Front:
KRANCISCO
FEB
15
TRANSPACIFIC
AIRMAIL 1935
CHIM CUIPPER
1985
USAirmail 44
94188
CA
Back:
--
TRANSPACIFIC AIRMAIL
First Day of Issue: February 15, 1985
First Issue Location: San Francisco, California
On the afternoon of November 22, 1935, thousands of
people lined the shores of San Francisco Bay and
swarmed over docks, rooftops and decks of every avail-
able ferry. The great crowds of spectators had gathered
to watch the world's most advanced flying boat — the
China Clipper – depart on the inaugural flight of the
first scheduled transpacific airmail service to China.
Called by some the “most spectacular move in the history
of airline operations," the transpacific route was a monu-
mental undertaking which required building or improv-
ing four remote island bases in the Pacific to guide,
refuel, and supply the flying boats on their eight thousand
mile journey. It took work crews four months to prepare
the island bases so that the flying boats could land. But,
at last the task was completed, and Pan American
ushered in a new era in postal airmail transportation. In
honor of the fiftieth anniversary of the first transpacific
airmail flight, the United States Postal Service issued the
No. 85-9
©1985 The Maximum Card Collection
A Division of Unicover Corporation . Cheyenne, WY 82008-0007
Original painting by John Benson.
