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Trans-Oceanic Air Mails

TRANS-OCEANIC record flights have changed our way of thinking about distances around the globe because now we can travel great distances on a few short hours. During the 1922's and 1930's there was great interest by the press and the general public in these pioneer flights that led to the development of regular commercial trans-ocean flights taken every day.

Many fliers were killed attempting these flights while others crash landed during these attempted flights. Mail was carried, usually in small numbers, on many flights and some are preserved despite small quantities carried. Some mail was carried officially and some was carried by favour.

1919 Alcock & Brown first non-stop transatlantic flight

Alcock & Brown

The Daily Mail £10,000 prize for the first nonstop flight across the Atlantic from West to East was claimed by Alcock & Brown for their 14/15 June 1919 flight from St. John, Newfoundland to Clifden, Ireland where they crash landed in an Irish bog. They were not hurt.

Signed by W. Whitton Brown and franked with a specially overprinted "TRANSATLANTIC / AIR POST / 1919 / ONE DOLLAR" Newfoundland 15c adhesive.

196 covers flown.

Amelia Earhart

Transatlantic Solo Flight from Harbour Grace, Newfoundland on June 6, 1932.

Earhart landed near Culmore, Londonderry, Ireland after a flight of 14 hours and 54 minutes.

Large diamond shaped cachet with number added by manuscript.

All 50 cover carried are numbered and signed Amelia Earhart.
1932 - Amelia Earhart Transatlantic Nonstop Solo flight
1934 MacRobertson Air Race - reused in 1969

Roscoe Turner and Clyde Pangborn carried this cover and finished in 3rd place taking
3 days, 21 hours, 5 minutes 2 seconds as stated in the cachet. An Australian adhesive
was cancelled 'MELBOURNE 23 OCT 1934'.

In December 1969 another England - Australia air race was held. Posted again with new
stamps cancelled 'LONDON - SYDNEY / AIR RACE / 17 DEC 69 / BRITISH FORCES 1105
POSTAL SERVICE' may have been carried on one of the RAF aircraft participating.

1934 MacRobertson
Air Race - UK to Australia - reused in 1969

Twenty teams competed for the $150,000 prize offered by Sir MacPherson MacRobertson for a speed race from England to Melbourne, Australia.

Teams were required to land and check at 5 control points on the 11,323 mile route: Baghdad, Allahabad, Singapore, Darwin and Charlesville.

Flown on a Boeing 247-D, NR257Y - one of the twenty teams.

Signed by 'Roscoe Turner'.

1939 Inauguration Regular Transatlantic Service by Imperial Airways

First British Air Mail from London to New York - August 5, 1939. Flown Southampton to Botwood (backstamp on reverse 6 Aug 1939) with unofficial cachet.

Flown by Capt. J.C. Kelly-Rogers on Short "C" Class flying boat 'CARIBOU' G-AFCV.

1939 Imperial Airways Inauguration of Regular Transatlantic Service
1946 Pan American FAM-18 extension to Vienna
1946 PAA extension to Vienna

Trial First flight from Prague to New York on 3 May 1946, just five weeks before inauguration of Pan American Airways extension of FAM-18 to Vienna via London, Brussels and Prague.

Registered cover with "VIA AIR MAIL" cachet with backstamps of New York May 5 & May 6. from Ervin Hirsch to Arthur Kessler.

Certified by "Tribuna" in lower right corner.

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Updated 12 August 2001
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