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A letter sent by airmail may be called an aerogramme, aerogram, air letter or simply airmail letter. However, aerogramme and aerogram may also refer to a specific kind of airmail letter which is its own envelope; see aerogram.
The choice to send a letter by air is indicated either by a handwritten note on the envelope, by the use of special labels called airmail etiquettes, or by the use of specially-marked envelopes. Special postage stamps may also be available, or required; the rules vary in different countries.
The study of airmail is known as aerophilately.
Although carrier pigeons had long been used to send messages (an activity known as pigeon mail ), the first mail to be carried by an air vehicle was on 7 January 1785, on a balloon flight from Dover to France near CalaisThis article is about the French city. Alternate meanings: Boreads (mythical), Calais, Maine, Calais, Vermont Calais is a city in northern France, located at 50°57N 1°52E. It is in the departement of Pas-de-Calais, of which it is a sous-prefecture''.. Balloons also carried mail out of ParisEiffel Tower has become the symbol of Paris throughout the world. Paris is the capital and largest city of France. The city is built on an arc of the River Seine, and is thus divided into two parts: the Right Bank to the north and the smaller Left Bank to and MetzMetz is a city in the North-East of France, capital of the Lorraine region and of the departement of Moselle (57). It is located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille. History In ancient times Metz, then known as Divodurum, was the capital of th during the Franco-Prussian WarMars-la-Tour, August 16, 1870 The Franco-Prussian War ( July 19, 1870 May 10, 1871) was waged between the Empire of France and the Prussian led North German Confederation allied with the south German states of Baden, Bavaria and Wurttemberg. The conflict ( 1870Events January 6 The inauguration of the Musikverein ( Vienna). January 10 John D. Rockefeller incorporates Standard Oil January 15 A political cartoon for the first time symbolizes the United States Democratic Party with a donkey ("A Live Jackass Kicking), drifting over the heads of the GermansThe Federal Republic of Germany ( German: Bundesrepublik Deutschland is one of the world's leading industrialized countries, located in the middle of the European Union. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark and the Baltic Sea, to the east besieging those cities. Balloon mail was also carried on an 1877Events January 1 Queen Victoria proclaimed Empress of India by the Royal Titles Act, introduced by United Kingdom Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli. January 8 Crazy Horse and his warriors fight their last battle with the United States Cavalry ( Montana) Ja flight in Nashville, TennesseeFor other cities named Nashville, see Nashville (disambiguation). Nashville is the capital city of Tennessee, a state of the United States of America. Nashville is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County. Nicknamed "Music City, U. it is the hom.
The introduction of the airplane in 1903 generated immediate interest in using them for mail transport, and the first official flight took place on 18 February 1911 in Allahabad, British India, when Henri Pequet carried 6,500 letters a distance of 13 km. Many other flights, such as that of the Vin Fiz Flyer, ended in disaster, but many countries had operating services by the 1920s.
Since stamp collecting was already a well-developed hobby by this time, collectors followed developments in airmail service closely, and went to some trouble to find out about the first flight s between various destinations, and to get letters onto them. The authorities often used special cachets on the covers, and in many cases the pilot would sign them as well.
The dirigibles of the 1920s and 1930s also carried airmail, known as dirigible mail . The German zeppelins were especially visible in this role, and many countries issued special stamps for use on zeppelin mail.
In the 1950s, general enthusiasm for rockets led to experiments with rocket mail . There was a single use of Missile Mail by the United States in 1959; see: USS Barbero. None of the various schemes went into production use, although many souvenir covers exist. A number of spacecraft have also carried space mail , sometimes in rather large quantities, all unabashedly for promotional purposes. The study of these is known as astrophilately .
In the United States, separate higher priced postage stamps were long required for domestic airmail, but in 1977 the United States Postal Service initiated all domestic first class mail, land or air, would be delivered by the most speedy practical option for a standard first class stamp.