C8 - 1926 15ยข Airmail
See below for details
Basic Info
15¢
Olive Green, Light Green
Printing Method: Flat Plate
Printer: Bureau of Engraving and Printing
Subject: U.S. Map and Mail Planes
Number issued: 15,597,307
Perforations: 11
Watermark: Unwatermarked
Scott #: C8
Issued: September 18, 1926
Value
Used
50¢ - 75¢
No postmark with gum (MH)
$1
Full perfect gum, no postmark
no trace of stamp hinge mark (MNH)
$1.25 - $2.25
Plate #'s
#C8 was issued with the following plate #'s
18745-48
First Day Cover
A first day cover postmarked September 18th, 1926
The Inspiration for the Design
1933 Airway Map of the United States, showing lighted routes in solid black
in order to advertise the greatly expanded airmail routes it was decided to put a map of the USA with two planes, one facing East and facing West indicating that it was both an airmail stamp and the routes were coast to coast.
Usage
Six months after the introduction of the 10¢ stamp the number of and length of the routes had increased making it necessary to issue a 15¢ (per 1oz) stamp for mail going to destinations over 1,000 miles.
Airmail Goes Commercial
A Stout-AT operated by the Ford Air Transport Service
Although nol related, a fascinating look inside the journey of a 1928 Ford Trimotor
Flashes of light pulse through the dark, a repetitive rhythm transmitted in Morse code, marking a path in a void.
One by one, each letter from the string WUVHRKDBGM — whose logic is visual, building predictably from dashes to dots and back again, rather than alphabetic — one by one, each signaled letter beams at many millions of candlepower from beacons 51 feet high, one beacon every ten miles, strung across the U.S. from New York to San Francisco:
Beside beacons there were concrete arrows pointing the way for aircraft.
By 1925 Airmail had proved to be profitable and Congress opened what was previously a government run service to commercial enterprises.In February 1926 the first taker was the short lived Ford Air Transport Service from Detroit to Cleveland and Chicago. In the following April Charles Lindbergh's Robertson Aircraft Corporation added a St Louis to Chicago route. Next came Boeing with the first international airmail service from Seattle to Victoria, B.C. Canada. By 1927 there were more companies operating, reaching 30 companies by 1929.
The life of an airmail pilot was a dangerous one. Charles Lindbergh had to parachute twice flying airmail through bad weather.
A Complete Pane
A complete pane of 36, there were four panes to a sheet of 144
1926-34 Airmails
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