The Postal History of ICAO

Romania : 50^th Anniversary of ICAO

Issue date: 12/08/1994

Early aircraft (Vuia Nr 1), 18 March 1906. This stamp pays a tribute to Romanian Traian Vuia's achievement, when on 18 March 1906, in Montesson, France, he flew in the monoplane Vuia Nr 1 over a distance of 12 meters at the height of 0.6 meter.

Printed on paper with watermarks.

Rombac One-Eleven Series 500 of TAROM airline.

Printed on paper with and without watermarks.

Boeing 737‑300 of TAROM airline at Bucharest.

Printed on paper with and without watermarks.

Airbus A310 of Transylvania Airlines with the TAROM logo.

Printed on paper with watermarks.

This stamp was later surcharged on 19/05/2000 (see by clicking on the following link Romania - Means of transport - Surcharges).

Variety of the 350L stamp: shift in red imprint (higher).

One of the most widespread types of color stamp errors is color shift. This interesting effect can be seen when one or several printing plates are out of the register with other plates.

Variety of the 350L stamp: shift in red imprint (lower).

Corner blocks showing different color trials in the margin. In some instances, the margin shows smears of fingerprints.

Full sheets of 50 stamps.

Maximum card (Front and Back with text in Romanian and French); design by Mihai Andrei.

Official First Day Covers (FDC) with a Boeing 737-300 on the cachet. Note that 2100 FDCs were printed.

The picture of the Boeing 737‑300 of TAROM airline was also used on pre-stamped covers.

Background: Airmail stamps.

Philatelic notice: Errors in the spelling of ICAO’s name in all the languages used in the notice:

1. In Hungarian: the name should be: Organizatia a Aviatiei Civile Internationalã, (and not: Organizatia Internationalã a Aviatiei Civile).

2. In French: the name should be: Organisation de l’aviation civile internationale, and not Organisation Internationale de l’Aviation Civile).

3. In English: the name should be The International Civil Aviation Organization (and not: The International Civil Aircraft).

4. In German: the name should be Die Internationalen Zivilluftfahrt Organisation (and not: Die Internationale Organisation der Bürgerluftschifflotte).

Although the philatelic notice mentions that the paper does not have watermarks, only the two mostly used values 350L and 500L (for domestic and international postage) were actually printed on regular postal paper. However, all the values were also printed on paper with watermarks (Multiple letters Fr, Watermark No. 398 according to Scott Catalogue).

The "Fr" watermark normally appears only on Fiscal/Revenue stamps. In the years 1994-1995, when lacking printing paper, the stamp factory also used such kind of paper for regular issues, especially in reprinting some sold-out definite values. The letter "F" comes from "Fiscală" (Revenue) and "r" from "Romania agenție fiscală".

Note that the last stamp of this issue was surcharged on 19 May 2000. This surcharge in carmine obliterating the prior value of 635Leu has the form of a Zeppelin airship, in reference to the 100^th anniversary of the maiden flight of the first Zeppelin airship LZ.1 on 2 July 1900 at Friedrichshafen. See at the following link: Romania - Means of transport - Surcharges.

At ICAO Headquarters, outside the registration area and perched atop a section of wall near the giant escalators is a full-scale replica of the aircraft Vuia Nr. 1, offered by Romania in 1998. Born in 1872 in Transylvania, in the then Austro-Hungarian Empire, Traian Vuia developed an early interest in heavier-than-air machines. In 1902, he left for Paris, the place for all European inventors concerned about flight. On the basis of a patent obtained in 1903, he developed his winged-automobile. On 18 March 1906, in Montesson, France, the Vuia Nr. 1 flew over a distance of 12 metres at the height of 0.6 metres; it was the first airplane with variable wing angle and the first to use pneumatic, rather than solid-rubber tires on landing gear. Later, Traian Vuia improved his first aircraft and also built helicopters.