STAMP ISSUES RELATED TO ICAO (1994-1995)

 

Hungary : 50th Anniversary of ICAO

 

Issue date: 13/01/1994

 

Douglas DC‑2-120 from American Airlines (registered NC14278 in the USA) over Jeppesen Low Altitude Enroute Chart (Budapest ‑ Bratislava region); 50th anniversary logo.

The vertical text on the right side: 50 ÉVES A NEMZETKÖZI POLGÁRI REPÜLÉSI SZERVEZET means: 50 years of the International Civil Aviation Organization.

 

 

 

Specimen stamps (Cancel to Order – CTO).

 

Error: The design shows a DC‑2, whereas the stamp bears the inscription DC‑3. This Douglas DC-2 aircraft registered NC14278 was delivered to American Airlines in December 1934.  They sold it to the British Purchasing Commission (BPC) on 10 May 1941.  It crashed at Bathurst, Gambia on its delivery flight.

 

In the USA, the aircraft registration number is also referred to as an "N-number", as it starts with the letter N. See background section.

The picture of the aircraft on the stamp is identical to that shown here at the left side.

 

Full sheet of 50 stamps. It is interesting to note that, as there is no white border for the stamp, the margins show that the printing went beyond the perforations.

 

Official First Day Card.

 

Background: With this issue of Hungary, the logo specially created for ICAO’s 50th anniversary chronologically appears for the first time.

 

Philatelic notice. On the first list of the text, it should have been more appropriate to use the word “Convention” instead of “Agreement”.

 

Background:

The United States received the letter "N" as a nationality code, as part of the Convention for the Regulation of Air Navigation signed in Paris on 13 October, 1919. This Convention established the Commission Internationale de Navigation Aérienne or CINA (Article 34 of the Convention), the predecessor of ICAO. The Convention provided for a system of aircraft markings consisting of a single letter indicating the nationality (Section VIII of Annex A to the Convention).

This choice was not universally popular. The Aviation Journal wanted the USA to adopt the letter W in honour of the Wright brothers. Initially, the use of the letter N seems to have been limited to aircraft operating international flights. As the United States had not ratified the 1919 Convention, compliance was voluntary at the time.

A second letter indicating the airworthiness category of the aircraft followed the N and preceded the identification numbers. These airworthiness indicators were: "C" for Standard, "R" for Restricted, "X" for Experimental and, later, an "L" for Limited (e.g., NC1234). This standard was applied until 31 December 1948.