Y2103

National Postal Museum

Charles Lindbergh

Collins Cover Announcement

CHARLES LINDBERGH FLIES ATLANTIC ALONE

May 21, 1927. Nearly 100,000 Parisians rushed onto the tarmac of LeBourget Airport tonight to cheer a new international hero. Charles Lindbergh has touched ground safely, completing the first solo non-stop flight from New York to Paris. When his Ryan NYP monoplane, the Spirit of St. Louis, landed after a 3,600 mile flight of more than 33 hours, not even two companies of French soldiers could keep the crowd from engulfing the aviator and his plane.

Lindberah took off from.Roosevelt Field on Long IE;land at dawn yesterday, a departure making front page news on both continents. Overloaded with gasoline, his plane sailed like a drunken seagull, barely clean-ling the trees at the end of the runway. Alerted by radio stories, thousands of spectators watched for Lindbergh's airplane as he flew north along the coast, finally turning over the Atlantic at Newfoundland. From there he flew by dead reckoning over the ocean at heights from ten feet to 10,000 feet. Charles Lindbergh saw the lights of Paris at 10 p.m. and touched down at exactly 10:24 setting off the wild celebration.

National Postal Museum Series 

Moving the Mail

My hand-painted cachet shows a large rendition of the famous flight as the Spirit of St. Louis soars high above the sea on its flight to Paris. Also, as part of the cachet, there is a nice portrait of Charles Lindbergh sitting in the cockpit and looking out the window. This was a very exciting moment in the history of aviation and this COLLINS First Day Cover very realistically captures the moment when a pioneer of flight became an American hero.

The stamp itself shows modes of early mail transport. Pictured are a JN-4H Bi-plane "Jenny", a train car of the Railroad Mail Service, and a 1931 Model A Ford truck. A mail pilot is also imposed over the image area of the stamp. As reported in Linn's Stamp News, U.S.P.S. spokeswoman Robin Minard confirmed that the pilot pictured was, indeed, Lindbergh. It is postmarked on Day of Issue at Washington, D.C.

This is the first time that the "Lone Eagle" has been pictured on a United States stamp (although his plane has) and it is about time. As I mentioned when I announced my "Graf Zeppelin", this four-cover Postal Museum COLLINS set will be superb. Join the "Eagle" above the Atlantic as he flies over the Atlantic toward the lights of Paris and the hearts of the world. An American hero. Charles Lindbergh. Item #Y2103. $10.75.