AMERl(AN f r1s1 111111t Jtrs All/LINES , 4Cro~s the USA L0 ngacre 4-2000 Vol. 32, No . 2 November, 1960 --- --------- We are philatelic auctioneers and specialize in providing } ,a competitive market for stamp collections and other philatelic properties Over 30 years experience assures the maximum in results Your inquiry is welcomed IRWIN HEIMAN~ Inc. Serving American Philately Since 1926 2 WEST 46th STREET .A NEW YORK 36, N.Y. Telephone: JUdson 2-2393 Suite 708 THE AIRPOST JOURNAL The American Air Mail -tM~IBPOST Society r;~-;JOllBNAL A Non-Profit Corporation Incorporated 1944 Organized 1923 Under the Laws of Ohio Official Publication of the AMERICAN Am MAIL SOCIETY PRESIDENT Robert W. Murch 9560 Litzinger Road VOL. 32 NO. 2 ISSUE 366 St. Louis 24, Mo. SECRETARY Ruth T. Smith 102 Arbor Road Contents ........ For November, 1960 Riverton, New Jersey Flights of the Pioneer Aviators, TREASURER 1908-1914 ................... 26 John J. Smith 102 Arbor Road Riverton, New Jersey Foreign Pioneer Airpost Flights, VICE-PRESIDENTS 1909-1914 . ..... ...... 31 Joseph L. Eisendrath, Jr. Louise S. Hoffman Official Section . 35 Florence L. Kleinert Dr. Southgate Leigh, Jr. Looking Back at Aviation from 1960 37 EDITOR - Other Publications L. B. Gatchell Catalogue of Airmail Postal Cards 43 ATTORNEY George D. Kingdom Airpost Dedication News. 45 DffiEc;!TOR OF FOREIGN RELATIONS Rare Swiss Air Mail Blocks .................. 47 Dr. Max Kronstein Early Experiments with Rocket- AUCTION MANAGER Assisted Manned Airplanes 48 Samuel S. Goldsticker, Jr. Contract Airmail Cover Notes DffiECTORS 49 Alton J. Blank Herbert Brandner Tips by Julius 53 George S. Chapman Samuel S. Goldsticker, J"r. A.P.J. Ads Inside Back Cover Lester S. Manning Emmett Peter, Jr. Dr. Tomas Terry Earl H. Wellman EDITOR ADVANCE BULLETIN SERVICE Joseph L. Eisendrath, Jr. Herbert Brandner 350 No. Deere Park Drive, Hi~bland Park, 4038 Forest Ave., Brookfield, ID. ru. ASSISTANT EDITORS SALES MANAGER Robert W. Murch Herman Kleinert Ernest A. Kehr L. B. Gatchell 213 Virginia Ave., Fullerton, Pa. DEPARTMENT AND ASSOCIATE EDITORS MEMBERSJUP DUES R. Lee Black, N. Pelletier, Florence L. Kleinert, $4.00 PER YEAR Dr. Max Kronstein, Richard L. Singley, William Dues include subscription to R. Ware, Julius Weiss, James Wotherspoon, John THE AIRPOST JOURNAL. Ap­ Watson, William T. Wynn, Frank Blumenthal. plicants must furnish two ref­ Samuel S. Goldsticker, Jr., J. S. Langabeer. erences, philatelic preferred. At Published monthly at Albion, Erie Co., Pa., U.S.A. least one must reside in Appli­ Entered as second-class matter at the Post Office cants home town. Applicants at Albion, Pa., February 10, 1932, under under 21 years must be guar­ the Act of March 3, 1879. anteed by Parent or Guardian. The AIRPOST JOURNAL is not conducted for Membership may be terminated profit. The Editor, and all others, serve without by the Society in accordance compensation. Receipts from advertising, sub­ with its By-Laws. scriptions and contributions are applied to the betterment of the magazine and the promotion Correspondence concerning sub­ of aero-philately. scriptions, back numbers and The Editor and Officers of The American Air bound volumes, address changes Mail Society assume no responsibility for the and other matters and all re­ accuracy of statements made by contributors. mittances should be sent to the Every effort is made to insure correctness of Treasurer. All general commun­ all articles. ications and advertising should Subscription Rates: $4.00 per year, 35c per copy. be sent to the Editor. Advertising Rate Card available from the Editor NOVEMBER, 1960 PAGE 25 Flights of the Pioneer Aviators, 1908 - 1914 by James Wo:therspe>on (Concluded) WHITE, Claude Grahame. R. Ae. • ,fortunately the wind began to in- c. certificate No. 6, April 26, 1910. crease and Grahame-White was for­ Claude Grahame-White also held the ced down near Lichfield to await bet­ French Aero Club certificate No. 30 ter weather. All Saturday night the from January 4, 1910. At this period pilot stood by in case the wind should Grahame-White was :flying at Pau in abate but a gale was brewing and his new Bleriot, which attained a condihons became worse. The final speed of 60 mph on its trial flights. misfortune occurred the next after­ He already owned two single seat noon when a gust blew the aircraft Bleriots, and was awaiting delivery over and did considerable damage. of a Farman. He planned to form a Grahame-White set about repairing flying school near London, and he the damage, working with his crew also had received the exclusive rights day and night until Wednesday 1or distribution of Farmans in Cen- morning to make the plane again air­ tral and South America. In Febru- worthy. The pilot retired to bed for ary Grahame-White completed ar- a much-needed rest preparatory to rangements for the transfer of his making a fresh start next morning. now flourishing School of Flying At 6 am on that Wednesday morning, from Pau to England. He had secur- Paulhan's machine had arrived at ed possession of the site of Hendon Hendon, and at 5:21 pm it was in the Aerodrome and was waiting comple- air bound for Manchester. Grahame­ tion of the sheds befure he brought White was awakened. Within ten his six Bleriots and two Farmans minutes he was out of bed, dressed, across the Channell. Among his pu- and in the air. At 6:29 he crossed the pils at this time at Pau was Arm- official starting line and flew stead­ strong Drexel, an American destined ily northward into the gathering to become a brilliant pilot. Grahame- dusk. Paulhan landed at Lichfield White himself had brought a Bleriot at 8:10 pm, 117 miles qut from Lon­ to Brooklands where a .few short don, as White was forced down at flights were made. On April 23, 1910, Roade after sixty miles had been Claude Grahame-White leaped into covered at 7:55 pm. Thus the French­ the limelight and established himself man, with only about fifty-six miles as the undoubted leader of British to go, held a lead of sixty-seven miles aviation. and had averaged 44 mph against The "Daily Mail" had offered a White's 42 mph. Such a desperate prize of 50,,000 pounds to the first situation called for desperate meas­ pilot of any nationality to fly from a ures and Grahame-White rose to the point within .five miles of their Lon- occasion. Assembling a multitude O!f don offices to a point within five cars around his field he utilized their miles of their Manchester offices, or head lamps as :floodlights and essay­ vice versa. Two pilots, one English ed the incredible hazard of a night and one French, had entered for the flight in order to overtake the contest. Both were to pilot Henry Frenchman. The attempt was nearly Farman biplanes with 50 hp Gnome successful. Grahame-White took off rotary engines. Grahame-White at 2:50 am and had reached a point erected his machine at Park Royal, only ten miles short of the spot London, as Paulhan awaited the ar- where Paulhan was preparing to re­ rival of his at Hendon. It had not sume his flight, when engine trouble arrived as Grahame-White took off brought him down at Polesworth, 1{)7 at 5:15 am on April 23, 1910. All miles from London, just before 4 went well until Rugby was reached am. About three minutes later Paul­ iwo hours five minutes later. Un- han took off once more, completed PAGE 26 THE AIRPOST· JOURNAL the journey without mishap, and won won the Gordon Bennett Cup Race, the prize. held at Belmont Park, New York. He In May Grahame-White flew across completed the twenty laps in one country from Br.ooklands to Woking hour one minute, at an average speed where he was fined 25 pounds for of 60 mph. The next day he won driving a motor car at 40 mph, later $10,000 .offered for the fastest flight flying back to Brooklands. from Belmont around the Statue of Grahame-White was one of the Liberty and back. Two other pilots many pilots to take part in the Wol­ als·o made the .flight, but were dis­ verhampton Meeting, 1910, capturing qualified under the rules laid down the duration competition, and second by the donor. In turn both were in the speed contest. At the Bourne­ awarded the prize, but after many mouth Meeting of July 10, 1910, he protests and appeals by various Aero captured the prize for distance flown Clubs, in 1912 the prize was finally by a !flight of eighty-nine miles in 2 paid to Grahame-White. hours 31 minutes. During the same He was entered for the Baron de meeting he was one of the pilots to Forest contest, a flight from England make a flight to the Isle of Wight into Europe, the prize to be awar.ded and return. The next meeting to b~ to the pilot who made the longest held was at Blackpool, which com­ flight. Grahame-White was at Swin­ menced on July 28, lasting three gate Downs, where a great storm weeks. Grahame-White liked to wrecked a few machines, including spread abroad the idea of the practi­ his. He repaired it but crashed while cal worth of aer:oplanes as vehicles flight testing it. Severely cut by of transport. Blackpool provided him wires, he fainted ·from loss of blood. with several •opportunities. His first Another plane was ordered but his adventure was a flight to Victoria doctor would not permit him to fly. Pier where he landed on the sand Early in 1911 he designed a new and took off again.