AAIIRRPPOOSSTT JJOOUURRNNAALL The Official Publication of the American Air Mail Society September 2012 Volume 83, No.9 Whole No. 987 September’s featured article — Development of Airmail Services In Poland 1929-1939 Page 357 Zeppelins & Aerophilately Ask for our Free Price List of Worldwide Flight covers and stamps. The following is a small sampling – full list on Website! United States Item #4928: 1929 (August 5) Unusual Round-the-World Flight on 1¢ postal card with Scott 421 (or 422) x2 plus 570, C9 and C11. Additional franking on reverse, Scott #649-50. Addressed to Denver, Colorado. Scott #421 or 422 on cover catalogs at $2,000! . $675.00 Item #5010: 1930 (May 28) C14 in fine condition on VF/XL-sized flown picture postcard with aerial view of New York City. Sent from New York, backstamped Friedrichshafen June 6 and Lakehurst June 18. Unusual item! . $450.00 Germany Item #3035: 1929 (October 16) Balkan Flight, official Delag PPC. Aer - ial photo of Saxon, Switzerland. Onboard cancel, addressed to Görlitz, Semlin drop. F-VF condition but corner crease through stamp. S.42B . ..$250.00 Italy Item #4938: 1933 (June) North Atlantic Flight cover with C49 sent from Orbetello, Italy to New York with “Forwarded” auxiliary mark - ing. Registered cover with appropriate transit and receiver markings on reverse. Airmail label overlaps the left margin of triptych and there is one folded perf at top. Neatly slit open at bottom with some general wear and toning. Wonderful item! . .$2,950.00 Netherlands Item #3334: 1931 (July 24) Polar flight, Amsterdam to Friedrich- shafen to Malyguin to Romanshorn, Switzerland and backstamped. All markings on face. XF card and quite rare! S.119 . .$125.00 Spain Item #4229: 1930 (May 16) First South America flight Seville-Lake - hurst on airmail cover. S.58B . .$125.00 Tripolitana Henry Gitner Philatelists, Inc. PO Box 3077T, Middletown NY 10940 Email: [email protected] — http://www.hgitner.com SEPTEMBER 2012 PAGE 353 In This Issue of the Airpost Journal — ARTICLES — Letter to Development of Airmail Services in Poland 1929-1939 Part 1: LOT Polish Airlines Domestic and International Routes ..... 357 the Editor Jerzy W. Kupiec-Weglinski and Jacek Kosmala FAM 22: Fact or Fantasy? Part 4: Mail Carrying -- The Routes .............................................. 368 The DO-X Flew Again John Wilson The photograph of the DO-X on page 249 of the June 2012 Air - Ammel’s Blue Flash Flight from New York to the Canal Zone ............. 376 post Journal was neat. However, the statement: "On August 6, 1931 it Julius Grigore Jr.. headed for New York and three weeks later docked at Glenn Curtiss Air - Delayed Pan Am Airmail ....................................................................... 382 port; it never flew again," is incorrect. John Johnson The DO-X spent the winter at Glenn Curtiss Airport, but flew More on SCADTA: The 1918 Jenny Issue ............................................. 386 back to Germany in May 1932 via Newfoundland, the Azores, Spain and Joe Kirker England. A 1939 Westward Around-the-World Cover .......................................... 391 A very comprehensive and readable series of articles describing John Harper the DO-X and its flights were published in The Airpost Journal between — COLUMNS — April 1971 and November 1974. They were written by George W. Hoff - Airmail Elsewhere in Print ............................................................................ 388 Letter to the Editor ......................................................................................... 355 mann and included a great description of the trans-Atlantic flight from President’s Message ...................................................................................... 355 St. John's, Newfoundland, to Vigo, Spain. The series was reprinted in the December 2002 Canadian Aerophilatelist to mark the 70th Anniversary of — DEPARTMENTS – the stamp issued by Newfoundland for the trans-Atlantic flight. Classified Ads ................................................................................................ 396 Chris Hargreaves Membership Report ....................................................................................... 395 President’s Jim Graue Message Editor and Advertising Milwaukee Bound! Vickie Canfield Peters 11911 E Connor Road Valleyford WA 99036 vcanfi[email protected] Now is the time! The fall meeting of the American Air Mail Staff Writers Columnists Society will be held September 21-23 in conjunction with MILCOPEX Joe Kirker Alan Warren: Airmail Elsewhere in Print 2012, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. There has not been very much publicity Bob Wilcsek Bob Wilcsek: Zeppelin Letters Copyright 2012, The American Air Mail Society . The Airpost Journal (ISSN 0739-0939) is pub - about this meeting, but I hope we get past that and have a successful lished monthly by the American Air Mail Society, Box 110, Mineola, NY 11501. Periodical meeting in spite of it. postage paid at Spokane WA 99201 and additional post offices. Postmaster: Send address changes At some point in mid-July, Ken Sanford, our convention coordi - to American Air Mail Society, P.O. Box 5367, Virginia Beach VA 23471-0367. Subscription Rate $28 per year; $3 per copy. nator, advised that the show committee has received only one airmail Opinions expressed in features and columns in this publication are solely those of the authors and exhibit entry, a fact that causes some concern about how great our do not necessarily represent those of the society. turnout may be. However, not a word since, so maybe several exhibitors PAGE 354 AIRPOST JOURNAL SEPTEMBER 2012 PAGE 355 recognized the opportunity and jumped in. That would be very good. Development of Airmail Services In any event, I hope to see many AAMS members at Milwaukee and look forward to a great time sharing aerophilately. in Poland 1929 – 1939 Major AAMS awards will be announced and presented at MIL - COPEX. These include the Aerophilatelic Hall of Fame, the Aerophilatel - Part 1: LOT Polish Airlines ic Research Award, the George W. Angers Memorial Award, the L. B. Domestic and International Routes Gatchell Literature Award, the Earl & Fred Wellman Award and a Spe - cial Plaque for Service. Jerzy W. Kupiec–Weglinski and Jacek Kosmala The George D. Kingdom Literature Award (best aerophilatelic book of the prior calendar year) has already been announced. It was pre - Introduction sented to Tom Frommer on May 17, 2012, at the Philatelic Society of In 2011, we published a three-part series in the Airpost Journal Western Australia Centennial Exhibition for his book The Ross Smith on the pioneer period of airmail services in independent Poland (1918– Stamp & Its Postal History. 1928). Now we continue the “saga” into the next pre-Second World War * * * chapter (1929–1939). There is measurable progress on the American Air Mail Cata - On December 28, 1928, the Civil Aviation Division at the Polish logue to report. The following sections are now in completed draft form: Ministry of Transportation made fundamental changes in the airline Philippines Airmail Geoffrey Brewster, Editor industry by dissolving two privately-owned carriers, AEROLOT and Foreign Flag Flights Robert E. Anderson, Editor† AERO, and forming a single state–owned, self–governed entity with a CAM 1 – 34 Alan Lieberman, Editor monopoly on passenger and cargo air transport. On January 1, 1929, LOT Airlines Ltd., the third oldest European airline still in operation, and one Additionally, the following sections are being actively worked on: of only six in the world that has not changed its name, was established. Trans-Ocean Flights Jim Graue, Lead Editor CAMs 35- Alan Lieberman, Editor 1929: First Year of LOT Operations Polar Aerophilately Hal Vogel, Editor Routes LOT immediately took over the routes serviced by AEROLOT This will translate into three, or perhaps four, volumes when all (Warszawa – Lwow; Warszawa – Gdansk; Warszawa – Krakow – Vien - the dust settles. na; Krakow – Brno – Vienna) and AERO (Warszawa – Poznan). Map A Collectors of trans-ocean flights are requested to contact me illustrates the routes. about participating in the push to finish this major section. The section On January 7–8, Katowice, the Silesian regional manufacturing has been broken down into geographical areas (Pacific, North Atlantic, center, was connected to the existing Warszawa – Lwow – Gdansk line. South Atlantic, etc) to make it easier to use. We need: Consequently, Katowice took over Krakow’s place on the Polish air map, • High quality color scans of as many trans-ocean items as possi - becoming only the second international airport (after Warszawa) and ble, so that is an area where we hope many collectors can provide assis - linking the country with Brno (Czechoslovakia) and Vienna (Austria). tance, and; Although the Warszawa – Krakow line was discontinued, a new Krakow • Collectors of trans-ocean flights (any or all) to review the list - – Katowice route of just 79 km, one of the shortest in Polish air transport ings and provide corrections and additions; history, kept communication between Krakow and Warszawa. If everyone jumps in on this, we can get through it with minimal In early 1929, LOT operated a fleet of 21 aircraft (15 Junkers F–13 delay and optimal completeness. It requires a team effort! Please join in. and six Fokker F–VIIA/1M). A stylized flying crane, designed by artist Tadeusz Gronowski, became (and still is) LOT’s emblem. In May, 1929, the company's name was extended with the adjective "Polish." PAGE 356 AIRPOST JOURNAL SEPTEMBER