Airplanes feature on stamps of many countries. great deal of postage stamps featuring the aircraft industry in all its forms, so it is not difficult to start collecting this fascinating subject. But don’t ignore the other aspects of air travel, because being whisked from one country to another in a matter of hours involves a massive infrastructure – not least the airport itself.

Orville and Wilbur Wright

Although there were efforts at mechanical flight before Orville and Wilbur Wright they have been credited with being the first to construct and fly a controllable “heavier than air flying machine”. This famous flight took place in the Wright Flyer on the 17th December 1903.

But the Wright brothers were not the first to attempt flight and a stamp from Qatar shows the image of a man with an elaborate set of wings strapped to him arms which he presumably hopes will carry him skywards by a flap of his arms.

No airplane stamp collection would be complete without at least one stamp that shows The Wright brothers and their “Wright Flyer” and this is a good place to start. At the centenary of that flight many countries issued stamps commemorating the event they all showed an image of the “Flyer” in flight. But the United States has issued a 31c air mail definitive showing the “Flyer” and a portrait of the Wright brothers themselves.

Aircraft Developments

Aircraft technology improved in leaps and bounds and over the next five years the Wrights themselves developed their initial plane from one that could fly for a minute that just four years after that ground braking flight they succeeded in flying for over 30 minutes.

The pace of aircraft development has been frenetic in just over one-hundred years the flying machines have gone from wood and cloth constructions to high-tech computer controlled multi-person carriers. Perhaps the Anglo-French Concorde was the apex of passenger aircraft development. For the most part these achievements have been chronicled by the world’s postal administrations and in part to showcase that country’s flag carrier or even the opening of a new airport or a new terminal.

Aircraft on Singapore Stamps

Recently the Singapore post office issued two stamps and a mini-sheet to inform the world that the national carrier Singapore Airlines was the first of the world’s major carriers to fly the highly innovative Airbus 380 – the world’s largest airliner and one capable of carrying nearly 500 passengers. Appropriately enough the stamps were for use on airmail letters.

The Singapore stamps were unusual in that the stamp itself was rather plane just showing a flower motif and the cost of postage but an attached label depicted a fine illustration of the A380. On the two stamp issue the aeroplane is seen flying towards and away from the viewer. They clearly show Singapore Airlines logo and were issued with obvious pride on the day of the inaugural flight.

Thai Airways on Stamps

In the same spirit Thailand Post’s recent issue of four stamps to celebrate the 50th anniversary of THAI International on the 1st of May 1960. The stamps also chronicle the changes in livery over those fifty years as well as the types of aeroplane the company has flown. It’s first airplane a Douglas DC6 to the latest model an Airbus A340-600. They show also the THAI logo of a stylized Champak flower which is the airline’s nickname.

Airport on Stamps

The business of flying is complex and involves a great many agencies the ones witch which the public has most contact are the airline itself but also the airport which is the starting point for all domestic and international flights. Modern airports with their tight security and often uncomfortable conditions and frequently stressful environment are not conducive to a relaxing start to any journey.

However, some airport authorities realize this and have made great efforts to improve their facilities and to give passengers as comfortable a time as is possible. Both Thailand and Singapore have issued stamps to mark the opening of either a new airport or a new terminal.