Postal Stationery

Upon seeing the drawing on the right side of this card my first thought was 'rough seas and seasick sailors!' Either that or 'man overboard!' Actually, it looks like they are pulling in nets.

Don

 

Werner:

Interesting cachet on this card. Who did Winter Help help and what was provided, money, food, shelter, clothing and who distributed it?

Thanks.

Don

 

Back in the 1970s & 1980s, the U.S. issued a short series of postal cards depicting aircraft and/or flights. Here is the first, the ubiquitous Curtiss JN "Jenny."

Don

 

A second offering of the aircraft on postal cards. This one commemorating the Oct 4-5, 1931 first trans-Pacific flight of Clyde Pangborn and Hugh Herndon, Jr. The duo had originally set out to set a new round the world flight in record time, but literally got bogged down on a muddy runway in Siberia. Realizing they could not beat the existing record, they set out to be the first to fly across the Pacific from Japan to the U.S. Misadventure with Japanese authorities and a controlled crash landing in Wenatchee Washington, make the the story of this flight one of the more interesting in U.S. aviation history. The crash landing was due to Pangborn's decision to modify the aircraft by dropping its landing gear once airborne from Japan in order to reduce drag and save fuel. The decision to land at Wenatchee was due to solid overcasts at Seattle, Boise, Idaho, and Spokane. Here's a photo of their airplane, Miss Veedol at Wenatchee:



And the card:

 

Here is the next postal card in the aircraft on covers sequence. It is Sc. UXC20 depicting gliders in flight. This card has been buried in the shoe box collection. I just found it again, but don't have it written up and I have not yet identified the glider manufacturer or model. Maybe with this posting I can get it moved up on the things to do list.

Don

 

Continuing this series of airmail postal cards showing aircraft is Sc. UXC22, a card depicting a Martin M 130, "China Clipper." This airplane, also depicted on U.S. airmail stamps, Sc. C20, & C21-22, opened the trans-Pacific areas to air travel and also produced a plethora of airmail philatelic covers for folks like us. The 130 could carry up to 48 passengers depending upon route and seating configurations. One variation included 18 sleeping compartments for overnight travel. The airplane cruised at 163 mph and had a range of 3,000 miles. It was this dramatically extended range that allowed trans-oceanic air travel. According to Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation only three 130s were built, all for Pan American Airways.

Don

 

Below is Sc. UXC24, the next in this airmail postal card series depicting aircraft. This one is the ubiquitous Douglas DC-3. The DC-3 made air passenger service profitable for the airlines. It was a low operating cost aircraft that allowed the airlines to fly in some marginal weather, included capacity for freight and mail, offered good speed for the time period, and reasonable comfort for passengers. While I don't know the numbers, I cannot imagine that the DC-3 did not improve Douglas's profitability too. It is another iconic U.S. aircraft out of the 1930s.

Don