The introduction of
the airplane in 1903 generated immediate interest in using them for mail
transport. An unofficial airmail flight was conducted by Fred Wiseman, who
carried three letters between Petaluma and Santa
Rosa, California, on February 17, 1911.
However, the credit
for The world's first official airmail
flight goes to India as the first mail flight came the next day, at a large exhibition in United Provinces of Agra
and Oudh. The organizer of the aviation display, Sir Walter George Windham, was able to secure permission from the Postmaster
General of India to operate an airmail service in order to
generate publicity for the exhibition and to raise money for charity. Mail
from people across the region was gathered in at the local church and the first
airmail flight was piloted by Henri Pequet a Frenchman, who flew 6,500 letters a distance of
13 km (8.1 mi) from Allahabad to Naini - the nearest station on the Bombay – Calcutta
line, to the exhibition. The letters bore
a special postmark "First Aerial Post, U.P. Exhibition, Allahabad.
1911". The
pilot took off and crossed over to the left bank of the Yamuna River and
dropped the bag of letters at Naini Railway Station. This marked the very first
instance in the world when mail was carried by air. The aircraft used
was a Humber-Sommer biplane, and it made the journey in thirteen
minutes.
To commemorate the
Golden Jubilee of this Historic First Mail Flight in the World by air, a set of
three postage and a lovely First Day Cover were issued by the Indian Posts and
Telegraphs on 18th February 1961. The 5nP stamp featured the special 1911 postmark with the Humber-Sommer
biplane. The 15nP stamp had the
modern Boeing 707 and the Humber on it. And finally the 1 Rupee stamp featured both the Humber and the special 1911
postmark. The FDC displayed has a picture of M Henri Pequet sitting in his biplane.
I was very lucky to get this FDC ftom my friend Sunil
Yadav (a former schoolmate of mine) from Allahabad.
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