting flight occurred at 7:30PM, covering close to a mile. The biography of Glenn Curtiss that I am referencing states, "More than any other aircraft up to that moment, June Bug convinced the world of the reality of human flight."

Other features of the postcard image worth noting are Curtiss himself, in the center, wearing a necktie. I have some more research to do to figure out who else is in the photo, particularly the fellow to Curtiss' right, possibly David Fairchild, Bell's son-in-law or, more likely Casey Baldwin himself. The image is very high resolution. Under magnification, I can count the spokes in the wheels. And, close examination of the 4 8-cylinder engine, uncooled, with individual carburetors for each cylinder (also built by Curtiss) can be made.

June Bug became the prototype for Gold Bug was the follow-on model, designed by Curtiss with easier-to-build straight wings, which was the prototype for Reims Racer model that Curtiss flew to a world's speed record in September, 1909, in Reims, France, beating out Louis Bleriot by a few seconds.

The reverse shows a Hammondsport cancellation, applied 41 days after the flight. I have done some preliminary research, attempting to determine the identity of the sender and recipient. Nothing to report yet, except that Elmira Heights is just to the southeast of Hammondsport, about 40 miles by winding road.

I'm so tickled to have made this acquisition! Curtiss' accomplishments FAR overshadowed the Wrights' in this pioneering era of aviation.

-Paul

After further research, I must make a number of corrections to this posting. Additions in red.

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pigdoc

09 Dec 2018
12:29:10pm

re: Aviation Pioneers: Postal History

Hey, Antonius and cdj, your VALUABLE postings more properly belong in this Discussion thread:

Early airmail postal history and stamps

Can you (or moderator?) please move your postings to that thread?

I'm sorry for starting two threads with such similar names. Will fix that soon...

THANKS!
-Paul

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Silence in the face of adversity is the father of complicity and collusion, the first cousins of conspiracy..
10 Dec 2018
01:58:10am

re: Aviation Pioneers: Postal History

No, Paul, my comment was referring to the discussion above
in this thread that you wrote; (11 Sep 2018, 04:57:21pm)
about the first westerly airmail flight across te Atlantic.

" ... After some test flights, and breaking the record for
flight duration,
Hünefeld and Köhl flew to
Baldonnel, Ireland, where they met James C. Fitzmaurice,
the Irish Air Corps Commandant of the Baldonnel Airodrome...."


Thus, I added;
Just for the hell of it I looked up Hünefeld's full name; Ehrenfried Günther Freiherr von Hünefeld and Herman Köhl. No wonder writers just use "Hünefeld."

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".... You may think you understood what you thought I said, but I'm not sure you realize that what you think you heard is not what I thought I meant. .... "
pigdoc

10 Dec 2018
08:29:06pm

re: Aviation Pioneers: Postal History

Thanks for that contribution, cdj! I just missed the connection with the earlier posting.
I'll pay closer attention from now on!

-Paul

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pigdoc

04 Jan 2019
10:06:02am

re: Aviation Pioneers: Postal History

I'll revive this thread with a posting on Alberto Santos-Dumont, an early aviation pioneer from Brazil. On 23 October 1906 his "14-bis" made the first powered heavier-than-air flight in Europe to be certified by the Aéro-Club de France and the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale. Here is a picture postcard depicting a flight:

Image Not Found

Image looks like a composite, but it is a nice, detailed view of the aircraft, flying from left to right, with the pilot Santos-Dumont standing. The craft was named 14-bis because it used the re-purposed nacelle from one of his earlier dirigibles, number 14. Two previous flight attempts in August and September, 1906 were unsuccessful, but the flight of October 23 was 60 meters, lasting 7 seconds. On November 12, 1906, Santos-Dumont made a series of 6 successful flights at Le Bagatelle field, near Paris. The longest was 220 meters, lasting about 21 seconds. At the time, the December, 1903 flights by the Wrights were not yet believed to have happened, and so these by Santos-Dumont were thought to be the world's first flights by a heavier-than-air craft. Apparently, the postcard commemorates the November, 1906 flights. Posted in November, 1908, from Paris. Today, La Bagatelle is a park about 4 miles NW of the center of Paris.

And then, more recently, this item caught my eye:
Image Not Found

The reddish-violet 500 reis stamp commemorates Santos-Dumont's November 12 flight, with a nice engraving of 14-bis in a similar setting as the postcard. The cover was flown on the second voyage of Graf Zeppelin to/from South America in the summer of 1933. It is backstamped with a June 13 Bodensee receiver. It makes a nice addition to my Zeppelin cover collection as a companion to the cover I have from the first South American flight (October, 1931)!

Enjoy!
-Paul









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philb

04 Jan 2019
09:23:48pm

Auctions

re: Aviation Pioneers: Postal History

Paul, have you been to Cole Palens WW1 aerodrome in Rhinebeck N.Y. ?

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"And every hair is measured like every grain of sand"
pigdoc

18 Apr 2019
10:45:52am

re: Aviation Pioneers: Postal History

Here's a rather shabby one that I want to use in my Aviation Pioneers presentation next week:
Image Not Found
It's significant in a number of ways.
- It depicts Bleriot's Model VIII, which was his first really successful aeroplane, apparently in flight in October, 1908. He made his longest flight to date on October 21, 1908 at Issy le Moulineux, just SW of Paris where he flew 7 kilometers in 6 minutes 40 seconds. The characteristic background in the image confirms the location of the shot as Issy. The Model VIIIter was one of the earliest applications of movable ailerons - see the wingtips in the image - and was the immediate predecessor of his Model XI.
- It's posted on August 5, 1909, with a London receiver of August 6. This is a scant 11 days after Bleriot's immensely famous flight across La Manche, the English Channel, on July 25, 1909 in the Model XI.

I have to believe that the sender's message refers in some way to the historic flight, only I can't make a dent in translating it.

Can anyone make a stab at translating it? Looks like it's in French.

G. Harold Radford is a name associated with Rolls Royce, who started a Bentley coachbuilding business in the 1940s. 100 Hatton Garden is about 3 miles from where this establishment was located (now Lamborghini of London). I have no idea if this is the same Radford.

THANKS!
-Paul

PS, until Henri Farman did it on July 6, 1908, no European had flown for more than 15 minutes, continuously. The Wrights first did it nearly THREE YEARS before then in the US, and Wilbur had made more than a dozen flights of more than 15 minutes in France before October 29, 1908.

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Charlie2009

19 Apr 2019
05:21:42am

re: Aviation Pioneers: Postal History

My French is very rusty but it says something about: working tirelessly and arriving today.I see the words amis travail inlassablement abouter nous somme arivee aujord'hui,at least I think so.I stand corrected.Somebody with better french might be able to do better.

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pigdoc

19 Apr 2019
08:59:39am

re: Aviation Pioneers: Postal History

Charlie,

I think you have the gist of it!

Not to beat a dead horse, but I think the key word that begins the fourth line is "abrutir", to stupefy.

So, I make the translation as:

“Friends, Working without pause, tirelessly, to stupified or we arrive today.”

In the modern vernacular, they worked themselves stupid and are apologizing for not arriving today. I wonder if the a- at the end of the third line could be a contraction of "aussi" for "too" in English...

Often something is lost in translation of phrases written 110 years ago!

Message does not seem to relate directly to Bleriot's feat, but it does illustrate the typical messages on postcards that were used, in lieu of the telephone, to communicate mundane announcements.

Thanks for providing an opening, Charlie!
-Paul

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pigdoc

19 Apr 2019
10:57:43am

re: Aviation Pioneers: Postal History

Speaking of Bleriot, here's another that I pulled out of the collection:
Image Not Found
This is one of a series of 8 or more embossed artists' impressions of significant Aviation Pioneers. I have seven different, including the Wrights, Curtiss, Latham, Farman, Delagrange, and Esnault-Pelterie.

I pulled this one out yesterday again, and had not noticed before that it was sent to Annam (Vietnam)! From Charleroi, Belgium. Receiver cancels indicate that it took about 5 weeks to make the journey!

Curious if the stamp has any significance: "Do not deliver on Sunday", in French and Dutch.

Enjoy!
-Paul






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Bobstamp

20 Apr 2019
02:41:34am

re: Aviation Pioneers: Postal History

Nice Bleriot postcard, Pigdoc. I’ve been in Tam Ky. More precisely, I went through Tam Ky in a truck convoy with a Marine Corps truck convoy in 1966, at the beginning of Operation Double Eagle II.

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pigdoc

04 Dec 2020
03:46:17pm

re: Aviation Pioneers: Postal History

I'm going to be bumping a few of my favorite threads.

Here are a couple of recent additions to my Aviation Pioneers postal history collection. The concept for the picture postcard collection is: postally used near the time of the event depicted. Ideally, the sender's message references the postcard's subject.

Louis Bleriot's crossing of "La Manche" (The English Channel) generated as much or more excitement as/than the 1969 moon landing, in its day. As such, it was widely celebrated for months after it occurred, on July 25, 1909. Which coincidentally, was just a few days less than 60 years prior to the landing of Apollo 11.

Image Not Found

I had been looking for a suitable example of the top card for a couple of years. Bleriot is in the photo, with his huge mustache and flying helmet. Interestingly, the image in the bottom card is faked. The plane depicted is a Model VIII, with ailerons at the wing tips. The actual plane flown across the Channel was a Model XI, which did not have that feature. Also, if you compare the rudder in both images, you see the obvious difference.

And, now, for the reverse:
Image Not Found

The postmark on the top card is August 13, 1909, a scant 19 days after the event depicted. Comparing the dateline at the lower left with the postmark, it was a local delivery.

Bottom card was mailed on October 13, 1909. Messages on both cards are similarly arcane.

Enjoy! And, post 'em if you got 'em!
-Paul



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pigdoc

31 Mar 2021
12:38:25pm

re: Aviation Pioneers: Postal History

Back on 10-Sep-2018 ikey (RIP) provided a posting in this topic showing a postcard depicting Bremen, a historic Junkers W 33 (derivative of the F 13). It's about halfway up.

Well, this month, Smithsonian's Air & Space magazine did a piece on the airplane. Very entertaining read, here:

Bremen

Enjoy!
-Paul

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