Issue date: 07/12/1984

This issue was printed in sheets of 16 stamps (4x4), the backgrounds of the stamps forming an overall design of a runway.

Details of the stamps, from left to right and top to bottom:

1. Boeing 747-SP94 (1975);

2. Concorde (1969);

3. Lockheed L-1011-500 Tristar (1978); 

4. Airbus A310-203 (1982, registered F-WZLI); 

5. Tupolev Tu‑134A (1962); 

6. Short 360 (1981); 

7. Boeing 727‑100 (1963); 

8. Sud Aviation SE 210 Caravelle 10R (1965), registered F-WKJ? (as indicated on the right wing) in France; 

9. Fokker F‑27 Friendship (1965); 

10. Lockheed L-749A Constellation, registered G-ASYF (1946);

11. Martin M‑130 flying boat (1955); 

12. Douglas DC‑3 (1936);

13. Junkers tri-motor Ju 52/3m (the 1m version first flew on 7 March 1932 as a freighter) of Lufthansa, registered D‑ANYF (named "Erich Pust") in Germany. Built in 1935, this aircraft was eventually pressed into service by the Luftwaffe during 1939 and destroyed in 1941;

14. Lindbergh's Spirit of St. Louis (1927) registered N-X-211 (for "experimental") in the USA (officially known as the Ryan NYP for New York to Paris);

15. de Havilland D.H.60 Moth (1925), registered G-EBLV in Great Britain;

16. Wright Flyer 1 (1903).

Uncut sheet (see missing perforations in lower part of the selvage).

Imperforate sheet.

Chromalin Artist Proof (imperforate).

Picture with eight color test perforated sheets (see enlarged pictures below, from left to right, top to bottom).

Eight color test sheets.

Presentation folder of this issue.

First day of issue with red-round postmark for registered mail: 07-12-1984 / REGISTRATION / TRIPOLI JAMAHIRIYA.

First day of issue with red-round postmark for registered mail: 07-12-1984 / REGISTRATION / TRIPOLI JAMAHIRIYA. Error (freak): the plate with the letters of the postmark is inverted; however, the date is correct.

                        Error:                           Correct cancel:

The miniature sheet was split into four blocks of four stamps for the First Day Covers (FDC). The cachet shows the emblem of the Posts & Telecommunications of Libya.

Second set of First Day Covers, with another design in the cachet.

16 FDCs, one stamp per cover.

Postal Stationery with pre-printed stamp 200 dirhams (de Havilland D.H.60 Moth, 1925, registered G-Axx (?) in Great Britain) issued on 1 September 1986 to encourage mass sport (Public sport is for all the masses). The back side is blank. Original card without stamps.

The 16 stamps of the miniature sheet (split into four blocks of four stamps) were reutilized on the above preprinted card. First Day cancel dated 1 September 1986.

Sixteen maximum cards. Whenever available, the original pictures are displayed to provide full details.

Boeing 747SP-94 of SyrianAir in landing position, registered either YK-AHA or YK-AHB. The Boeing 747SP (SP for Special Performance) is a shortened version of the Boeing 747 widebody airliner, designed for a longer range. Boeing needed a smaller aircraft to compete with the DC-10 and L-1011 trijet widebodies, introduced in 1971/1972. The 747SP was the longest-range airliner available until the 747-400 entered service in 1989. Despite its technical achievements, the SP never sold as well as Boeing hoped. Increased fuel prices in the mid-1970s to early 1980s, the SP's heavy wings, high cost, and reduced capacity, and the increased ranges of forthcoming airliners were some of the many factors that contributed to its low sales.

A fleet renewal program was launched in 1975 as the Syrian Arab Airlines ordered three brand-new Boeing 727-294s and two Boeing 747SPs delivered in 1976. Awaiting the delivery of its new planes, the airline leased Boeing 707s in order to improve its service offer. In all, two Boeing 707-420s and six Boeing 707-320s were leased in (respectively from British Airtours and British Midland Airways) at various times between 1974 and 1976 and were used to reinforce frequencies and add new destinations to the network. The two jumbo jets were ordered with the intention of operating trans-Atlantic services to New York. To this effect, a joint agreement with Alia-The Royal Jordanian Airline was anticipated, but never materialized. Therefore, SyrianAir started its Boeing 747SP operations on 1 June 1976 on the Damascus-Munich-London route.

The “SyrianAir” acronym was officially adopted on 11 November 1975 in anticipation of the delivery of the new Boeing fleet and in order to generate a more modern and international image. However, the legal and official title continued to be “Syrian Arab Airlines”.

Original picture of the above.

Concorde taking-off. The Aérospatiale/BAC Concorde is a British–French turbojet-powered supersonic passenger airliner that was operated until 2003. It had a maximum speed over twice the speed of sound, at Mach 2.04 (1,354 mph or 2,180 km/h at cruise altitude), with seating for 92 to 128 passengers. First flown in 1969, Concorde entered service in 1976 and continued flying for the next 27 years. Although the Concorde finished lifespan, it is known as the most impressively beautiful and graceful airliner ever to fly.

Original picture of the above.

Other maximum card with the Concorde stamp. The stamp at the top-left was issued on 17 May 1977 to commemorate the 100^th anniversary of the Universal Postal Union (UPU); it displays the UPU emblem with the figures 1874-1974 underneath, an Arab rider and a picture of the Concorde registered F-BTSD over the clouds, which first flew from Toulouse on 26 June 1978. This stamp is part of a set of stamps celebrating “Communications Progress”. In fact, the UPU was established by the Treaty of Bern on 9 October 1874.

Lockheed L-1011-500 Tristar of British Airways at London Heathrow airport in 1981, registered G-BFCF. The Lockheed L-1011 TriStar, commonly referred to as the L-1011 (pronounced "L-ten-eleven") or TriStar, is an American medium-to-long-range, wide-body trijet airliner by Lockheed Corporation in USA. It was the third wide-body airliner to enter commercial operations, after the Boeing 747 and the McDonnell Douglas DC-10.

Original picture of the above.

Airbus Industrie A310-203 in taking-off position (House livery; registered F-WZLI). The Airbus A310 is a wide-body airliner developed and manufactured by Airbus, then a consortium of European aerospace manufacturers. Airbus had demand for an aircraft smaller than the A300, the first Twinjet wide-body. On 7 July 1978, the A310 (initially the A300B10) was launched with orders from Swissair and Lufthansa. On 3 April 1982, the first prototype conducted its maiden flight and it received its type certification on 11 March 1983. Until the last delivery in June 1998, 255 aircraft were produced.

Note that the aircraft was cut from the picture seen at the following link A310-203 and pasted into the picture of an existing airport.

Original picture of the above.

Tupolev Tu‑134A of Interflug, registered DM-SCM. Interflug was the national airline of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) from 1963 to 1990. On 22 November 1977, the Interflug Tu-134 (registered DM-SCM) was damaged beyond repair in a landing accident at Schönefeld Airport. The aircraft with 74 people on board had been on approach of the airport completing a flight from Moscow, when it crashed into the runway because of an excessive sink rate (which had occurred due to wrong handling of the autopilot).

Original picture of the above.

Short 360-100 (prototype) at the Farnborough International Air Show in 1982, registered G-ROOM. The Short 360 (also SD3-60 or Shorts 360) is a commuter aircraft that was built by Northern Irish manufacturer Short Brothers in UK during the 1980s. The Short 360 seats up to 39 passengers and was introduced into service in November 1982.

Original picture of the above.

Boeing 727-100. The Boeing 727 is a narrow-body airliner produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. After the heavy 707 quad-jet was introduced in 1958, Boeing addressed the demand for shorter flight lengths from smaller airports. On 5 December 1960, the tri-jet 727 was launched with 40 orders each from United Airlines and Eastern Air Lines. The first 727-100 rolled out on 17 November 1962, first flew on 9 February 1963, and entered service with Eastern on 1 February 1964. On January 13, 2019, the last commercial passenger flight of a Boeing 727 was flown between Zahedan and Tehran by Iran Aseman Airlines. The picture below shows the launching of the Boeing 727-100 on 17 November 1962.

Original picture of the above.

Sud Aviation Caravelle 10B1R of Iberia Líneas Aéreas de España, registered EC-BIE. Iberia is the flag carrier airline of Spain, founded in 1927. Based in Madrid, it operates an international network of services from its main base of Madrid-Barajas Airport.

In the background are a Convair CV-440-12 of Aviaco, registered EC-APU, and the tail of a Caravelle SE-210, registered EC-AVY.

Original picture of the above.

Fokker F‑27 Friendship. The Fokker F27 Friendship is a turboprop airliner developed and manufactured by the Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker and was developed during the early 1950s. The F27 was also one of the most successful European airliners of its era. On 24 November 1955, the F27 made its maiden flight. A key innovation of the F27 was the adoption of the Rolls-Royce Dart turboprop engine, which produced substantially less vibration and noise providing improved conditions for passengers. Shortly after its introduction, the F27 was recognised as being a commercial success. Under a licensing arrangement reached between Fokker and the U.S. aircraft manufacturer Fairchild, the F27 was manufactured in the United States by the latter. During the 1980s, Fokker developed a modernised successor to the F27, the Fokker 50, which eventually replaced it in production.

Original picture of the above.

Lockheed L-749A Constellation. The Lockheed L-749 Constellation is the first Lockheed Constellation to regularly cross the Atlantic Ocean non-stop; the L-749 first flew on 14 March 1947, and received certification that same month. Although similar in appearance to the L-649 before it, the L-749 had a larger fuel capacity, strengthened landing gear, and eventually weather radar. Lockheed started producing the improved L-749A in 1949; it had a strengthened fuselage and further strengthened landing gear. Production of the L-749A ended in 1951 to give way to its stretched successor, the L-1049 Super Constellation.

Original picture of the above.

Martin M‑130 ‘China Clipper’ flying boat at San Francisco Gate; registered NC14716. The Martin M-130 was a commercial four-engine flying boat designed and built in 1935 by the Glenn L. Martin Company in Baltimore, Maryland, for Pan American Airways. Three were built: the China Clipper, the Philippine Clipper and the Hawaii Clipper. All three had crashed by 1945. China Clipper was used to inaugurate the first commercial transpacific airmail service from San Francisco to Manila in November 1935. It was delivered to Pan Am on 9 October 1935 and was one of the largest airplanes of its time. Although each Clipper that joined the Pan American fleet to serve on their Trans-Pacific routes was given an individual name, collectively they were known as the China Clippers. The China Clipper remained in Pan Am service until 8 January 1945, when it was destroyed in a crash in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. The China Clipper was painted olive drab with a large American flag painted below the cockpit. The China Clipper was referred to as "Sweet Sixteen" by Pan American personnel, the "Sixteen" being a reference to the aircraft's registration number NC14716.

Original picture of the above.

Douglas DC‑3 of American Airlines, registered NC 28325. The Douglas DC-3 is a propeller-driven airliner which had a lasting effect on the airline industry in the 1930s/1940s and World War II. It was developed as a larger, improved 14-bed sleeper version of the Douglas DC-2. It is a low-wing metal monoplane with a tailwheel landing gear. It has a cruise speed of 207 mph (333 km/h), capacity of 21 to 32 passengers or 6,000 lbs (2,700 kg) of cargo, and a range of 1,500 mi (2,400 km), and can operate from short runways.

The DC-3 had many exceptional qualities compared to previous aircraft. It was fast, had a good range, was more reliable, and carried passengers in greater comfort. Before the war, it pioneered many air travel routes. It was able to cross the continental US from New York to Los Angeles in 18 hours and with only 3 stops. It is one of the first airliners that could profitably carry only passengers without relying on mail subsidies. Following the war, the airliner market was flooded with surplus transport aircraft and the DC-3 was no longer competitive due to its size and speed.

American Airlines’ Flagship Skysleeper NC 28325 was sold to Transcontinental & Western Air and later became a C-49E with the USAAF.

Original picture of the above.

Junkers Ju 52 3mg3e of the KG152 Hindenburg Luftwaffe Group 27+E11, with 27E13 27B23 27D13 aircraft. The Kampfgeschwader (KG) 152 Hindenburg is a bomber squadron of the Luftwaffe during the Second World War. The Junkers Ju 52 3mg3e is an improved military version, equipped with an improved radio and bomb-release mechanism.

Original picture of the above.

Original postcard of the Junkers Ju 52/3m registered D‑ANYF (as seen on the miniature sheet), flying over the Spanish Coast, in service for the Deutsche Lufthansa. The Junkers Ju 52/3m (three-engine aircraft nicknamed Tante Ju or Aunt Ju, and Iron Annie) is a German trimotor transport aircraft manufactured from 1931 to 1952. It saw both civilian and military service during the 1930s and 1940s. In a civilian role, it flew with over 12 air carriers including Swissair and Deutsche Luft Hansa as an airliner and freight hauler. In a military role, it flew with the Luftwaffe as a troop and cargo transport and briefly as a medium bomber.

The first large-scale military airlift began on 21 July 1936, when Junkers Ju 52/3m bomber/transports were used over a period of about six weeks to ferry some 7350 Nationalist troops, with their artillery and other equipment, from Morocco to Spain at the beginning of the Spanish Civil War.

The Ju 52 continued in postwar service with military and civilian air fleets well into the 1980s.

Lindbergh – Spirit of St. Louis. The Spirit of St. Louis (formally the Ryan NYP, registration: N-X-211) is the custom-built, single-engine, single-seat, high-wing monoplane that was flown by Charles Lindbergh on 20-21 May 1927, on the first solo nonstop transatlantic flight from Long Island, New York, to Paris, France, for which Lindbergh won the $25,000 Orteig Prize. One of the best-known aircraft in the world, the Spirit was built by Ryan Airlines in San Diego, California, owned and operated at the time by Benjamin Franklin Mahoney, who had purchased it from its founder, T. Claude Ryan, in 1926.  The picture shows Charles Lindbergh standing in front of the Spirit of St. Louis.

Original picture of the above.

De Havilland DH.60 Moth. The de Havilland DH.60 Moth is a 1920s British two-seat touring and training aircraft that was developed into a series of aircraft by the de Havilland Aircraft Company. The first flight of the Cirrus powered prototype DH.60 Moth was carried out by Geoffrey de Havilland at the works airfield at Stag Lane, UK on 22 February 1925. Nearly 900 of all DH.60 Moth models were built at the company’s factory at Stag Lane, and another 90 were built under license in Australia, France and the United States. The following picture shows the de Havilland DH.60 Cirrus Moth G-EBLV at Stag Lane Aerodrome, Edgeware, London in 1925.

Original picture of the above.

Wright Flyer I. The following picture shows Orville Wright on Thursday 17 December 1903, when the Flyer I aircraft began its 12-second flight that forever after changed the world. Wilbur Wright is watching his brother at the commands of the Flyer I.

Original picture of the above.