Philately flying . . .

A birthday salute to Charles Augustus Lindbergh (February 4, 1902 – August 26, 1974), renowned American aviator.

Lindbergh was also, a prolific prize-winning author, international explorer, inventor, and active environmentalist.  He was an Airmail pioneer and advocate, making many public appearances to promote Airmail.

Note: The USPS decided to inaugurate regular Airmail service on May 15, 1918. A Curtiss Jenny was the biplane chosen to shuttle the mail. The plane's slow speed and stability made it ideal for stunt flying, aerobatic displays and Airmail service. The Inverted Jenny is a United States postage stamp of 1918 in which a Curtiss JN4 aircraft in the center of the design was accidentally printed upside-down. It is one of the most well-known stamps in philately. 

Charles Lindbergh began his flying career touring the country with barnstormers who taught him how to wingwalk and parachute jump.  In 1923, he bought his first plane, a Jenny, for $500.  He made his first solo flight in it.  

Lindbergh Stamp

In 1927 a USPS Lindbergh Air Mail stamp was created to commemorate Charles Lindbergh's record-breaking transatlantic flight in the Spirit of St. Louis. The plane is a specially constructed Ryan monoplane.  In the same year, Charles Lindbergh was the first Time Magazine Person of the Year.

Charles Linbergh received the Pulitzer Prize in 1954 for his book, The Spirit of St. Louis, the story of his 1927 non-stop trans-Atlantic crossing.

History of Flight Through Stamps