Please find below a definition as found on Wikipedia.
It is a branch of philately that specializes in the study of airmail. Philatelists have observed the development of mail transport by air from its beginning, and all aspects of airmail service have been extensively studied and documented by specialists.
Scope
The scope includes:
- airmail postage stamps, both official and unofficial (see list of US airmail postage here)
- other types of labels (such as airmail etiquettes)
- postal documents transmitted by air
- postal markings related to air transport
- rates and routes, particularly first flights and other “special” flights
- mail recovered from aircraft accidents and other incidents (crash covers)
While most of the study of airmail assumes transport by fixed-wing aircraft, the fields of balloon mail, dirigible mail, zeppelin mail, missile mail, and rocket mail are active subspecialties. Astrophilately, the study of mail in space, is a related area.
Organizations
International Federation of Aerophilatelic Societies, (FISA), is the umbrella organization. Aerophilatelists have formed a number of organizations around the world; many of them put out a variety of specialized publications. Federation Internationale de Philatelie (FIP) also maintains a commission.
Links to other Aerophilatelic Web Sites
Aerophilatelic Society of Southern Africa – Covering air mail covers for Southern Africa. Publisher of The Aeroletter Latecoere & Aeropostale
Website – Information about these historic French airlines which served Africa & South America
My Philately – COLLECTING AEROPHILATELY: A COMMENTARY & BIBLIOGRAPHY Airships Blog – A Zeppelin History site. Discussion about the Hindenburg, crash covers from the Hindenburg, etc.
Aerodacious – From the “Aviation top 100″ Aerodacious: Web-Catalog of First Flights including Pioneer, Government, CAM’s, FAM’s, JETs, Post-Deregulation, Canadian, World-Wide First Flights – Lots More & Everything Air Mail – Covers, Stamps & Labels
Rudy Pinto’s Aerophilatelic Blog – Miscellaneous aerophilatelic items
connected with India SCADTA Aerophilately
The “Jenny” Stamp One Frame Exhibit
National Postal Museum – Hindenburg Crash Mail
Arago – Images of all U.S. Airmail Stamps
Benjamin Lipsner Airmail Collection – National Postal Museum
SE Air Mail Society – Chapter of the American Air Mail Society in the Southeastern U.S.A
The Harold G. Dick Zeppelin Postcard Collection
Mike Piggin Auctions – Worldwide Postal History
with good selections of Air Mail, Maritime, Military, POW & Internees,
Disaster Mail, etc.
The Pan Am Flying Boat Service via Wake Island – Stamps & Covers – Dirk H.R. Spennemann
The Romanian Air Mail Service – Bibliography of articles on Romanian air mail services
Ephemeral Treasures – Aviation history and personal aviation experiences figure heavily on Bob Ingraham’s Ephemeral Treasures web site. Most pages include illustrated images of contemporaneous stamps, covers, and postcards.
New Zealand International Air Mail Flights and Airmail covers
Postal Label Study Group - Publisher of the Worldwide Airmail Label Catalog
Hindenburg Crash Mail – The Scout Covers - An article about Scout franked Hindenburg crash mail from the Netherlands
The Flying Dutchman (De Vliegende Hollander) Airmail Society – The society for all aspects of Dutch
aerophilately. Holland’s main aerophilately site. Aerophilately in Holland
Balloon Mail website -Balloons in Philately – History of ballooning. Polish and Czech balloon mail since 1945. World hot air & gas ballooning championships and Gordon Bennett Cup: Results & philatelic issues
Imperial Airways – The Golden Age of British Civil Aviation. A tribute to the airline, the aircraft and Croydon Airport
A to Z - Aerophilately and Airmails web directory that is part of a comprehensive site, providing resources for collectors – Also has a link to all aerophilatelic items for sale on eBay at any given time
Pan American’s Pacific Pioneers – A great website covering all aspects of Pan Am in the Pacific – aircraft photos, covers, posters, baggage labels, and other Pan Am memorabilia
Astrophilatelie – Gesellschaft der Waltall-Philatelisten – World Space Philatelists
Stampdomain - Miscellaneous aerophilatelic information, links to aerophilatelic web pages
Sidney Fenemore – Postal History, Postcards, Crash & Wreck Covers
Mayo Postal History Air Mail Covers
Metropolitan Airpost Society – New York
John Dziadecki’s Zeppelin Web Site
Jens Schenkenberger’s Luftschiff Homepage
Contract Air Mail (CAM) Routes – A list of which airlines operated specific Contract Air Mail
(CAM) routes
Scout Air & Space Mail – This special collection highlights the wonder of flight and Scout topical philately. Catagories include air flight, balloons, rigid airships, rockets, and even feathered flight. This tribute to aerophilately is sponsored by Scouts on Stamps Society International
http://www.sossi.org. SOSSI specializes in the collecting, study, and enjoyment of stamps and other postal items celebrating the Boy Scout and Girl Scout (Guide) movements.
Symbols on Airmail Stamps – Website showing various sysmbols on airmail stamps. Hosted by Justin Milliun, email: jmilliun@ieee.org
M. Osborne Covers – First flight and airmail covers
Airmail Society of New Zealand
Baxley Stamps – Selling & Buying Ryukyu Islands FFC and other Asian First Flight Covers. See our Ryukyu Islands FFC price list
Henry Gitner Philatelists, Inc. – Email: hgitner@hgitner.com – Zeppelin & Airship covers and stamps & a huge stock of flight covers, first flights, catapults, rocket mail, etc.
Vernon Pickering – Philatelic Literature, including some aerophilatelic titles
Osborne-Kaufmann – Your American-European Stamp Connection
Bob Friedman – Email: covercnr@eaze.net – CAMs, FAMs, Jets, Airport Dedications
American Air Mail Society World’s largest and second oldest aerophilatelic society. Publishers
of the monthly Airpost Journal, and numerous catalogs & books for the aerophilatelist. The
next AAMS meeting will be held at the ARIPEX Exhibition in Mesa, Arizona (near Phoenix) from 22 to 24 February 2007. See: http://www.aripexonline.com/
British Air Mail Society
Catapult Mail – Rate Study in Progress
Jim Forte – Worldwide Postal History & Airmail History
Irish Airmail Society
James Bendon Ltd. – Small selection of aerophilatelic books, which are now handled by Chris Komondy of Chester, CT – USA
New Zealand – Miscellaneous Flight Covers
Robert E. Lippert Stamps & Baron Mail Sales – Some 1st flight & air mail covers
The Aerogramme Society – Email: tomadami@hotmail.com
Aerogramme Society – Another society for the aerogramme collector
Charles G. Firby Auctions – Lots of aerophilatelic material
Paul Roales’s Rocket Mail Web Page
Joe Frasketi’s Space Covers – Space and other Topical Covers
Internationaler Aero-Philatelisten
Club “Otto Lilienthal” Smithsonian National Postal Museum – Airmail in America
FISA – International Federation of Aerophilatelic Societies
Michael Rogers, Inc. – Philatelic auctions with lots of aerophilatelicmaterial
Vietnam & Indochina Postal History & Air Mail Covers
The Airgraph website – Links to various books and resources on airgraphs
Aircraft Photo Stamps – 174 aircraft images
Airmail Collector Auctions
The Pan Am Flying Boat Service via Wake Island – Stamp & Covers
Indian Night Air Mail Service – January 1949
Netherlands Airmail Covers For Sale
Charles Lindbergh – U.S. Air Mail Service Pioneer
The Development of Airmail in Bahrain
Links to Various Aviation Web Sites
The Golden Age of Air Travel — Boeing Clippers
Thirty Thousand Feet - A large aviation directory with thousands of links to
aviation web pages, aviation news, FAQs, and other sources of commercial,
military, and general aviation information
The ‘AirNet’ Website – Over 20,000 aviation & flight simulation links
Airline Postcard Swap Page – On this site you will find a swap list of mainly
airline issued postcards, including a picture of every swap card available
Airmail Pioneers -This website is dedicated to the men and women of the U.S. Air Mail Service, a little-remembered organization that laid the foundation for commercial aviation worldwide.
www.flyingclippers.com – FlyingClippers.com aims to recreate the days of Pan American Airways and
their Fabulous Flying Ships and aviation’s Golden Age 1934-1946. Here you will learn about the 28 planes that changed the way we travel and think about the world. Includes information on the China Clipper and Boeing B-314 and a shop for related items.
De Havilland Comet web site – Lots of information about the world’s first commercial
jetliner, including a discussion forum
Some examples of aerophilately covers. Early aerophilately covers. Please also see our full aerophilately album and our full list of aerophilately covers. Aerophilately covers.
1929-02-10 BONDI FRANCE
1929-12-14 PARIS - HANOI
