Best of intentions go the wrong way sometimes; this blog has not been updated for soooo long. Hopefully, I'll be more regular in future and show stamps etc from my vast collection.
India has issued quite a few stamps with airplanes. Here are a few souvenir sheets.
On 18 February 1911 at 5.30pm, Henri Pequet took off from the exhibition grounds at Allahabad in a
Humber-Sommer biplane, flew over the Jumna River in the direction of Naini
Junction, about six miles away, where he deposited the mails. He then returned
immediately to land again on the exhibition grounds, having completed the whole
journey in 13 minutes. The flight was witnessed by over a million people,
including the Governor, Sir John Hewitt. It was in aid of Allahabad’s Oxford
and Cambridge Hostel and Holy Trinity Church.
The mail consisted of about 6,500 letters and
postcards, of which some 40 postcards depicted the pilot and machine and were
autographed by him. All the stamps were cancelled with a postmark designed by
Captain Walter G Windham RN, authorised by the Postmaster General of United
Provinces and the Indian Post Office and made by the postal authorities at the
Postal Works at Aligarh. Although there was a Post Office at the Exhibition
Ground, these mails were not accepted at that Office, but had to be handed in
to an official (Rev W H Holland) who dealt with the mails from M Péquet’s
personal tent.
This was the world’s first official aeroplane
mail flight. It was initiated by Captain Windham at the request of the
Government of the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh, who took two aviators and
eight planes to the United Provinces Exhibition at Allahabad. In September 1911, he also organised the
First UK Aerial Post in celebration of the Coronation of King George V.
The 100th anniversary of this event was commemorated with a set of 4 Rs.5 stamps and a souvenir sheet. The stamps showed a pic of M. Pequet with a 1911 postcard, the flight route, the biplane over the Yamuna river, covers with the postmarks.
The year 2011-12 was declared as the Civil Aviation Centenary Year, starting from 18th February, 2011 and ending on the same date in 2012. A set of 4 stamps was issued on 4th March 2012 to mark 100 years of Civil Aviation in India.
Rs. 20 shows: Humber Biplane No. 2
Rs5. : ATR 42-500, Aerospatiale SA 365N Dauphin 2
Rs.5 :Boeing 777-300ER, Airbus A320
Rs.5 : Airbus A320, Boeing 747-400
The planes shown on the souvenir sheet are:
Bleriot XI, Boeing 747, Boeing 777, Airbus A320, Humber
Biplane No. 2, Bell 206 L4 Long Ranger IV, ATR-42, Boeing 707
75th Anniversary of Indian Air Force was commemorated with a set of 4 stamps (3 of Rs.5 denomination and 1 of Rs.15) and a souvenir sheet of all the four stamps and pictures of various planes used by the IAF.
The stamps show:
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited HAL Dhruv
Helicopter.
Westland Wapiti
AWACS: Beriev A-50 mainstay
Rs.15 Iljuschin IL78 and HAL-Sukhoi Su-30MKI
In 2003 India issued a set of 4 aircraft stamps to commemorate the Centenary of Man's First Flight. A souvenir sheet with the four stamps was also issued with the title AERO INDIA 2003.
Rs.5 Hindustan Trainer No.2
Rs.5 Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. HF-24 Marut
Rs.5 Light Combat Aircraft
Rs.15 HAL Druv - Helicopter
