APJ ADS RATES:

FOUR CENTS PER WORD per insertion. Minimum charge one dollar. Remittance must accompany order and copy. The AIRPOST JOURNAL. 350 No. Deere Park Drive, Highland Park, Ill.

FOR SALE: Historical North and South Pole Expedition Flight covers, US, United Nations, Foreign dispatches. List lOc. Also: Rockets, Balloons, Semi-official Airs, Pio­neers, Zeppelins etc. Belham Exchange, Box 119, Ridgewood, 27, N. Y. ''354

ARTCRAFT Engraved First Day Covers. Request illustrated folder on our Envel­ope and Cover Club Plan. LINCOLN CLUB Box 211A, Chatham, N. J. *355

BUY \Vorldwide airmail issues at face! Directory listing complete instructions, $1.00. Bedard Publications, Box 637-K Detroit 31, Michigan. 353

EUROPEAN first flights available thru European Aero Philatelist Club. U.S. col­lectors of KLM - SABENA -LUFTHAN· SA. etc: send want list. ''Valter Raes, 121~ North. Daytona Beach, Fla.

JETS, US, UN Foreign 35c up. Also FAM, CAM, Foreign Flights. Aerogrammes on approval. Vic Wailly, Box 26A, Roxbury 19, Mass. *258

AAMS EXCHANGE ADS

GUAM Guard Mail Stamps wanted on cover, Also 1904 St. Louis World's Fair Postcard and early Aeroplane cards.Murch 9560 Litzinger, St. Louis (24) Mo. *353

DEDICATIONS WANTED: B 493, a, b; B 494, a, b; C 28. C 31, C 350, D 19, G 38, N 28, T 108, W 73, W 161. Send one or more on approval at your best price. J. J. Klemann, 2815 Richmond Hill Road, Au­gusta, Ga.

WANTED - Stamps and covers of Haiti and Dominican Republic. E. Lee Dorsett, M. D. (A.A.M.S. No. 1405) 120 Orchard Ave., Webster Groves 19, Mo.

PIONEER Pilots on photocards, and air­mail pioneers wanted. Offer gre'1t variety v_i<;wcards, autographs, first flights, Expo­s1t10n slogans. Roy Votaw, 5806 Twin Gar­dens, Carmichael, Calif.

AIR-LETTER Sheets for exchange. Mint and used. Will Clarke, 8 Kintyre Ave., Toronto, Canada. Member #3852. *354

GARDEN Estates card or cover wanted. Of­fer .J>ioneer autographs, Zeppelins or Ex­pos1t10n slogans. Roy Votaw, 5806 Twin Gardens, Carmichael, Calif.

WILL EXCHANGE: 3000 duplicate Airport Dedication covers, listed by AAMS cata­logue numbers for dedication covers I need or for US plate blocks. C. L. McCoy, Horat10, Ark.

AAMS EXCHANGE DEPARTMENT BUY SELL - WANT LISTS

HA VE LOTS of mint foreign airmail sets in collection would like to exchange for used ai.rs. Arnold V. Larson, Twisp, Wash. Route #1.

EAGERLY Wanted, Stamps British, French, Dutch Colonies this hemisphere; also Latin America; offering Bolivia, Par­aguav, Peru, etc. Ludwig Horn Flach, Casilla 415, La Paz, Bolivia. *353

WANTED: Exchange of first and Spec. flights of all the world. Prefer Zeppelin and Trans Atlantic flights. A. Houweling, Am8terdamse weg, 453, Amstelveen Hol­land. ' *353

NEW BRUNSWICK Air Mail Field Post­marks wanted on cover. Also information about AMF operation. Exchange or buy scarce AMF covers. Perham C. Nahl, 2D14A Lincoln, Evanston, Illinois. *355

HAVE ALL U.S. Commercial Jet Airmail f~rst flight covers. Exchange for mint U.S. c.irmail postage, or cash. Doc Rieger, 5323 Baccich St., New Orleans 22, La.

FOR VOL. 2 of AAMC give three le blue 1851 very fine, or purchase. Henry Du­pont, 22, av. de la Liberation, Le Coteau, Loire, France.

WANTED To Buy -- South Africa MLS ·#3 and #4 with red "Gifts and Comforts Fund" imprint and any airletter card with A.P.O. 44 postmark. AAMS #4480. J. M. Wemstem, PO Box 419, Pretoria South Africa. '

SOUTH AFRICAN military letter cards and S.A.A.F. Korean aerogrammes offered m exchange for similar'airmail stationery. AAMS #4480. J. M. Weinstein, PO Box 419, Pretoria, South Africa;

LAST CALL.

Round Trip Jet Covers

The American Air Mail Society makes the final offer to secure a round trip of­ficial U.S. Post Office jet cover, New York - Los Angeles - New York, Janu­ary 1959 first jet flight via American Air Lines with special cachets and proper backstamps.

These round trippers are $1.0J each plus 4c postage to readers of the Airpost J o_urnal. Proceeds of the sale go to the Red Cross and AAMS Publication Fund thanks to American Air Lines.

Orders to be sent to Robert W. Murch, AAMS, 9560 Litzinger Road, St. Louis 24, Mo. Supply is limited, first come, first served.

THE AIRPOST JOURNAL

1 j

A Non-Profit Corporation Incorporated 1944

Organized 1923 Under the Laws of Ohio

PRESIDENT Robert W. Murch

9560 Litzinger Road St. Louis 24, Mo.

SECRETARY Ruth T. Smith

Ferndale & Emerson Sts. Philadelphia 11, Pa.

TREASURER John J. Smith

Ferndale & Emerson Sts. Philadelphia 11, Pa.

VICE-PRESIDENTS Joseph L. Eisendrath, Jr.

Louise S. Hoffman Florence L. Kleinert

Dr. Southgate Leigh, Jr.

EDITOR - Other Publications L. B. Gatchell

ATTORNEY George D. Kingdom

DIRECTOR OF FOREIGN RELATIONS

Dr. Max J¥onstein

AUCTION MANAGER Samuel S. Goldsticker, Jr.

DIRECTORS Alton J. Blank

Herbert Brandner George S. Chapman

Samuel S. Goldsticker, Jr. Lester S. Manning Emmett Peter, Jr. Dr. Tomas Terry Earl H. Wellman

ADVANCE BULLETIN SERVICE Herbert Brandner 4038 Forest Ave. Brookfield, Ill.

SALES MANAGER Herman Kleinert 213 Virginia Ave.

Fullerton, Pa.

MEMBERSHIP DUES $4.00 PER YEAR

Dues include subscription to THE AIRPOST JOURNAL. Ap­plicants must furnish two ref­erences, philatelic preferred. At least -0ne must reside in Appli­cants home town. Applicants under 21 years must be guar­anteed by Parent or Guardian. Membership may be terminated by the Society in accordance with its By-Laws.

Correspondence concerning sub­scriptions, back numbers and bound volumes, address changes and other matters and all re­mittances should be sent to the Treasurer. All general commun­ications and advertising should be sent to the Editor.

SEPTEMBER, 1959

-de~IBPOST ~.ra7ov11NAL

Official Publication of the AMERICAN AIR MAIL SOOIETY

Volume 30 No. 12 Issue No. 353

Contents ........ for September, 1959 Articles .Election Results .................... . Uncle George .............. .. Biography and History of George W.

314 315

Angers .......... ...................... .... 317 The Origin ~nd Growth of the A.A.M.S. 320 Balloon Post of Siege of Paris, 1870-71 325 Honor to World Air Forces 333 Aerophilately and Aerophilatelists .. .. .. 336 Argentine Airlines Inaugurate Jet

Service .. . . .... .. . .... . .. ...................... 344

Regular Features APJ Ads ................ . Inside Front Cover CAM Cover Notes Tips By Julius Official Section

......................... 330

Notes From Dow.n Under . Airport Dedications ..................... . The Philatelic Story of Flight

339 341 342 343

. .. . .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. . Inside Back Cover

EDITOR Joseph L •. Eisendrath, Jr.

350 No. Deere Park Drive, Highland Park, Ill.

ASSISTANT EDITORS Robert "'. Murch

Ernest A. Kehr L. B. Gatchell DEPARTMENT AND ASSOOIATE EDITORS

R. Lee Black, N. Pelletier, Florence L. Klein­ert, Dr. Max Kronstein, Thomas J. O'Sullivan, Richard L. Singley, William R. Ware, Sol Whit­man, Julius Weiss. James Wotherspoon, John Watson, William T. Flynn, Frank Blumenthal, Samuel S. Goldsticker, Jr., J. S. Langabeer.

Published monthly at Albion, Erie Co., Pa., U.S.A. Entered as second-class matter at the Post Office

at Albion, Pa., February 10, 1932, under the Act of March 3, 1879.

The AffiPOST JOURNAL is not conducted for profit. The Editor, and all others, serve without compensation. Receipts from advertising, sub­scriptions and contributions are applied to the betterment of the magazine and the promotion of aero-philately. The Editor and Officers of The American Air Mail Society assume no responsibility for the accuracy of statements made by contributors. Every effort is made to insure correctness of

all articles. Subscription Rates: $4.00 per year, 35c per copy. Advertising Rate Card available from the Editor

PAGE 313

RESULTS OF ELECTION FOR SOCIETY 'OFFICERS 1959-1961

FOR PRESIDENT -

Robert W. Murch .................................................. 134 (Elected) T. Earl Van Sickle, Jr. .......................................... 1

FOR VICE-PRESIDENT -

Joseph L. Eisendrath, Jr ....................................... 123 (Elected) Florence Kleinert .................................................... 116 (Eleoted) Sol Glass .................................................................. 60 Louise S. Hoffman ................................................ 71 (Elected) Gordon W. Ray ...................................................... 60 Dr. Southgate Leigh, Jr ......................................... 103 (Elected) Earl Wellman ........................................................ 1 L. B. Gatchell ....................................... :.................. 1 W.R. Ware.............................................................. 1 T. Earl Van Sickle, Jr. .......................................... 1

SECRETARY-

Ruth T. Smith ........................................................ 133 (Elected) T. Earl Van Sickle, Jr. .......................................... 1

TREASURER-

John J. Smith .......................................................... '133 (Elected) T. Earl Van Sickle, Jr. ............................................ 1

DIRECTORS -

Alton J. Blank .................................................... ~··· 111 (Elected) Herbert Brandner .................................................. 95 (Elected) G. S. Ohapman ........................................................ 111 (Elected) Emmett Peter .......................................................... 90 (Elected) Ray Sinn .................................................................. 7£ Sol Whitman ............................................................ 70 Gerald Bookhop .................................................... 1 T. Earl Van Sickle, Jr. .......................................... 1 Frank Blumenthal.................................................. l

Certified: The Election Committee -

August 8, 1959 PAGE 314

James J. Matejka, Jr., M. D., Chairman Edward Benson Jake Shick

THE AIRPOST JOURNAL

Uncle George

P ROBABLY the most amazed person jn this nation is George W. Angers at this very moment when he gets his copy of the Airpost Journal. It's a surprise in which we're mighty proud to have a part.

This man has never refused a request or an assignment, no matter how difficult, when it came to anything concerning the welfare of the American Air Mail Society. The occasions must have been numerous when he dug down into his pocket to tide us over a hard bump. The thousands of hours of time he has put into his beloved hobby have been repaid many times over in the satisfaction he has had at seeing things work out. It hasn't always been rosy. For instance, last year he broke his record of having attended every Society convention, because he wanted to remain with his brother Henry, who faced (and has since recovered) an extremely serious operation.

Elsewhere in this issue we present his biography. He probably wonders where we got all the information. Son-in-law Don Conniff, who sees the editor once in a while, was approached on the idea of this pecial issue. With the help of his wife, Mickey, the project was told lo Margaret F. Angers (Mrs. George) - and she did the rest. When George was away or at work, she "conned" his papers and came up with the amazing list of honors that we list on another page.

This issue is not only about "Uncle" George W. Angers, but it contains much material by him. • Knowing that many newer members of the Society are unfamiliar with its past history, we asked him to bring up to date a history he had written for the .Arrpost Journal in July, 1936. You'll find the new history in these pages.

George on the left

He is responsible for the stories that have been running for several years con­cerning the balloon mail carried from Paris in 1870 and 1871. He and Dr. Everett E. Thompson meticulously translated the French text of Louis A. Chaintrier, and a slow and tough job it was. We have perhaps a dozen chapters ahead from him. Many of his articles have appeared, not only in the APJ, but in the general and

SEPTEMBER, 1959 PAGE 315"

George, Henry, and Larry Angers phila telic press over the past for ty years.

Our personal fondness for George is unbebevably difficult 10 express. What can you say about a man who unselfishly sends a friend much of his priceless col­lection and library? And always on a voluntary basi ·. If we'd ask him for some­thing, surely we'd get it; but George gives generously without being asked . . We might say tha t mcst of our library was recen tly his. A complete run of the APJ and its forerunners , booklet· (bound to George'. order) . Catalogues, clippings, memor­ablia -- you name it; he sen t it to us. Our co ll ec.: tion abounds w.th covers and stamps from his; he simply thought that they belonged in ours. H ow can you classify your fee lings about such a person?

'1\Tp value tremendously the opportunities to be with him and talk to him. His frequent visits to Ev-anston, a Chicago suburb, to see one of his two d aughter and h er family, always seem to include a visit with us, and th legio:i of th ings we dis­cuss is endles . His wise counsel on matters troublesome to us has always helped us resolve our problems more quickly. His suggestions have often been p u t into force.

This man is an unusual man. His credo, we know, is that givina ·ervice is the price he pay for the space he occupies. Look at his activitie , outlined el ewhere, and you can see he easily pays this price.

W e could go on and on - but what more we might add could not in the least add to the luster of f 1is hi ning personality.

W e're glad we know him - we're glad to affectionately dedicate thi i ue of the Airpost Journal to George W . Angers .

Prositl

PAGE 316 THE AIRPOST J OURNAL

Biography and Philatelic History Of George W. Angers

G EORGE W. ANGERS was born at Springfield, Mass., August 9, 1897. He attended local schools and is a graduate of St. Laurent College, Montreal, Canada. During World War I he was connected with the 437th Detach­

ment of Engineers, U.S. Army. In 1926, with his two brothers, he established a building and property management business and has served as its Treasurer ever since.

Vitally interested in community, religious and philatelic affairs, he is a member of the following organizations:

Charter member of Post 21, American. Legion Director of Springfield Chamber of Commerce Springfield Automobile Association Rent Advisory Board Founder and for eleven years President of the Springfield Apartment Own-

ers Association Advisory Council Civil Defense Director Franco-American Credit Union Ligue du Sacre Coeur Treasurer of Serra International American Air Mail Society Sp~ngfield Philatelic Society Springfield Air Mail Society

George first became interested in the collection of stamps at the age of ten. He started to collect airmail stamps and early pioneers in 1918.

His philatelic activities are many. They include: Founder, American Air Mail Society (formerly Aero-Philatelic Society of

America), Member #3, Life Member and President Emeritus Founder, First President, Springfield Philatelic Society Founder, First President, Springfield Air Mail Society, President Emeritus Life Member and Ex-President, Springfield Stamp Club Life Member, Jack Knight Air Mail Society Collectors Club - #256 - (1921) American Philatelic Society - #5913 - ( 1921) Editor and Publisher, (Aero-Newsletter, 1923) Editor and Publisher, Aero News, 1926 Editor-in-Chief, American Air Mail 1940 Catalogue Associate Editor, American Air Mail 1947 and 1950 Catalogues and Sup­

plements Secretary, American Air Mail Society Advisory Boards (Past Presidents)

He holds Honorary Memberships in the New 'Zealand Air Mail Society Aero Philatelic Club of India Philippine Air Mail Society Aero-philatelists of France Japan Air Mail Society, 1922 Chicago Air Mail Society Cleveland Air Mail Society Boston Air Mail Society

SEPTEMBER, 1959 PAGE 317

His marvelous collections have received widespread recognition where shown. Awards he has earned in International Philatelic Exhibitions include the following:

New York, 1926 Gold Medal for Balloon Post, Siege of Paris, 1870-71

Paris, France, 1930 New Zealand, 1933

London, 1934

New York, 1947

Silver-Gold for First Flights of the World Gold Medal for Balloon Post. Siege of Paris, 1870-71 Diploma of Honor and Gold Medal, Historical Air Mail

Covers Gold Medal for Balloon Post, Siege of Paris, 1870-71 Silver for U. S. Contract Flights Gold Medal for Balloon Post, Siege of Paris, 1870-71 Silver Medal for Crash Covers

La Habana, Cuba, 1955 Gold Medal with Felicitation, Balloon Post, Siege of Paris Other awards, not in,,International Exhibitions, were:

Cleveland, 1932 Grand Award A.A.M.S. Exhibition

New York, 1933

New York, 1934

Washington, 1935 New York, 1937

St. Petersburg, 1937

Toronto, 1940 Springfield, 1940

Boston, 1941

Milwaukee, 1942

Philadelphia, 1942

Chicago, 1946

Milwaukee, 1947

Chicago, 1949

-PAGE 318

First Award Balloon Post, Siege of Paris First A ward Historical Covers President's Trophy, A.A.M.S. Exhibition Certificate Of Highest Merit - Crash Covers Certificate of Highest Merit - Balloon Post, Siege of Paris First Award - Specialized Foreign Covers First Award - Historical Flights First Award - The National Stamp Exhibition, Rockefeller

Center, Balloon and Pigeon Post, 1870-71 Gold Medal - Balloon Post, Winners' Class Certificate of Participation - Balloon Post, Siege of Paris Certificate of Participation - The New York Museum of

Science and Industry, National Stamp Exhibition, Balloon Post, Siege of Paris

Grand Award - Balloon and Pigeon Posts of the Siege of Paris, 1870-71, including Crash Covers and His­torical Covers, also Gold Medal for Balloon Post Collection

A.A.M.S. Grand Trophy - Balloon Post of the Siege of Paris Award of Special Merit by the Springfield Stamp Club,

(founded in 1895 ) for Balloon Post of the Siege of Paris

Certificate of Participation - American 7th Congress, Siege of Paris Collection

Honorary Award - Invitational Exhibit, Midwest National Meeting - Balloon Post of the Siege of Paris

First Award, Philadelphia Air Mail Society, Paris Balloon Covers, Crash Covers, Historical Covers

Honorary Award - Jack Knight Air Mail Society "Airpex" in honor of Jack Knight, Balloon Post of the Siege of Paris

Honorary Award - 16th Annual Exhibition, Wisconsin Fed­eration of Stamp Clu1bs. Balloon Post of the Siege of Paris. Crash Covers

Court of Honor Plaque and Participation Certificate for Paris Balloon Post Collection

THE AIRPOST JOURNAL

Special Award Plaque - Consistent and Meritorious Service

Philadelphia, 1950 to Aero-philately

National Philatelic Museum

Toronto, 1951 President Trophy for Paris Balloon Collection and others First Canadian International Exhibition "Capex" Court of Honor Participation Certificate

Norfolk, 1952 A.A.M.S. Convention Exhibit, Certificate of Participation and Appreciation

Dayton, 1953 Philadelphia, 1954

A.A.M.S. Convention Exhibition Certificate of Participation National Philatelic Exhibition

Plaque Best Airpost Covers Gold Medal - Paris Balloon Gold Medal - Crash Covers First Award - General Air Posts First Award - Foreign Pioneer Flights

NEW PHILIPPINE AIR MAIL STAMPS

To help raise funds to finance the 10th Boy Scouts World Jamboree celebration which was held at the Makiling National Park, Los Banos, Laguna, during the period from July 17 to 26, 1959, the Re­public of the Philippines issued a set of semi-postal stamps consisting of five values, of which three are air mails.

E ach stamp depicted a phase of the activity of the Boy Scouts.

Airmail stamps issued were the 30 + lOc is slate green, 100,000 issued; 70 + 20c in brown red, 100,000, and 80 + 20c io. purple, 100,000.

SEPTEMBER, 1959

AIR POST NEW ISSUES

OF THE ENTIRE

WORLD

PAMPHLET UPON REQUEST

Nicolas Sanabria Co. Inc. A. MEDAWAR, PRESIDENT

521 Fifth Ave., New York 17, N. Y.

PAGE 319

The Origin and Growth Of ·the American Air Mail Society

By GEORGE W. ANGERS

T HE National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, a wartime organization, read accurately the signs of the times when it announced late in 1917 that "the first and obvious use of airplanes in the future lies in the delivery of

mail." All air mail collectors know that this resulted in the establishment in May, 1918, of a regular air mail service between Washington and New York and the is­suance of a 24-cent air mail stamp to meet the rate required for an ordinary letter (plus special delivery service). Later in the same year the rate was twice reduced and thus the United States produced its fir,i set of air mail stamps - the 6-cent, 16-cent, and 24-cent varieties, and incidently also one of its greatest rarities - the 24-cent invert.

What were the American collectors doing in this early period of the establish­ment of mail-earrying service by plane? Before the war there was considerable interest among a few pioneer air mail collectors in covers carried by airplanes, covers which of course had no special stamps but which did have special cancehlations. These flights began with that now famous pioneer hop by pilot Earle Ovington, who carried a pouch of mail in his "Dragon Fly" from Garden City Estates to Min­eola, on Long Island, September 23, 1911. The Annual Report of the Third Assist­ant Postmaster General stated: "During the fiscal year ( 1911-12) the Department has permitted further experimental aeroplane mail service. There have been twenty orders issued permitting the mail to be carried between certain points by aeroplanes. Such service was merely temporary and was not intended to be permanent. In each instance where the mail has been carried the service has been performed by a sworn carrier and without cost to the Department. Such service was authorized in 13 dif­ferent States."

These experimental flights had aroused such interest among a few collectors that through the efforts of Karl Koslowski of Detroit, Mich., Harry A. Truby of New Kensington, Pa., and others, the AERO MAIL CLUB was founded June 21, 1913. The members of this Club were enthusiastic about the latest phase of modern postal service and issued formal announcement of the organization in the leading American philatelic journals and in the English weekly of London, "Stamp Collect­ing". The organization was simple and efficient and its campaign of widespread publicity affords very interesting reading today: "The Wizards of the Air and their numerous attempts to turn the eyes of the Nations skyward are now staged to per­fection. Mail has also been successfully carried by aeroplanes, special cancellation marks have been issued, . lots of Collectors came forward to follow up this line, known as the Aero Mail Cancellation. Every new attempt to carry mail by Aero­plane brings forth more Collectors of those postmarks, who in turn swap, sell and exchange new issues among them, and by this means try to express their wants." (Philadelphia Stamp News, 1913).

The Aero Mail Club was active through World War I, but with the organiza­tion of government air mail routes, the issuing of air mail stamps, and the wide increase in the use of the airplane commercially, many new collectors interested in aerophilately appeared in the United States. It was felt that a more substantial bond of union was needed and so in, October, 1923, a small group of active air mail col­lectors - among them some of the pioneers of the earlier club - met in Philadelphia

PAGE 320 THE AIRPOST JOURNAL

for the purpose of organizing a society, having for its object the promotion of inter­est in aerophilately; the dissemination of information to its members of proposed flights and stamp issues and ultimately the publication of the results of studies and research work of its members.

By November, 1923, plans were perfected and the AERO PHILATELIC SO­CIETY OF AMERICA came into existence with a membership of 21 Charter Mem­bers. Since then the Society has prospered and grown so that today it numbers more than twelve hundred members, the oldest and largest group devoted to this special branch of philateiy. Among this number are postoffice officials, senators, airmail pilots and operating officials. In order to clarify the name of the Society and to avoid confusion with that of the American Philatelic Society when abbreviated, the name was changed in October, 1926, by vote, to the AMERICAN AIR MAIL SOCIETY (A.A.M.S.).

The first organ of the Society was a mimeographed sheet, THE AERO-NEWS­LETTER, edited by the present writer, covering in two volumes the period from November, 1923, to July, 1926. In July, 1926, the first number of the AERO NEWS appeared and for about two years this publication covered the news and contained many articles of interest, with varied advertisements. Because of the smal\ mem­bership of the Society in these early days when aerophilately was not widely known, this magazine received insufficient support. PHILATELIC GOSSIP then succeeded it as the official organ of the American Air Mail Society, followed by the AIR MAIL COLLECTOR for a brief period. In the meantime. a new magazine, the AIRPOST JOURNAL, had been launched under the able editorship of Holcomb York. Its first number appeared on November 20, 1929. By a vote of the A.A.M.S. members it was selected as the official organ and became the property of the Society in October, 1931. Certain changes in style and format were made and it now appears monthly with many interesting articles, up-to-date information for the aerophilatel­ist, and attractive advertisements.

At all International Philatelic Exhibitions held in New York, the American Air Mail Society played an important part, having a booth at each and contributing one or more members to each of the International Juries.

As the Society increased in strength, provisions were made for annual conven­tions. Section 9 of the Constitution deals with this matter and in accordance with it the first annual convention was held at Cleveland, Ohio in 1930. Since then a total of 32 Conventions or regional meetings has been held, including meetings in Canada, Cuba and the United Nations. These were:

1931 Washington, D.C. 1932 Cleveland, 0. 1933 New York, N.Y.

1934 Chicago, Ill. 1935 Washington, D.C. 1936 New York, N.Y. 1937 Springfield, Mass.

1938 St. Petersburg, Fla. 1939 Cincinnati, 0. 1940 Toronto, Ontario 1941 Atlantic City, N.J.

1942 Regional Meetings at Springfield, Mass., Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Philadel­phia, Pa.

1944 Regional Meeting at Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

1946 Detroit, Mich. 1947 Washington, D.C. 1948 Havana, Cuba 1949 Chicago, Ill. 1950 Philadelphia, Pa. 1951 . Toronto,. Ontatjo

SEPTEMBER, 1959

1952 Norfolk, Va. 1953 Dayton, 0. 1954 Philadelphia, Pa. 1955 Havana, Cuba 1956 New York (Fipex) 1956 St. Louis, Mo. (Re-

gional) 1957 United Nations,N.Y. 1958 Philadelphia, Pa. 1959 United Nations, N.

Y. (Regional) 1959 Chicago, Ill.

PAGE 321

Among other activities of the A.A.M.S. are the operation of the Sales Depart­ment, which offers members an opportunity to buy stamps and covers at reasonable prices, or to dispose of their duplicates at a minimum commission; conducting an Exchange Department, entitling each member to two 25-word exchange ads per year in the official publication; sponsoring an Advance Air Mail Information Bulle­tin, which gives news about future air mail events, cachets, new issue stamps, etc.; and the publication of the authoritative AMERICAN AIR MAIL CATALOGUES, Periodically, a directory of the Society, giving membership list, Constitution, and By-Laws, is published.

The PUBLICATIONS OF THE AMERICAN AIR MAIL SOCIETY have been numerous and as a matter of record, we list them in chronological order:

AMERICAN AIR MAIL CATALOGUE - Section l, CONTRACT AIR MAIL ROUTES, 1935, 130 pages, three editions: regular, paper bound; DeLuxe, red cloth; Sponsors, silver and blue. Editor, L. B. Gatchell.

AMERICAN AIR MAIL CATALOGUE, 1940, 718 pages, three editions; regu­lar, blue fabrikoid; _!)eLuxe, 3/4 purple and blue fabrikoid; Sponsors, full blue Morocco. Editor, George W. Angers; Walter J. Conrath, L. B. Gat­chell, Associate Editors.

1941 SUPPLEMENT, 128 pages, Two editions, regular, paper bound; DeLuxe, blue fabrikoid.

1943 SUPPLEMENT, 68 pages, paper bound, Edited by George W. Angers and L.B. Gatchell; George D. Kingdom, Associate Editor.

AMERICAN AIR MAIL CATALOGUE, VOLUME l, 1947, 608 pages. L. B. Gatchell Editor; George W. Angers, Associate Editor. VOLUME II, 1950, 574 pages. L. B. Gatchell, Editor; George W. Angers, Associate Editor. VOLUME III, 1959 Supplement, 508 pages. L. B. Gatchell, Editor. All three volumes were published in three Editions: regular, blue fabrikoid, DeLuxe, 3/4 gray and blue cloth, Sponsors, Maroon leath'er.

AMERICAN AIR MAIL CATALOGUE OF AIR LETTER SHEETS, 1949, 56 pages, paper bound. Edited by L. B. Gatchell and Ian C. Morgan.

1951 Edition, 116 pages, paper bound. Edited by L. B. Gatchell and Ian C. Morgan.

1952 Supplement, 36 pages, paper bound. Edited by L. B. Gatchell. 1955 Edition, 176 pages, paper bound. Edited by L. B. Gatchell. 1957 and 1958 Check Lists, paper. Edited by Richard L. Singley. 1959 Supplement. In preparation. Edited by Emmett Peter, Jr. Most aerophilatelists are primarily stamp collectors who have turned to air mail

as an advanced state of special philately. When. the futility of approaching com­pleteness in a general collection of stamps is realized one usually turns to a well­defined branch of philately. Air mail stamp collecting offers the most universal approach to the already well established collector instincts. Here, completeness to a greater degree, with the added zest of all that is making history of today's out­standing aeronautical accomplishments, may be gathered together in the album and preserved as a permanent record of the development of the conquest of the air.

The aims and objects of the American Air Mail Society have been mentioned briefly in the foregoing account of its inception. They are important and diverse and should be carefully studied. First, it circulates news items of all kinds with regards to new air mail routes, inaugural flights, official cachets, air postal rates, etc. It protects its members by informing them of fraudulent covers, false or entirely

PAGE 322 THE AIRPOST JOURNAL

private cachets, and by preventing exploitation to which especially the newer mem­bers might be exposed. It has worked in close and cordial contact with the Post Office Department and by such co-operation has secured many acts of consideration for collectors. Backstamping of many important air mail flights has been permitted by the Post Office Officials and certain complaints of peculiarities of service have been investigated and cleared up. Through the AIRPOST JOURNAL and its other publications it gives a healthy publicity to the organization, and in general it pro­motes a complete interest in the aero-philately which could not be achieved by un­organized individuals alone.

The history of the American Air Mail Society has been briefly recounted. What has the Society actually accomplished during the thirty-five years since its founding? It is i- safe statement that nine-tenths of all air mail literature published in the last three decades in the United States has been the product of members of the A.A.M.S. From the private libraries of some of the older members and officers of the Society a long list of such publications could be made up, and it is from this wealth of ma­terial and from their long experience as collectors that most of the articles of a his­torical nature appearing in the AIRPOST JOURNAL are compiled. It would be apropos to list the Editors of the AIRPOST JOURNAL who were without exception indefatigable in their work of love to edit the monthly Journal:

Holcomb York, Cummington, Mass ................ 1929-31 George D. Kingdom, Conneaut, Ohio ................ 1931-33 Walter J. Conrath, Albion, Pa ............................ 1934-42 L.' B. Gatchell, Upper Montclair, N.J ............. 1942-55 Committee headed by George D. Kingdom .... 1956 Joseph L. Eisendrath, Jr., Highland Park, Ill ..... 1956-59

The AIRPOST JOURNAL, owned and published monthly by the Society, is now one of the world's foremost airpost publications. In addition to its historical feature, it is thoroughly up-to-date in its record of current events. And for all members there is a large assortment of helpful ads for the collectors' varied needs. The Sales Department for air mail stamps and covers is in a flourishing condition and brings a real service to A.A.M.S. members. Likewise more than 500 bulletins have been issued in recent years, giving valuable advance notice to members of air mail activi­ties and scheduled flights.

Such a service has been possible chiefly because of the excellent spirit of co­operation existing between the Society and the U.S. and U.N. Postal authorities. Various modifications of the U.S. government's official cachet system for flights have been brought about by suggestions from the Society. Instead of the monoton­ous repetition of an uninteresting design, first flights and other air mail projects now generally have a cachet depicting something of real local interest. This adds much to the pleasure of collecting such items.

In connection with its annual conventions, many successful Air Post Exhibitions have been promoted by the Society, and its members and officers have assisted and participated at Exhibitions held in Paris, Danzig, Germany, New Zealand, Toronto, Havana and London. At these exhibitions American Air Mail exhibitors won high honors.

The Society, over the past several years, has sponsored the Walter J. Conrath Memorial Award. The purpose is to perpetuate the memory of WALTER J. CON­RATH, who contributed unselfishly to the growth and welfare of the AMERICAN AIR MAIL SOCIETY, who possessed a fearless conviction and was an unceasing advocate of every principle of right, who was an ardent and true aerophilatelist:,

SEPTEMBER, 1959 PAGE 323

and who made many valuable contributions to the betterment of the hobby. It is hoped and desired that the esta:blishment of this award will inspire others to make contributions to our Society and hobby which in time will make them eligible for the high. honor.

THE WALTER J. CONRATH MEMORIAL AWARD is given annually to the member of the AMERICAN AIR MAIL SOCIETY who in the opinion and judgment of the Award Committee has rendered an outstanding service to the Society or who has made an outstanding contribution to the hobby of Aero-philately. The follow­ing, listed alphabetically, have been recipients of this cherished award:

George W. Angers, Mrs. Grace Conrath, L. B. Gatchell, Ernest A. Kehr, John P. V. Heinmuller, Jesse G. Johnson, George W. Kingdom, Rafael Oriol, Richard L. Singley, John J. Smith, Mrs. John (Ruth) Smith.

And last, but not least, in its list of services rendered, is the infornrntive mis­sionary labor that many of its members have perfornied in talks and lectures before countless stamp clubs throughout the country.

In number of years the American Air Mail Society is yet young, but since it celebrates this coming November its THIRTY-SIXTH ANNIVERSARY, it may be termed a sturdy and vigorous organization. This is especially true when we con­sider that aerophilately itself is but hardly more than two score years of age.

The brief resume of the "Origin and Growth of the American Air Mail Society" would not be complete i'f we did not list the Presidents and Secretaries who have served the Society so well.

AMERICAN AIR MAIL SOCIETY PRESIDENTS Joseph A. Steinmetz, Philadelphia, Pa ............................... 1923-1925 Harry A. Truby, New Kensington, Pa .................................. 1926-1928 George W. Angers, Springfield, Mass .................................... 1929-1931 Herbert H. Griffin, Cleveland, Ohio .................................... 1931-1932 Llovd B. Gatchell, Upper Montclair, N.J ........................... 1933-1934 Francis B. Leech, Washington, D.C .................................. .'. 1935-1936 Walter J. Conrath, Albion, Pa ................................................ 1937-1938 Paul F. Robertson, Peoria, Illinois ...................................... 1939-1940 William R. Alley, Dobbs Ferry, N.Y .................................... 1941-1942 Richard L. Singley, Lancaster, Pa ......................................... 1943-1944 George D. Kingdom, Conneaut, Ohio ................................... 1945-1946 M. 0. Warns, Milwaukee, Wisc ............................................. 1947-1948 Grace Conrath, Erie, Pa. ......... . .................... . ... 1949-1950 Jesse G. Johnson, Norfolk, Va .............................................. 1951-1952 John P. V. Heinmuller, New York, N.Y. .. ...................... . .. 1953-1954 Rafael Oriol, Havana, Cuba ................ ...... .. ... ....... .............. 1955-1956 John J. Smith, Philadelphia, Pa. .. ........ 1957-1958 Robert W. Murch, St. Louis, Mo. ...... ............ ................... 1959-1960

SECRETARY AND/OR SECRETARY-TREASURER George W. Angers, Springfield, Mass. . ...... 1923-1928; 1933-1937 L. B. Gatchell, Upper Montclair, N. J ............................... 1929-1932 Emil J. Vlasak, Springfield, Mass ........................................... 1938-1941 Claude W. Degler, Milwaukee, Wisc .................................... 1942-1950 John J. Smith, Philadelphia, Pa. .......... ..................... 1951-1956 Ruth T. Smith, Philadelphia, Pa. . .............. .............. 1957-1959

In the very rapid increase during the last few years in the number of stamp collectors throughout the United States, the branch of air mail collecting has re­ceived its full proportion. AEROPHILATELY HAS COME OF AGE!

Balloon Post Of The Siege Of Paris, 1870-71 By LOUIS A. CHAINTRIER - Translated by

DR. EVERETT E. THOMPSON and GEORGE W. ANGERS CHAPTER 22

(In memory of Galileo Galilei, mathematician, physicist, astronomer, born at Pisa 1564, died at Arcetri 1642.)

The twenty-second postal balloon was sponsored by the Administration of Posts. It contained 204.5 cubic meters and it was piloted by Jean Husson, a sailor of the National Marine, detached from Fort de Noisv, and a former non-commission­ed offi~er of the Merchant Marine.

The passenger, Antoine Etienne, a civil engineer, was entrusted with a spe­cial mission by the Government of Paris.

The postal consignment comprised: ( 1 ) seven sacks of dispatches weighing a total of 420 kg. ( 924 lbs.); ( 2) a cage containing six pigeons belonging to Louis Antoine Garnier Pages, member of the Government of National Defense.

Departure took .Place from the Orleans station in the presence of the Director and Administrators of the Post and of Admiral De Challie who gave Etienne a secret message for the Delegation of Tours, on Friday, November 4, 1870, at 2 P.M. in a light northeast wind and in weather very clear and briskly cold._

The following is a selection from the report submitted by A. Etienne to the Director General 0f Posts at Tours relat­ing to his aerial journey, his capture and escape: "The balloon Galilee, contain­ing a little more than 2000 cubic meters, constructed by the Godard brothers, left the Orleans station, Paris, November 4 at 2 P.M.; it was especially intended to carry to Tours the result of the vote of Paris ( 557,996 for the members of the Government, and 62,638 against) just announced in favor of those who had undertaken the heavy task of saving the country. The balloon was to have been inflated at 8 A.M., but a contrary order arrived to delay the departure until the time when the complete returns would be known.

"A large crowd of spectators had gath­ered to witness the ascension of the Gal­ilee which was carrying more than 420 kgs. of mail, Government dispatches to which was attached the greatest interest,

SEPTEMBER,. 19\)9

• ballast of about 200 kgs. and finally Hus­son, its aeronaut, and the person who writes these lines.

"The wind was blowing from the northeast. Godard, Sr., who presided at the operation of inflating the balloon, directed us to climb into the basket and then the balloon was transported to the launching site. Some moments later the sacramental 'lachez tout' was pronounced and the Galilee, freed from its bonds, rose majestically into space with the ap­plause of the large crowd that in ex­ceptionally fine weather had gathered for the spectacle.

"Although for the first time we were in an ascending balloon we experienced no discomfort; on the contrary we felt fine and while the Galilee rose we were admiring the splendid panorama that was unrolling to our view. Then when a well-sustained fire and the whistling of bullets came to draw us out of our contemplation and make us realize that we were above enemy lines, we threw out ballast to put us out of the range of projectiles. But we thought that already the Galilee had been pierced by one or more bullets for from that time on we had to expend much ballast. in order to keep at a suitable height. The strength of the wind made us proceed at 16 to 20 kilometers per hour, unfavorable be­cause of the rather large useful weight that the Galilee was carrying; and so, in spite of the advantage that the terrain we were traversing at high speed offer­ed us, we had to neglect it a little to keep track of the altitude of our balloon since all the time we were flying above enemy troops.

"We passed over Versailles at about 3:15 p.m.; we were at 1950 meters ( 6396 ft. ) and the thermometer regis­tered seven degrees above zero. From Versailles we flew on to Rambouillet at 1200 meters ( 3936 ft.) above the earth but this altitude did not prevent the en-

PAGE 325

emy from firing at us although without result. About 5 o'clock in an extensive level space to the west of Chartres we made our first descent, only after we had examined the ground with a spyglass. A good woman who was there. told us that the enemy were in the neighborhood and that they frequently passed by there. Although we had but little ballast left, we remounted and proceeded again for about sixteen kilometers.

"It was 6 p.m. when we managed our second descent, about 10 kilometers northwest of Chartres, after having in-. quired from peasants if there were any of the enemy force in those parts; on their negative answers and after we had assured ourselves that we could get car­riages for the transport of dispatches, we touched ground by opening the valve. After some bounds, harmless because of the calm weather, and aided by the peasants we became masters of our gen­tle motive power, the Galilee.

"It was hardly half an hour after we had landed when cries of the women an­nounced the arrival of Prussian horse­men. I had only time enough to seize_ the sack of Government dispatches and hand it to a peasant, ordering him to send it along as soon as possible to Tours where he would be rewarded, which was done. One can read in the November 7, 1870, issue of the 'Universal Monitor', printed at Tours, and the official organ of the Delegation, a copy of the follow­ing dispatch addressed to the Delegation by the sub-prefect of Nogent Le Rotrov. Dispatch relating to the saving of this sack and to the capture of the Galilee: 'Nogent le Rotrov, November 5, 10:40 a.m. Balloon from Paris descended yes­terday 6 p.m. at Fresnay le Gilmert, 8 kilometers from Chartres Prussians seized one bundle of dispatches - one sack saved and sent on immediately to the train that will depart at 1 :30 this p.m. -a true copy - Minister of the Interior and of War'.

"This duty accomplished, we awaited our enemy, who made us prisoners of war.

"The officer sent away all the peas­ants and had us placed at about three meters from his horse. During this time the peasants were planning together and

PAGE 326

came back threatening to make an ap­peal to arms in our behalf. The officer then warned me that at the slightest hos­tile act of the peasants, my companion and I would be shot. I had to resort to a flag of truce and had the good luck of making my brave fellow citizens un­derstand that their action could be very praiseworthy, but since their arms con­sisted of a few pocket knives and stones from the highway, they could only in­crease the number of victims without contributing any chance of our deliver­ance.

"Convinced by my reasoning, they re­tired and I profited by my flag of truce to charge them again with regard to the sack of dispatches. I returned to rejoin my companion.

"The officer who had taken us pris­oners spoke a little French. He was, on the whole, courteous, and after having compelled us to turn over all our pap­ers as well as my maps of France and of the environs of Paris, we proceeded in lwo separate groups.

"Arrived at Chartres, they made me disrobe so that they could inspect even the lining of my clothes; this led them to no discovery, for it appeared there was nothing more than my, letters and papers that thev had confiscated and so the next dav at noon Prince Frederick had

. me tak~n under a strong escort to Ver­sailles. Two hussars accompanied me on horseback, one at each carriage door; at Rambouillet, horses were changed.

"We arrived November 6 at 3 a.m. at Ver~ailles and one hour later they led me before the commandant of the place who questioned me in proper fashion; then later I was placed in a small cell in Versailles prislm, where there was nothing but a bad straw mattress. There I waited for daylight with great impa­tience, for the profound darkness of my prison prevented me from getting any line on my dwelling place.

"\Vhen day arrived I saw with some satisfaction that I had a companion in captivity, an employee of the Paris post­al service who had been captured pass­ing the enemy lines with letters sewn into the lining of his clothes. He was

THE AIRPOST JOURNAL

given his liberty three days after my ar­rival, after being under lock and key for thirty days.

"The little cell was 4 meters long by 2 meters wide and about 21j2 meters high and in one of the corners was the water closet. This arrangement left something to be desired from a hygienic point of view. At 8 o'clock they brought me some black coffee in an earthen dish, slightly sweetened and very inuch wat­ered. At 11 o'clock they served me my breakfast, a kind of paste in which I found a piece of meat the size of a nut. At 5 o'clock they served me again in an earthen dish a horrible mess of rice curdled in water in which I found a small piece of meat; for drinking there was a permanent tap in the cell."

(To be continued)

NEW SOCIETY DIRECTORY IN THE OFFING

It is planned tr.> issue a new A.A.M.S. directory of members sometime in the not too-distant future. For those mem­bers who have the most recent directory, published last in 1955, you will note the various listings of speciadty classifica­tions after each name. Since 1955 many changes must have occurred in collecting habits. If you have made changes in your classifications, we'd sug­gest you drop a note to Secretary Ruth Smith so that your changes can be not­ed. No deadline yet, but we'd like to get started on this project. Any other changes - such as addresses, spelling, etc. - should also be made at the same time. If you don't know the classifica­tion code, drop us a note and we'll send a list of these. Stamped envelope, please.

The 1959/60 SANABRIA CATALOGUE

answers all questions on air post stamps

$12.50 (incl. free supplements)

NICOLAS SANABRIA CO. INC. A. Medawar, Pres.

521 Fifth Avenue New York 17, N.Y.

SEPTEMBER, 1959

RECENT FLOWN U.S. GLIDER FLIGHT COVERS

The 26th National Soaring Contest took place at Harris Hill, Ehnira, N.Y. between July 1 and July 10, 1959. A commemorative cachet was provided for the occasion.

Some flown covers are at hand from these flights - at least two, which this collector has received. Both have the cachet and one hand inscribed: "Flown by R. E. Schreder in the H P 8" with cancellation of the landing area at South Otselic, N.Y. July 10, 1959. The other is inscribed on the reverse side, and a card is enclosed, "I carried your letter with me on a soaring flight from Harris Hill, Elmira, to Whitehall, N.Y. The dis­tance being 203 miles, I believe. This was the third longest flight of the day. F. Sebek". This cover has the cancella­tion of Whitehall, N.Y., July 10, 1959.

In other countries glider-flown covers have been reported from time to time. In Switzerland, for instance, a special "Glider Postflight" of the Swiss .glider HB 366 Bellavista was announced for July 18, 1959 to take place from Eger­kingen, Sol.

In this country, although glider-flown covers have been reported less frequent­ly, soaring or glider flight has made great progress each year.

-Dr. Max Kronstein

DAN R. ROBERTSON DIES

Early Airmail Pilot Was Lindbergh Flight Backer

A recent Associated Press dispatch from St. Louis savs that Dan R. Robert­son, an early airmail pilot, died on June 5th of a heart attack at the age of 52.

He was one of four brothers who blazed trails in aviation and was a backer of Charles A. Lindbergh's historic flight across the Atlantic to Paris in 1927. He was a fellow pilot of Lindbergh for the old Robertson Aircraft Corporation, which flew the mail between Chicago and St. Louis.

The brothers were associated with the old Robertson Aviation School and Rob­ertson Field, which later became the nu­cleus of Lambert-St. Louis Municipal Airport.

PAGE 327

BUYING ' AL WAYS INTERESTED! it is impossible to stay in the stamp business without buying ... it goes without saying. Hence, having serviced covers since 1926, we are always interested in continuing to stock stamps and covers to maintain "The Department Store of Philately''.

SO, WE ARE ALWAYS BUYING: Your collection may he shipped, with your in­structions attached, and without any previous correspondence on the subject.

If you wish to sell, either quote your price or ask for our best cash offer, as you prefer.

If you wish to sell via our monthly auctiom, instruct us to handle on 20 % commission basis in the next sale to he sent to press.

BE ON OUR MAILING LIST: If your philatelic interests are active, ask for free current auc­tion catalog and other lists or information which may he help­ful to you!

- SELLING NOT A MUSEUM! Because we are not running a museum, but wish to sell the stamps and covers that we have acquired over the years, you will always find us anxious to he of any possible philatelic assistance to you.

ON APPROVAL: Actually, a large part of our stock can he sent to you "on approval" (on your request). Whatever your field may he, we shall be glad to try to make up selections according to your wants and tastes. True, we may not he of help in some highly specialized fields and in the case of re­cent flight material, we have not been keeping up our stock. We do have many of the pre-1935 airmail covers, and we also have many of the 1935-1959 first day covers.

MEMBER FOR THIRTY YEARS As a fellow member of The American Air Mail Society for more than thirty years, I welcome the opportunity to help you in any possible way. Drop in and visit us when in Harrisburg! Office open weekdays 9 am to 5 pm, Saturdays included. Thurs­day hours: 9 am to 9 pm.

Your Complete Satisfaction ls Always Assured When You Deal with Long! .................................. , ... The Department Store of Philately

IELl\mIER Ro ILO~G

PAGE 328 THE AIRPOST JOURNAL

1l 1l 2 HA\RK.IET ST o9

lllA\RRISIBUUR<Gi, Jp> A\o

SEPTEMBER, 1959

Life Member: AAMS APS SPA

PAGE 329

P.O. Box 595, Malden, Mo .

The latest release by the Civil Aeron­autics Board was the decision in the Pa­cific Northwest Local Service Case, which expands the routes flown by West Coast Airlines and Pacific Air Lines, both local carriers.

The decision provided for an extension of Pacific's Route #76 from Crescent City, Calif., to Portland, Oregon. At the same time ,West Coast's Route #77 will serve Salem, Oregon, Newport-Toledo, Bend-Redmond, Oregon on the Portland­Klamath Falls Segment and will be ex­tended southward to Sacramento and San Francisco-Oakland. West Coast was also awarded an extension of Route #77 eastward from Klamath Falls to Boise, Idaho via Burns, Lakeview, Oregon giv­ing the latter two cities their first air mail service. Omak, Wash., will also be added to Route #77. The effective date of the decision in this case was July 27, 1959. However, West Coast filed a peti­tion for re-consideration of the Board's decision in this case; requesting author­ity to operate new routes 'between Boise and San Francisco and between Klamath Falls and Reno, Nevada. This being the case, it is probable that inaugural flights involving the awards in this decision were postponed. CHRONICLE -

AM ROUTE #14 - EXTENSION TO MIAMI, FLA.: Among the other carriers awarded route extensions in the Addi­tional Service to Florida Case, Capital Airlines was authorized to extend Ronte #14 from Atlanta to Miami.

Prior to December 14, 1958 at which time the inaugural flight from Miami was made, Route #14 operated as far south as Atlanta, Ga., and since the Post­al Bulletin had announced official ca­chets for Atlanta for this extension, it was

PAGE 330

• thought that the inaugural flight into Mi­ami would operate via Atlanta. How­ever, the schedule as issued for this ser­vice involved non-stop flights from Cleveland and Pittsburgh to Miami with­out stops at Atlanta. The first flight into Miami was therefore made via Flight #703 on December 14, 1958 by Capt. C. McQuigg operating non-stop from Cleve­land to Miami. The mail from Cleve­land and Cleveland AMF consisted of a very small dispatch from each office without official cachets, cancelled 9 AM, Dec. 14th, at each office. This mail was subsequently backstamped at Miami at 4 PM, same date.

The inaugural flight from Miami was made via Flight #702 on Dec. 14, 1958, Capt. R. T. Dobbins, who handled 675 pcs of mail from Miami postmarked 3 PM and 1520 pcs from Miami AMF post­marked 3: 30 PM. This was backstamped at Pittsburgh (first stop from Miami) at 10 PM, same date. Official cachets were applied at Miami in green and at Miami AMF in magenta.

AM ROUTE #14 - ADDITION OF TAMPA - CLEARWATER AND ST. PETERSBURG, FLA.: Using the same airport, tlrnse cities were given service on this route on Jan. 15, 1959. The in­augural Southbound flight was made by Capt. Norman Hunter flying Flight #705, with 595 pcs of mail from Tam­pa, 586 pcs from Clearwater and 500 pcs from St. Petersburg backstamped at Mi­ami AMF, 8 PM, Jan. 15th.

The inaugural Northbound flight was flown by Capt. Edward O'Donnell, car­rying 129 pcs from Tampa, 125 pcs from Clearwater and 300 pcs from St. Peters­burg. All mail was subsequently back­stamped at Buffalo, N.Y., at 11 PM, Jan. 15th.

THE AIRPOST JOURNAL

Official cachets were applied in black at Tampa, magenta, at ClearWater and purple at St. Petersburg. At this writing, no Southbound dispatch from Atlanta has as yet been made.

AM ROUTE #1 - EXTENSION CHI­CAGO TO WASHINGTON, D.C.: In­augurated on Jan. 11, 1959 by United Airlines, this extension to Route #1 in­volved stops at Dayton and Columbus, Ohio. As originally awarded by the CAB, this extension to United's Transcontin­ental Route provided for an extension to Baltimore, Md. However, when service was inaugurated, no stops were provided for at Baltimore in the schedule for planes operating via Dayton and Columbus and since these points were served by planes operating between Chicago and New York City, the new service simply re­sulted in an alternate routing of this route between Chicago and New York City. The Department considered the service as an extension from Chicago to Washington, and therefore, did not pro­vide philatelic treatment_ for an East­bound dispatch 'from Washington, D.C.

The inaugural Westbound flight from Washington, D.C., was made by Capt. F. A. Stetson, Jr., operating Flight #627. This flight handled 740 pcs from Wash­ington, D.C., 702 pcs from Washington AMF, 373 pcs from Columbus, 412 pcs from Columbus AMF and 172 pcs from Dayton, all of which was backstamped at Chicago AMF (Midway) at 11 AM, Jan. 11th.

The inaugural Eastbound flight from Chicago involved Flight #526 in charge of Capt. D. E. Flanagan. He carried 545 pcs from Chicago, 877 pcs from Chicago AMF (O'Hare), 811 pcs from Dayton, 347 pcs from Columbus and 402 pcs from Columbus AMF. Mail origin­ating at Chicago and Dayton was back­stamped at Washington AMF at 10:30 PM. Jan. 11th, while mail from Colum­bus was backstamped La Guardia AMF at 1 AM, Jan. 12th.

Official cachets in the shield-type re­cently used by the Department, enclos­ing a map of the new territory served were used. Chicago had purple, Chicago AMF magenta, Dayton green, Columbus purple and green, Columbus AMF black, Washington magenta and Washington AMF blue.

SEPTEMBER, 1959

AM ROUTE #107 EXPANSION: Io­wa City, Iowa, St. Joseph Mo., and Mad­ison, Wis., were added to this route op­erated by Ozark Airlines on March 1, 1959 and at the same time, it was ex­tended from Ft. Dodge, Iowa to Omaha, Nebr. Because these additions involved diffen:nt segments of Route #107, we t.reat tl1em individually.

Iowa City was added to the Chicago -Des Moines Segment of this route. The inaugural Eastbound flight was made by Capt. C. W. Wildhaber as Flight #120. There were 1090 pcs cancelled 8 AM, March 1st, and backstamped at Chicago AMF (Midway) at 12 Noon same date. He also made the inaugural Westbound Flight # 121 handling 400 pcs cancelled 12:30 PM, March 1st, and backstamped at Des Moines at 4:30 PM, same date. Official cachet was in green showing map of Iowa enclosed in a shield.

St. Joseph, Missouri served on the Chicago - Kansas City Segment of this route, was given inaugural North or Eastbound service by Flight #150 on March 1, 1959 in charge of Capt. Jas. P. Cole, who flew 964 pcs cancelled 8 AM, March 1st, backstamped at Chicago AMF (Midway) at 12:30 PM, same date. Op­erating in the opposite direction, Capt. Chas. R. Fullar, Flight #150, carried 291 pcs from St. Joseph cancelled at 1 PM, March 1st, and backstamped Kansas City AMF at 2:30 PM, same date. Official cachet was in blue showing map of Mis­souri enclosed in usual shield type bor­der.

Madison, Wisconsin was added to the Milwaukee - Des Moines Segment <'>f this route on March 1st, with the inaugural Westbound flight being made via Flight #131 in charge of Capt. 0. D. Bales, Jr. There were 1182 pcs of mail can­celled 8 AM, March 1st, backstamped at Des Moines at 2:30 PM, same date. Capt. P. N. Slough made the inaugural Eastbound flight #130 with 138 pcs of mail cancelled 12:30 PM, March 1st, and backstamped at Milwaukee at 4 PM, same date. Same type official cachet as used at Iowa City and St. Joseph was ap­plied in black but they showed map of Wisconsin.

Inaugurating the extension of Route # 107 from Ft. Dodge, Iowa to Omaha, Nebraska on March 1st, Capt. Raymond

PAGE 331

W. Traub as Flight #80 made the initial flight from Omaha handling 917 pcs of mail from Omaha and 954 pcs. from Omaha AMF postmarked 3 AM and 6 .AI\1, March 1st, respectively and back­stamped at Chicago AMF (Midway) at 12:30 PM, same date. The inaugural flight from Ft. Dodge to Omaha was made by Capt. R. P. Downs as Flight #81. There was a very small dispatch of 76 pcs cancelled at 12 Noon, March 1st, subsequently backstamped at Omaha AMF at I: 30 PM, same date. Mail from Ft. Dodge bore no official cachet or oth­er identifying markings. Omaha and Omaha AMF were furnished with offi­cial cachets, magenta at Omaha and purple at Omaha AMF. These cachets carried a map of Nebraska. One cover from Omaha PO had the official cachet applied in purple instead of magenta.

AM ROUTE #73 - OMAHA - KAN­SAS CITY SEGMENT. Service on this segment of Route #73, flown by Front~er Airlines, Inc., was inaugurated on March I, 1959. It operates between Omaha and Kansas City via Lincoln and Beatrice, Nebraska and St. Joseph, Mo. Since ser­vice between Omaha and Lincoln had previously been flown by this carrier on another segment of this route, we are on­ly concerned with the service between Lincoln and Kansas City, via Beatrice and St. Joseph.

The inaugural flight of this service from Lincoln to Kansas City via Flight #191 as well as the return flight via Flight #192 was flown by Capt. Cecil A. Fechner. Lincoln dispatched an esti­mated 125 pcs of philatelic mail via the first flight to Kansas City; Beatrice dis­patched 1900 pcs South to Kansas City and 381 pcs North to Omaha; St. Joseph 855 pcs to Kansas City and 321 pcs to Omaha with Kansas City and Kansas City AMF 610 and 781 pcs respectively.

First flight mail from Lincoln did not bear an official cachet or other marking for identification. Therefore, postmark time of 7 AM, March 1st, and backstamp

. at Kansas City AMF, 9:30 AM, same date are essential for proper identifica­tion. All other offices were furnished with an official cachet showing a map of

PAGE 332

Missouri enclosed in a shield which was used at Kansas City and St. Joseph while a cachet of the same design but showing a map of Nebraska was used at Beat­rice. Colors: Kansas City purple, Kansas City AMF green, St. Joseph magenta and Beatrice black.

AM ROUTE #73 - DENVER - OMA­HA SEGMENT. This segment operates between Denver and Omaha via Lincoln, Hastings, Kearney, McCook, Imperial and Sidney, al! in Nebraska and Sterling, Colorado. Service between Omaha and Lincoln had previously been flown by this route as well as service from Denver via this segment (previously served). The collector is concerned only with the intermediate points between Denver and Lincoln. Service was inaugurated on March I, 1959.

The inaugural Eastbound flight was made by Capt. W. D. Chambers operat­ing Flight #51 while Capt. E. L. Aden as Flight #50, made the inaugural West­bound flights. Dispatches involved the following: Hastings 842 pcs West and 224 pcs East; Kearney 978 pcs West and 131 pcs East; McCook 609 pcs West and 321 pcs East; Imperial 230 pcs West and 881 pcs East; Sidney 164 pcs West and 979 pcs. East; Sterling }AI pcs West and 1354 pcs East.

Westbound philatelic mail was back­stamped at Denver AMF at 12 Noon while Eastbound mail was backstamped at Omaha AMF at 1:30 PM. Official cachets showing map. of Nebraska were used at all offices except Sterling, Color­ado where map of Colorado was used. Colors were blue at Hastings, green at Kearney, purple at McCook, magenta at Imperial, black at Sidney and blue at Sterling.

AIRMAIL STAMPS OF THE WORLD Mint and Used Sets and Singles

SUMMER DISCOUNT SALE free catalogue

NORMANDY STAMP STUDIO, INC. Box 1111 Studio City, ·calif.

Member ASDA and Leading Philatelic Societies

THE AIRPOST JOURNAL

Honor to World Air Forces By "COLLECTOR"

A POWERFUL force of offense and a mighty arm of national and international defense, the United States Air Force fittingly celebrated the 50th anniversary of its foundation in August 1957 with a special stamp

issue symbolizing 50 years of military aviation adrnncement. It constituted yet another tribute to the men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces.

However, the U.S. Air Force has not been the only national air force organiza­tion to receive such well-merited publicity through the medium of the appropriate post offices. For some years a number of countries has produced regular stamps to commemorate Air Days and Aviation Weeks as a means of maintaining national in­terest in aviation progress and achievements both from a civil and military tand­point.

Such issues have emanated from Russia, Poland, Hungary, Roumania, Costa Rica, Colombia, Mexico, the Argentine and Brazil.

Of direct relation to Air Force Day ob ervance was the is ue in July 1948 of four charity stamps by Roumania. An early type of aircraft figured on one value, while a second pictured glider planes in flight. A tractor driver signalling at a plane

pa sing overhead and a transport aircraft in flight over a typical mountain scene appeared on the remaining two stamps.

Although, so far, having had no commemorative stamps for its air force, the Au tralian Commonwealth has recog­nized Air Force °" eek (September )' since 1948, with a special postmark cancellation. The pictorial vignette char­acterized a small aeroplane in flight as it wrote in the sky as an aid to recruiting: "Join the R.A.A.F. The Service with a Future." ·

Air Force Week in Australia wa e taiblished on a na­tional basis in 1947 to perpetuate the memory of those

The Free N orwegian Ai r airmen who fought and died in aerial battles of the Second Force i s~~aa~inted in World War, particularly in connection with the Battle of

Britain, the turning-point in the 1939-45 War. Russia's aerial commemorative stamps, variou ly described as Air Day and Day

of the Wing, have been of interest, especially the Aviation Day issue of 1945. The issue epitomizing the part played by Russian airmen in the last world war, with its

Ru ssia's Petliakov -2 bombers in action

realistically rendered designs, not only represented Rus­sian aircraft types, many of whnse early machines were modelled on American type·, but depicted incidents in which Soviet planes participated. One stamp showed an Illushin-2 bomber on the attack, and another illustrated several Petliakov-2 bombers. A Petliakov-8 bomber on a snow-covered airfield wa5 also pictured.

Another episode displayed was that of a Lavochkin-7 fighter shooting down an enemy aircraft, while a Illushin-4 bomber dropping bombs was included in the series. Tupo­lev-2 bomber aircraft was prominently pictured, and an Iakoviev-3 fighter, engaged in mortal combat with an enemy counterpart, comprised the format of a further value.

Furt11er evidence of Rus ian air activity was een in the design showing an Ia­koviev-9 fighter destroying an enemy twin-engined aircraft.

As long ago as December 1937 the Soviet Air Force was apparently a force to be contended with, judging from a set of seven stamps on issue to celebrate an Air F orce Exhibition in Moscow. Indicating achievements of Russian aviation genera11y the stamps pictured low-winged Army co-operation monoplanes, planes tlrnt were in a few short years to be seen in countries bordering the Soviet Union.

Aliliough practically annihilated by the Germans in 1940, during the last war, the Dutch Air Force in time became a powerful arm of defense with the "Free Dutch" organization. Support was forthcoming in the Dutch Indies in May, 1941, when three stamps were released on behalf of Prince Bernhardt's appeal for the purchase of bomber planes. These were for the Dutch Navy,which, with many Dutch

· soldiers, had crossed the Channel to Britain in May 1940 to continue the fight against German oppre sion. The stamps were sold at a substantial premium for that pur­po e. The Dutch Colony of Curacao produced eight stamps for the same cause, an example emulated by Surinam.

Meanwhile, when General DeGaulle rallied the rem­nants of ilie French Empire to his banner in 1940, the French Cameroons issued four specially-surcharged stamps in connect'ion with the "Spitfire Fund", so that the French National Air Forces could continue to take their place in the fight for freedom. Two others were issued in 1941.

Republican Spain contributed two interesting stamps Royal Arms of Nether- during 1945 to commemorate several air aces of the Span­Iands aid the Bomber ish Civil War. One stam1J portrayed the likeness of the Fund Campaign

hero, Captain Carlos de Haya Gonzales, with his fighter plane; and the second design was devoted t-0 a study of

Captain ,T. Garcia Morato", his plane, and bird in flight . '

Printed in Canada, a postal tribute to t11e volunteers who form~d the "Free" Air Force of Norway which trained at "Little Torway", Toronto, Canada, during the last war, was made in March 1946. The Norwegian-sponsored stamp adopted a its subject two Nor~egian airmen, standing on top of a globe of the world, wit11 a Vik­ing warrior silhouetted between them . Inscriptions included "Wings for Norway" and "Little Norway, Toronto, Muskoka", while the Norwegian Air Force insignia and the. arms of both Norway and Canada also figured in the design .

Seven po.-ta e and . seYen airmail stamp were is ued by ~caragua in November i954 to honor the National Air Force and also the Am­erican pilot, Captain Dean L. Ray, who tragically lost his life while on a goodwill demonstration of the latest U.S .A. jet planes at Managua, in January 1954. Por­trc its of the American airman appeared on several values, others hawing President Somoza. The Nicaraguan Air Force emblem, one of it hangars and various aircraft type , including Ray's Sabre jet F-86, a B-24 bomber, a T-6 training plane, a P-38 and an A-20, all found a place in the series.

Pre-war German "Air E 1 f d · f · 1 i· d Defense" propaganda x:amp es o mo ern aucra t, 1et p anes supp ie -by America, with three o_f_ them hurtling in formation over _ilie Chl~ng Shang Bridge

PAGE 334 THE AIRPOS'T JOURNAL

in Taipeh,. comprised the theme of a single stamp put out by F ormosa. An indica­tion that the National Chinese forces on Formosa were well supported by air power, the stamp appeared in commemoration of the 15th anniversary of Air Force Day, in 1954.

Stamps placed on ale in the Philippines in 1955 recognized two notable Filipino airmen who made names for themselves in the war in the Pacific. Two stamps is­sued in October portrayed Lieut. Jose Gozar, who received the D.F.C. for his feat in attacking three Japanese Zero aircraft in December 1941, as they were strafing the Zabian Field. One of the Japanese planes was shot down and the others fled. Gozar's fighter plane and the emblem of the Philippines Air Force complete the design.

The Filipino air hero, Lieut. Fernando Basa, the first Filipino airman to be kihled in the last war, was shown on the two stamps distributed in D ecember 1955.

These coincided with the 14th anniversary of his death. His portrait and the aircraft he used in his flying opera­tions provide the subject matter of the design.

Air defense and attack by parachutists constituted the theme of two contrasting stamp series, printed by Germany and Danzig and by Israel. .

In March 1937 Germany - whose Government · in the early part of the last war .boasted that no _enemy plane would ever fly over the border - issued three stamps as "Air Defense" propaganda. T o 5ymbolize preparedness against possible air attack, a steel-helmeted figure, carry­ing a shield and a spear, gazing skywards, apparently searching for approaching aircraft, appeared on the fourth

An Israeli paratrooper anniversary of the National Air Defense League.

About the same time. the ill-fated territory of Danzig initiated two stamps on behalf of Air Defense publicity. This time, views of the Polish city were illustrated along with the emblem of the Air Defense organization.

Paratroopers were honored by Israel in March 1955 with a stamp featuring a member of the Yishuv, a Jewish soldier, parachuting behind the enemy lines.

The Yishuv organization recruited some 30,000 Jewish volunteers for service with the British Army, and greatly assisted in the liberation of Europe, and p articu­larly that of Jewish people in occupied lands.

( Reproduced with permission from Stamp Collecting, May 29th, 1959.)

CHARTER MEMBER'S CELEBRATE 36 YEARS' R'ECOR'D

The following have been members of the American Air Mail Sodety for 36 consecutive years :

3. ANGERS, GEORGE W . 29. BECKE , CARL M. 32. FIELD, FRANCIS J. 12. GA SER, MALCOLM 21. HARD, A. M. 10. PRI lZJNG, Wm. J.

2. TRUBY, HARRY "A.

SEPTEMBER, 1959

·Springfield, Mass . Minneapolis, .Minn . Sutton Coldfielq, England Norristown,: Penn . Los Angeles, Calif. W aco, Texas New Kensington, Penn .

PAGE 335

Aerophilately and Aerophilatelists Address by Samuel Ray at the Annual Banquet of ±he A.A.M.S .

It is with the greatest of pleasure that I welcome you both for myself and for all of us here in Chicago and tell you how happy we are to have you with us again. High among the amenities of philately are the wonderful friends one makes and the pleasures attendant on re­newing acquaintanceships from year to year at our conventions. Exactly twenty­five years ago I had the pleasure of wel­coming most of you to the 1934 A.A.M. S. convention of which I was the gen­eral chairman. It hardly seems possible that an entire quarter of a century has elapsed since that time.

As aerophilatelists we feel particularly keenly these social amenities because we are actually a breed apart. Philately wouldn't exist for most of us were it not for the context of aeronautics; we are the people who still look up at the sound of a plane overhead and derive a thrill from its association with the souvenirs in our albums. We are the spiritual de­scendants of Icarus - we are one with the birds. I suspect, however, that the orthodox philatelists would say we are "for the birds" because we literally. put the Aero before the Philately, exactly as it is eiq>ressed in our name. In addition to stamps and covers we fill .our albums with photographs, news clippings, pic­tures, post .cards, printed programs, menus, stickers, and vignettes, and all sorts of other aeronautical souvenirs. I suspect strongly that in our collective al­bums there are enough examples of ac­tual pieces of fa!bric from the skins of old airships, the Hindenburg, the Shen­andoah, and even the old Akron, to build an entire new dirigible, or at the very least a pretty good sized blimp.

It is particularly because of this as­pect of placing the first emphasis on the aeronautical manifestation that created our souvenir and only the second on the philately thereof that we have banded together into a separate organization where we have so much more in com­mon than the ordinary garden variety of philatelists.

However, the amenities are not

PAGE 336

• enough. In order to maintain a purpose for our Society, to prosper and grow, to leave our mark in the literature of the hobby, and to guide those who follow us, it is necessary that we resolutely recognize and attack the problems that confront both the hobby at large and our Society in particular.

Our problems for the most part can be grouped into two general categories: that of the identification of our field, and that of the proliferation of sub-groups within the body politic of the hobby. These two problems are not necessarily unrelated and, as I shall point out, im­pinge upon one another. Nor do I mean to imply with my remarks that these problems have not heretofore been recog­nized; I am well aware that much thought and work have already been de­voted to them.

The American Air Mail Society has now been in existence for over a third of a century. It is the oldest, most renown­ed, and still the most potent organization in the field. It is the favored hobby in­strumentality of the U.S. Government and the Post Office- Department. To maintain this leadership and to improve its position it should, without any ques­tion, take the initiative in attempting ts solve these problems.

Now, as to the definition of our field, it is high time that we began to sort out the materials we collect and give them their proper evaluation, both as to cate­gory and even authenticity. Over the years there has been a tendency for fake material to creep into our listings. Un­flown material - which is perfectly col­lectible in its own category - has been indiscriminately listed with flown ma­terial, and there seems to have devel­oped an organized disregard for the sys­tematic values of our hobby, a sort of a general acquicsence in the upgrading of material: for example, privately issued stamps have been called "semi-official", semi-official stamps have been called "official", and totally unrelated non-air stamps and ordinary labels have crept into the listings of air stamps.

THE AIRPOST JOURNAL

The situation has reached the point where many of us are not even speaking the same language with reference to our mutual hobby. It is highly necessary to clarify the field, to call a spade a spade, and to desist from our hitherto ostrich-like head--in-the-ground attitude to the materials we collect. I think our Society should be the leader in re-exam­ining all of our material to determine whether it is authentic, whether it was actually flown, and under what category, if any, it should be listed in our publi­cations. '11/ e ought also to set up criteria of listing and attempt to eliminate covers which were privately flown, and particu­larly those of no significance. It is so. simple for any person to create so-called "first flight" covers decorated with pri­vately made cachets. Similarly, it is quite simple for anyone to fly his own "rocket mail". This is precisely the type of activity that we should attempt to dis­courage by refusing to recognize or list it, and in any case to expose all of the details involved; it is unfortunate that much of of this type of material has al­ready crept into our listings. Our new president-to-be, my very· good friend Bob Murch, has had considerable experience concerning "phony" postage stamps as chairman of the Watch-Dog Committee of the American Philatelic Society. His talents in this line will be most useful in detecting and laying low the "phony" stamps and covers in aerophilately.

We should use our position as the one group in aerophilately favored by the Government to induce the federal or lo­cal authorities to sponsor covers to be carried on significant flights - or even do this, judiciously, ourselves in order to avoid and discourage private and per­sonal initiative in this field.

In the field of air mail stamps we should· lead in establishing the defini­tions of what constitutes an air mail stamp as opposed to an ordinary nostage stamp,"and establish definitions fo-r semi­official stamps. This is doubly neces­sary because we apparently cannot de­pend on the popular catalogues to do this. · Some of the catalogues, in fact, list a frightful melange of official stamps, private stamps, semi-official stamps, es­says, proofs, and ordinary labels all

SEPTEMBER, 1959

placed indiscriminately together and thus by implication, spurious material is legit­imized by being associated with valid material. It well behooves us to take the lead in clearing up this situation.

Now, in my preceding remarks I re­ferred to the existence of other aero­philatelic organizations. It seems that there is a tendency in our hobby to pro­liferate organizations, many of which come into being without any rhyme or reason, and usually on the initiative of one industrious individual who generally has his own axes to grind.

Patently, aerophilately doesn't need all these organizations and their existence is divisive and thereby does more harm than good. AeropMlately is actually an indivisible hobby, even though one group in the hobby claims that they are de­voted exclusively to air mail stamps and maintains that our Society is devoted only to covers. Examination of the literature published by this group shows that they run something over 60% - possibly 2/3 - on cancellations, postal markings, and covers, which admittedly is our field. We must admit, however, that there is a germ of truth in the allegation that our interest is primarily in covers. Despite the excellent section on U.S. Air Mail stamps in our catalogue, the bulk of our literature largely ignores air mail stamps -except for the new issues - and con­sequently does not attract the collectors who are active in this aspect of the hobby. In this connection it might be well to mention the existence of the numerous country-specialist philatelic groups both here and abroad, whose members collect the air mail stamps of the countries in which they are interest­ed, and whose literature also covers, inter al, those air mail stamps. It seems that a mutually advantageous exchange both of literature and members could be set up with these groups, and we could thereby broaden our approach.

Now as to splinter groups, by which I mean little organizations devoted exclus­ively to one minute branch of our hobby such as first flight collectors, dedication collectors, rocket post collectors, Zeppe­lin post collectors, and so on. It is only natural and healthy for collectors of simi­lar tastes to want to get together to pur-

P AGE 337

sue their common branch of the hobby mutually and this tendency should be en­couraged by our Society, but only within the framework of the Society, because no one of these groups actually stands alone. Each of their fields crosses one or several other fields. As chapters of our Society, these groups might publish a newsletter or "scandal sheet" for personal communication between themselves, but their major work should be published in• our Journal because of its potential in­terest, not only to the members of the originating group but to many other members in the hobby at large.

This brings up the matter of publica­tions, without which there would be no members and no Society. Because of this fact it behooves us to emphasize our publications and while I am not unaware of the fact that this may be very costlJ in terms of both time and money, it nev­ertheless is the keystone to our continued success. A:lthough we are already the leader in the field, to maintain that lead we should strive to publish more and more authoritative handbooks and cata­logues. They need not necessarily be elaborately bound productions but they should be ours - it is painful to see work on any aspect of aerophilately pub­lished without our imprimatur.

Well, it has been very easy for me to stand here and tell you what I thought was wron_g and what might be done about it. But please bear in mind that I

am motivated only by my desire for our Society to prosper. The American Air Mail Society is, in point of fact, the first philatelic organization I ever joined, and although I now belong to some thirty or forty others, I would like nothing better than for it to grow into its destined" place as the leading international aero­philatelic organization.

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TUCSON, ARIZONA

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offers you a large selection of mint and used Soviet postage stamps of old and new issues in sets and short sets as well as First-Day-Covers.

For Aero-Postal stationery collectors we have in stock a limited quantity of attractive FIRST FLIGHT AND SOUVENIR COVERS

First Jet Flight First Jet Flight First Jet Flight Moscow - London Moscow - Cairo Moscow -Cacheted cover 50c Cacheted cover 50c Phengjang (Korea)

& 75c imperf. Cacheted cover 50c

F.A.I. Conference In Moscow

souvenir cover with cachet

50c & 75c imperf. All covers are sold ori a wholesale basis, i.e. not less 50 covers of each kind per order. When the wholesale customer orders more than 100 covers of each kind we allow 103 discount. Cash with order or C.0.D. shi11ment All inquiries receive prompt attention. - Orders under $25.00 respectfully declined.

All items offered subject to prior sale.

V /O"MEZHDUNARODNAJA KNIGA" - USSR MOSCOW 200

PAGE 338 THE AIRPOST JOURNAL

TIPS BY JULIUS By JULIUS WEISS

3417 E. 147th St., Cleveland, Ohio

Several readers have written about Spanish air-letter sheets. It appears that the new Sanabria Air Post catalogue has stimulated interest for this type of ma­terial. We feel that Spanish airmail stationery is just the item for the scien­tific-minded philatelist. The sheets con­tain many varieties of color, overlays, printing as well as paper. Sanabria ex­plains in detail the known varieties; how­ever, almost daily some new find is made somewhere around the world. We have been in contact with the major col­lectors of Spanish material. One of our collectors has promised to obtain air let­ter sheets for our readers at a price close to face. If interested, write us and en­close a stamp self-addressed envelope for the name of the source.

While on Spanish material we men­tion that Iberia Airlines went to Mexico on a first flight' on May 7, 1959: Our cover is postmarked "ler Vuelo Madrid­Mexico POR IBERIA - May 7, 1959 -Madrid". Backstamp at Mexico is May 8.

BOAC Comet 4 Jetliner first flight be­tween London and Singapore took place on June 1. Our dispatches are: Bey­routh, June 2; Bahrain, June 2; Singa­pore, June 4. There were other legs on this flight, however. All cachets use a blue and yellow special printed envel­ope showing a Comet jet in flight plus a globe showing the route of the flight.

Aerolineas Argentina's first flight to New York on May 25, 1959 was not the first day of use of the new 5 Pesos jet airliner adhesive issued by Argentina to commemorate the use of jets. May 16 was the "Dia de Emision".

This is a historical year for Avianca -Aerovias Nacionales de Colombia, the Colombian National Airways, founded on December 5, 1919 at Barranquilla, Co­lombia.

This line is the second oldest in the world, being topped by KLM ( founded October 7, 1919). Avianca today has a fleet of 78 modern aircraft which in­cludes the latest Lockheed Super-G Con­stellations. It has an operating route of 32,250 miles.

SEPTEMBER, 1959

• The line has authority from the Co­lombian government to not only trans­port mail but to actually operate post offices, sell stamps, and perform the usual postal services which include reg­istering mail and the sale of money or­ders. Avianca also makes delivery of mail to addressees through a corps of more than 300 letter carriers.

A subsidiarv of Avianca is Helical (Colombian - National Helicopters), which is a lifeline of Colombian's boom­ing oil industry. Starting in 1956, today it has 9 helicopters in service. The whir­lybirds set down and supply geologists to investigate oil fields, and supply needs of work gangs already busy in oil pro­duction work.

On this 40th year of Avianca we hope the line goes on and on with its fine ser­vice. Long may it continue its theme, "Don't ask us what's avaHable. Let us find out what's needed!"

Readers who obtained extra FDC of the 7 c airmail (Balloon) of Aug. 17, might try some stunts with them. Some flights may soon be made in various parts of the globe via balloon. It may be possible to use some of these FDC (on reverse side) to carry the mail of the various balloon flights to take place at future dates providing they are franked with stamps of the country where the flight takes place.

The Pan American first jet to New York from Caracas provided us with an unusual item. It appears a letter was not franked, therefore our cover has the of­ficial cancel, cachet (black) plus an of­ficial's signature. However, the cancel of this flight tells all about the flight and truly makes this item a bit of postal sta­tionery as the cancel was placed instead wf the adhesive. This will be a rather unusual item. (Editor's note: see else­where in this issue detai1ls on how to ob­tain this cover. )

Our item to N.Y. was not backstamp­d. Pan Am hopes to have some of the 5pecial 300 covers they flew back stamp­ed in New York. Nothing on this yet. The Argentina and Paraguay dispatches

PAGE 339

all received the backstamp at New York, N.Y. on July 22. Several readers desire to know where to obtain some of the elusive material via auction sale. Need­less to say, watch APJ for ads of the latest auctions. If you're interested in a good source which sends catalogues quite often containing much elusive flight ma­terial, send us a stamped self-addressed envelope.

Qantas plans its Hight from "Down Under" to Britain by way of U.S. some­time in September. We wrote about this in a recent column. The flight in July went to the west coast of U.S.A. only.

Delta received its Douglas DC-8 jet late in July. This was the first time a U.S.-built commercial jet airliner had landed in Georgia. Sometime in Septem­ber ,the line will inaugurate jet service. Keep your eyes open for Delta.

We would like to hear from readers who have odd or unusurul forms of col­lecting airmail items. Several have writ­ten us and we plan to tell a bit about their collecting methods in the near fu­ture. Share your experiences with others and in that way we can all learn and keep our hobby at its highest at all times.

Several members have asked us if we are a dealer and what we have for sale. We are not, as we are employed by Gen­eral Motors (Fisher Body - Cleveland).

\1\7 e are an accredited writer for the hobby press and have written about short-wave radio, stamps and various, other hobbies. We enjoy philatelic writ­ing as well as other forms of writing as a hobbv, and our collection is a file -just as ~ newspaper has a morgue (file).

Ye old sage is 37 years old, a bache­lor who feels that freedom of the pres~ is man's most important freedom, wheth­er in a newspaper or in a stamp column.

We hope this replies to the letters we get from members asking us to tell a bit about ourself. We do not enjoy telling about ye old sage, but we must make it known that we are not a stamp dealer, we have nothing to sell, but we are al­ways ready to help a member of AAMS. Should there he a question pertaining to aerophilately, merely send a stamped addressed envelope and if we have the answer we will send it along pronto.

PAGE 340

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only $·9.95 postpaid, new custom­ers only. Subscribe to my New Issue Service or .order from my lists to be had against an Be stamped & addressed large envel­ope. Stationery lists 50c, deduct­ible. Additional pages $4.50 per 50, postpaid. Catalogues supplied.

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THE AIRPOST JOURNAL

OFFICIAL SECTION AMERICAN AIR MAIL SOCIETY

MONTHLY REPORT . From the Secretary Ruth T. Smith, Ferndale & Emerson Sts., Philadelphia 11, Pa.

September l, 1959 NEW MEMBERS

4635 Hust, William L., 227 25th St., Marysville, Calif. 4636 Russell, Thomas E., 1223 Wertz Ave., NW., Canton 8, Ohio 4637 Beamer, W. V., 5919 Elsinore St., Philadelphia 20, Pa. 4638 Fowler, Dorothy S. (Mrs.), 1310 W. Medlock, Phoenix, Arizona 4639 Headley, Ernest W., PO Box 75, Springfield 99, Ohio 4640 Tuthill, Hull E., Main Rd., Mattituck, L. I., N.Y. 4641 Gagg, Alfred, 100-40 - 205th St., Hollis 23, N.Y. 4642 Zirkelbach, Leslie, PO 6015 - Vailsburg Stat., Newark 6, N.J. 4643 Bedard, William L., Box 637, Detroit 31, Mich. 4644 Swanson, Carl L., Jr., 1621 Lewis Dr., Lakewood 7, Ohio 4645 Fuerst, Talbot A., PO Box 186, Long Island City 4, N.Y. 4646 Fladung, Edward, Box 381, Sierra Madre, Calif. 4647 Waddell, John L., Arenzville, Ill.

NEW APPLICATIONS DeWitt, Omar L., 1704 55th Pl., LaGrange, Ill. Engineer. Age: 53.

AM UC PC FF CF lD APS X Carah, John M. (Capt.), 146 E. Palfrey Dr., San Antonio 10, Tex.

By: H. Brandner USAF Pilot. Age: 37.

AU U20 VC FF CAM FAM OF lD X Woodard, Betty, 545 Superior South, Salem, Oregon.

By: H. D. Westbrooks Statesman-Journal, Newspaper­

Advert. Age 48. By: Julius Weiss Pappenheimer, Ralph, 1047 Barry Lane, Cincinnati 29, Ohio. Retired. Age: 67.

By: Jos. L. Eisendrath, Jr. Dumont-Fouya, Andre, 38 Ave. G. Clemenceau, LaPerreaux, s/Marne, Seine, France.

Transportation. Age: 44. HC EL FF FAM RP OF By: M. S. Hirsch Abbott, Arnold W. (Dr.), 703 E. Harvard Pl., Ontario, Calif. Physician. Age: 41.

By: P. C. Nahl Harmer, Cyril H. C., 41 New Bond St., London Wl, England. Dealer. By: R. T. Smith Baylis, Charles P., 5542 East River Rd., Grand Island, N.Y. Student. Age: 16.

U20 UC FAM lD X By: H. Brandner Crumrine, Arthur M., lOlh W. College Ave., Apt. 4, Westerville, Ohio. Sales. Age: 35.

AM AU U20 UC PC HC FF GF CAM FAM OF Z lD By: R. T. Smith Hoffman, Richard A., 4 Veterans Ave., Worcester 3, Mass. Moldman. Age: 28.

By: J. Weiss Russell, C. D., PO Box 414, Bakersfield, Calif. Postal Clerk. Age: 40.

AM U20 UC FF CAM FAM lD X By: J. Weiss McGaw, Stephen H., 3806 Estes Ave., Nashville 12, Tenn. Advert. Mgr. Age: 42.

AM AU U20 UC PC HC CAM FAM lD X By: G. D. Kingdom

RE-INSTATEMENTS 1405 Dorsett, E. Lee (Dr.), 120 Orchard Ave., Webster Groves 19, Mo. AM AU HC FF X

NEW LIFE MEMBER LM #95 Higgs, Suzanne, Nassau, Bahamas LM #96 Costales, Eugene N., Garden City, N.Y. LM #97 Harmer, H. R., London, England

CHANGE OF ADDRESS Sharp, Harriet S., PO Box 4396, Tucson, Arizona Ellis, Charles J., Sunrise Hill. Charles City, Iowa Wasmer, Herman, 548 Addison St., Chicago 13, Ill. Cullen, Merle B., 2505 West Blvd., Duluth, Minn. Borcher, Fred W., 1326 Neilson St., Berkeley 2, Calif. Bykovetz, Dmytro,. Jr., PO Box 2913, Philadelphia 22, Pa. Detwiler, Jack R., 4244 Mt. Herbert Ave., San Diego 17, Calif. Kostenko, Barry M., 6772 N. Oxford Ave., Chicago 31, Ill. Wiggin, Mabel Rodgers, 6 Compo Hill Ave., Westport, Conn. Hollister, Frank C., PO Box 233, Camp Hill, Pa.

SEPTEMBER, 1959 PAGE 341

NOTES FROM DOWN UNDER

New Zealand - Tasman Air Link, Auckland to Brisbane

By Teal Cover are now at hand carried by

New Zealand's international airline, TEAL (Tasman Empire Airways Limit­ed), on the new Trans-Tasman link Auckland to Brisbane. Thus, New Zeal­anders are offered the opportunity of wintering at Australia's "Surfer ' Parn­dise" a well as Fiji and the Pacific Is­lands.

The new service, to nrn once a week for three months, commenced on July 4. Philatelists were disappointed that a special cachet was not provided - the best the Post Office would do was to backstamp on arrival.

Shown here is a cover carried on the return Brisbane-Auckland flight and a photo of Mr. J. S. Webb, acting-manager of the postal branch Auckland, handing _, over the special mail to Captain D. W. Keesing, commander of the DC 6 that made the inaugural flight.

-J. S. Langabeer

PAGE 342

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THE AIRPOST JOURNAL

RECENT SOVIET JET COVER

Illustrated is a cover flown March 3, 1959, from Moscow to Phenjan, Korea, by the first jet flight by Russian plane betwen those points. The cachet illus­trates the TU-104, well known Russian turbo jetliner. The colorful stamp shows esta-blished mail routes from Moscow. There is a cachet on the reverse side ap­plied at Korea. This cover was sent us by "Mezhdunarodnaja Kniga", the Soviet philatelic agency, whose advertisement appears elsewhere in this issue. We be­lieve it's the first time they have adver­tised in an American publication - at least we've seen no other - and we're glad they chose the Airpost Journal.

Airport Dedications By WILLIAM T. WYNN

13537 Rockdale, Defroi:t 23, Mich.

No dedication is planned at Salem, Mo. or Reynoldsburg, Ohio. - First Flight covers from Anniston, Ala. on Dec. l, 1958 are not dedications. -Washington, Pa. held dedication of its County Airport on May 9, ibut NO covers are known. - Yoakum, Texas held dedication on May 17 hut again no known covers. - Sheldon, Iowa will dedicate on Sept. 9, Chamber of Com-

SEP'DEMBER, 1959

merce will hold covers. - The following is a list of 1959 airport dedications as we have it as of now, with the number of covers reported to have been mailed on each event. 1-31- Twent· ·-nine Palms, Calif. ( 6) 3-17- Seguin, Texas. ( 18) 4-18- Marietta, Ga. (10 ) .5-23- Oakley, Idaho ( 62 ) 5-30- Olean·, N. Y. ( SO) 6-14- Sturtevant, Wis. 6-28- Sac City, Iowa ( 78)

Covers are reported from Bodega Bay, Calif. July-3; Allison, Iowa, July-5; Eagle Pass, Texas, July-5, but no further information on these three as yet.

Too few covers are being mailed on these events, due to the fact that we are not getting enough advance publicity for collectors to cover the events. We feel sure that ~ large number of covers were mailed on Allison, Iowa artd expect the same for Fond du Lac, Wis. which was clue on July 19th.

Covers for the Sturtevant, Wis. dedi­cation of Jun e 14 were mailed on Mon­day A. M. June 15, as the post office was closed on Sunday. Will you hold covers for 'airport dedications in your section and ma!il them out for the readers of this column? If so kindly send the editor of this column your name and address so that it may be listed.

PAGE 343

ARGENTINE AIRLINES INAUGURATE JET SERVICE By ERNEST A. KEHR

Buenos Aires: (Special to the Airpost Journal)

Fifteen short hours after the Comet 4 DeHavilland jet plane whizzed off the Idlewild International Airport, in New York, we set down at Ezeiza, slicing tra­vel time between the two largest cities of the Western Hemisphere exactly in half. The last time the writer made the flight, in 1958, it took five stops and thirtv-two hours.

The flight - the inaugural of a second weekly schedule - set a new record in air transportation since it represents the first pure-jet aircraft to be used on an international ~ervice between countries in the Western Hemisphere.

Actually the inaugural of jet service took place on May 29, when a once-a­week schedule was introduced by Aero­lineas Argintina. As soon as the equip­ment was available the second flight was introduced, leaving New York on July 12.

The service makes fuel stops at Piarco Airport in Trinidad, and at Galeao, in Rio de .Janeiro.

The inaugural marks another milestone in the history of the Argentine Airlines. The history of air transport ( and espe­cially, airmail) of the Argentine is stud­ded with pioneering records. The im­portant nations of South America long have been an important source of pro­ducts - particularly foodstuffs and raw materials - which European nations desperately needed. Long before the United States envisioned it as a worth­while market, European nations compet­ed with each other with more than a littfo keenness. Almost as soon as air­craft had been developed for long-dis­tance hops, Europeans were sending pi­oneers from Germany, France, Italy, Portugal, Spain and England to survey and establish early routes. It is interest­ing to note that mail was being flown between Argentina and the continent years before the first service headed to­wards North America.

Aeropostal was founded as a govern­ment line in 1931, for the shipment of mail from Buenos Aires to the outlying cities to bring faster, more efficient post-

PAGE 344

al service to natives who formerly had to rely on rail, river or coach transport.

European airlines served the routes over the South Atlantic. The Graf Zep­pelin, for example, was making regular flights from Friederichshafen in the early thirties on split-second schedules that were as dependable as a German rail­road.

In the meantime a few small, private­ly-owned airlines were esta:blished for service between cities not linked by Aer­opostal. By 1950 the networks were so extensive (and in some instances dupli­cating) that the Government unified all of them to form Aerolineas Argentina. That same year, AA decided to enter the ~nternational market. For almost two years, its DC-6' s were flying from Buenos Aires to New York on a training basis, carrying only diplomatic mail and a few government officials.

By March, 1950, the line was ready for regularly scheduled flights. One route extended from BA to London, with a leg connecting Rome and Lisbon; the other was BA to NY, via Montevideo, Rio, Be­lem and Trinidad. ·The service is of par­ticular importance siIJCe it now brings mails to the United States in less than half the time formerly required. Mail ~ervice never was good from Argentina or Brazil, and it still is less than fast. AA's route, which goes through Rio, now enables the Brazilians to ship mail to the United States by jet. (The Pan Am route opened on July 21 by-passes Rio, stopping in Paraguay instead.)

To mark the occasion, Argentinian postal officials authorized the release of a special 5 peso, olive and black stamp which depicts the Comet 4 and a Mer­cator projection of the world map to show its international routes. It is the world's first postage stamp to actually depict a jet plane used to carry air mail. While prepared as a commemorative, the Ministry of Communications told the writer that "this stamp has already prov­en to be so popuJar that it will be re­tained as a regular airmail to frank post cards and letters weighing less than 5 grams and addressed to the U.S.".

THE AIRPOST JOURNAL

THE PHILATELIC STORY OF FLIGHT By Frank R. Gracey

No. 4 One of the strange myths of flying concerns Simon the Magician founder of an

anti-Christian sect in the first century in the time of Nero. To prove that there was nothing supernatural about the ascension, the story goes, he made a fiery charict, in which he flew several times over Rome.

Witches and sorcerers, according to popular tales, could always travel through the air. It is said that about 790 A. D., wishing to see if this really could happen, some prominent men living near Mount Pilatus, Switzerland, forced some of their poor neighbors .to go up in a sort of balloon.

The frightened wretches are said to have come down in the town of Lyons, where they were surrounded by a frenzied mob. The judges condemned them to be burned, but Bishop Agobard, after questioning them, decided that they had no evil intentions and allowed them to escape.

AAMS MEMBER ACTIVE IN NEW AIR MAIL PILOT ORGANIZATION

Captain E. C. Edelmann, AAMS, and one of the crack Eastern Air Line pilots flying out of Miami, Florida has been active in the organizing of a unique new group, "The Fraternal Order of Air Mail Pilots", a national organization compos­ed of nilots who have carried air mail for at lea;t one year.

The Miami Lodge of the Order has approximately sixty members and one of the objectives of the group is to provide a well rounded library devoted to the historv of aviation and the aeronautical sciences.

Captain Edelmann is a native of St. Louis and was first attracted to aviation by frequent visits to Lambert Airport when Robertson Aircraft Corp., and air mail pilot Charles Lindbergh were fly­ing the mails over CAM #2, St. Louis to Chicago. Captain Ed has also built up

SEPTEMBER, 1959

a fine collection of CAM covers in re­cent years and has many flown memen­tos of Eastern' s routes.

AAMS members flying to Miami from mid-west cities should look for Captain Edelmann's name plate on the plane crew list. He is a good salesman of avi­aLon and air mail!

Addres of the Fraternal Order of Air Mail Pilots is PO Box 48-411 Miami Air­p:Jrt ( 48) Florida.

HERE'S JOHN CAPALDI AGAIN

Our old friend, John J. Capaldi, sends us, among other things, several samples of attractive airmail envelopes in stand­ard size. He'll be glad to send some 'Nith his compliments to any A.A.M.S. member who sends hirna LARGE stamp­ed self-addressed envelope. "Friendship through Stamps" has been his motto for a long, long time. It certainly works in his case! His address is 6261 Limekiln Pike, Philadelphia 41, Pa.

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2 WEST 46th STREET _A NEW YORK 36, N.Y.