cddstamps on aircraft & aerophilately

Hello, yes, finally back and with the last part of my Macao aircraft on stamps series.  This has been a more modern series of stamps and this next stamp and miniature sheet is no different.  It is from a 2004 issue  to commemorate the 10^th anniversary of Air Macao and something I was fortunate enough to pick up in Macao  some years back.

Air Macau is the flag carrier of Macau and operates 26 A320 aircraft to 24 destinations, or so I have read. The airline was established in 1994 and began commercial operations a year later in 1995

Some trivia to finish this series.    You may have noticed in this article I am writing Macau as in Air Macau and previously I have always referred to the country and stamps as Macao..

For completeness, the Macao Special Administrative Region is also commonly known as Macau or Macao. Both can be used.

The name Macau is thought to be derived from the Temple of a-Ma or the Ma Kok Temple which is an existing landmark built in 1448 dedicated to the goddess Matsu, the goddess of seafarers and fishermen.  When the Portugues arrived in 1513 they named the peninsula “Macao”.  There is plenty of history and legend to read on this if you are interested.

An interesting place and well worth a visit if you have never been.

So what next?   I think I have chosen somewhere but welcome readers suggestion.  Be back in a few weeks as am off to Australia in a few days. Stay safe and enjoy your philately.

Michael  cddstamps.com …. Please visit my online store  https://www.hipstamp.com/store/cddstamps    where I have some interesting aviation related covers and stamps.

Hello,  bit rushed, sorry, left this too late before we fly out this morning  so  very quickly

Two stamp issued in 1999 to commemorate the 75^th anniversary of Sarmento de Beire and Britto Paris’s Portugal  Macao flight

Why two stamps showing two aircraft?  Well here is some trivia and that aspect is explained

Their  first aircraft was a  Bréguet 16 was named Pátria (“Homeland”), with a line from Os Lusíadas—“Esta é a ditosa Pátria minha amada” (“This is my beloved Homeland”) — painted on its fuselage. It was a poetic nod to Portugal’s age of exploration.

The flight was not a state-sponsored mission. The aviators raised funds through public subscription and assembled the aircraft themselves in Amadora, showcasing grassroots patriotism and initiative.

The Pátria crashed near Karachi due to engine failure and they continued the journey in a De Havilland DH.9A named Pátria II. However, this plane could only carry two, so their mechanic, Gouveia, had to continue by train.

As they approached Macau on June 20, 1924, a typhoon forced them to crash-land in Chinese territory just 800 meters from the Hong Kong border. They were ferried to Macau by boat days later.

The journey spanned 16,760 kilometers over 117 hours and 41 minutes of flight time, crossing deserts, mountains, and monsoon zones with rudimentary navigation tools.

Amazing men in their flying machines, one might say   I am flying an A320 in a few hours.  Much more comfortable.

Be back in a week.  See you then.

Michael  cddstamps.com …. Please visit my online store  https://www.hipstamp.com/store/cddstamps    where I have some interesting aviation related covers and stamps.

Hello again and now moving forward a few years to 1989 when there was a  rather nice issue of 4 stamps – different design style for sure. Here are two of the four. The aircraft  shown in this issue were seaplanes. These two are a Martin M-130 flying boat of Pan Am and a Fairey IIID, both famous aircraft in their own right.

The   M-130 – stamp below – is perhaps better known by the name Clipper and was used by Pan Am for its transoceanic routes.  There were actually three of them, each named after a specific “Clipper”: the Chine Clipper, the Philippine Clipper and the Hawaii Clipper. These aircraft were known for their size and were used for both commercial and military flights until all three were lost in crashes, with the last being in January 1945.   

The Fairey IIID was from a family of British reconnaissance biplanes that enjoyed a very long production and service history in both landplane and seaplane variates   The prototype of the Fairey III was the N.10 floatplane  which was designed and built in 1917 and first flew  on 14 September 1917.

The first major production model of the aircraft was the IIID – shown on the 2.80 stamp below – It had provision for a third crewmember and was capable of being fitted with either a floatplane or a conventional wheeled undercarriage. It first flew in August 1920 with the initial production aircraft  being delivered to the British Fleet Air Arm, and then also operated by the Royal Air Force.

 Have a great weekend,  more to come 

Michael  cddstamps.com …. Please visit my online store  https://www.hipstamp.com/store/cddstamps    where I have some interesting aviation related covers and stamps.

Where were we ….     another week   just flown past….        oh  yes, Macao and now a stamp from 1972.

Is this nice or what!   It was issued to commemorate the first flight  between Lisbon and Rio de Janerio and shows the sea plane, the Fairey III-D  Santas Cruz.

In 1922, Portuguese aviators Gago Coutinho and Sacadura Cabral completed the first flight across the South Atlantic from Lisbon to Rio de Janeiro,  using three Fairey III-D seaplanes, the final one named Santa Cruz is shown on this stamp.

This historic flight was undertaken to commemorate the centennial of Brazil’s independence and to demonstrate the viability of long-distance aerial navigation.

The journey began on 30 March 1922 from Bom Sucesso Naval Air Station near the Belém Tower in Lisbon. Coutinho and Cabral flew 8,383 km in nine stages over 79 days, with a total flight time of 62 hours and 26 minutes.

The Fairey III-D MkII was a single-engine, open-cockpit biplane seaplane with large floats for water landings.  It was built in England and purchased by the Portuguese Navy. It was equipped with what was then a new artificial horizon sextant, allowing accurate navigation even without a visible horizon.

I said three aircraft;  the first plane, Lusitânia, sank near the Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago due to float damage. The second was lost due to engine failure and the third, Santa Cruz, was delivered by a Portuguese naval vessel and successfully completed the final leg to Rio de Janeiro.

A replica of the Santa Cruz is on show at the Lisbon Naval Museum.  In 2022, Faro Airport was renamed Gago Coutinho Airport to honor the centennial of the flight.

Now if aircraft on stamps isn’t interesting, I don’t know what is😊   Have a brilliant weekend. More to come.

Michael  cddstamps.com …. Please visit my online store  https://www.hipstamp.com/store/cddstamps    where I have some interesting aviation related covers and stamps.

Last one in the series and just aircraft this time.    Who can name them?  I  give the years the stamps were issued.  Might help?

  from a 1953 issue, a 1954 issue and a 1958 issue resspectively

 As always, I welcome comments and feedback and now, ideas for the next series.   There are a few to chose from, if I use the letter M as my starting point.   I am at [email protected]

Michael  cddstamps.com …. Please visit my online store  https://www.hipstamp.com/store/cddstamps    where I have some interesting aviation related covers and stamps.

There is no shortage of aircraft on stamps from Lebanon in the 1940s and 1950s  and these next two are from a 1952 issue of 10 stamps, 2 designs, one showing Khalde International Airport  as it was known when it was opened in 1954 and another showing the amphitheater at Byblos .

The airport today is called Beirut–Rafic Hariri International Airport and it is the only airport serving Lebanon.   One piece of trivia, it was the first in the region to offer free 5G wireless internet for two hours.

The amphitheater at Byblos is of Roman origin and is notable for being one of the smallest. It was largely destroyed by the Crusaders who used the material for the building of their Castle, mentioned in previous pieces.

Next, one  more article in this series, as I say there are so many stamps but I hope you like the last article as I will use a few different  images with a few aircraft that I think you will be familiar with.

As always, I welcome comments and feedback and now, ideas for the next series.   There are a few to chose from, if I use the letter M as my starting point.   I am at [email protected]

Michael  cddstamps.com …. Please visit my online store  https://www.hipstamp.com/store/cddstamps    where I have some interesting aviation related covers and stamps.

Now to 1943 – well Scott says 1943 and SG says 1944  –  and a 6 stamp issue commemorating the 2^nd anniversary of the proclamation of Independence.  I am showing just one stamp, the high value one, which by the way can command a respectable price if in very nice condition.

This shows an aircraft of sorts, has to be an artists impression don’t you think, of what  aircraft I don’t know, but also of a view over Beirut.  Well the view as it was back in the early 1940s. The other 5 are of a similar design and show views of Bechamoun and the Rachaya citadel. I think the mosque we see on this stamp is the Mohammad Al-Amin mosque, which is located in downtwon Beirut, also know as the Blue Mosque. This is a very prominent mosque and is a recognizable landmark due to its Ottoman-inspired architecture and striking blue dome.

More soon … and as always I welcome comments and feedback at [email protected]

Michael  cddstamps.com …. Please visit my online store  https://www.hipstamp.com/store/cddstamps    where I have some interesting aviation related covers and stamps.

One from a set of two (both stamps are of the same design)  issued in 1942 to celebrate the first anniversary of the proclamation of Independence. The image is an aircraft flying over Mount Leganon, or so I have read.

After France fell to Germany in 1940, Lebanon and Syria came under the control of the Vichy government. In July 1941, British and Free French forces invaded and occupied the region, ousting the Vichy regime.

To solidify support against the Vichy government and gain the allegiance of the Lebanese population, Free French General Georges Catroux proclaimed Lebanon’s independence on November 26, 1941 as is noted on the stamp. The United States and the United Kingdom also recognized the independence.

Despite the proclamation, France was unwilling to fully relinquish its control at that time. The declaration was made within the framework of the French mandate, and full sovereignty was not immediately granted.

Lebanon’s path to independence continued until 1943, when a nationalist government was elected and its leader, Bishara al-Khuri, was elected president. The nation’s final, de facto independence from France was established in 1943. 

So much to learn from stamps I hope you will agree.

Michael  cddstamps.com …. Please visit my online store  https://www.hipstamp.com/store/cddstamps    where I have some interesting aviation related covers and stamps.