COVER N. 532 - RUSSIA

Postmark: ПОЧТА РОССИИ - КАЛУГА  2480999 (Russian Post - Kaluga 2480899) 24.10.2024

Posted on the 24th October; Received on the 19th November 2024

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On the very same day, I got three philatelic items from Russia  dropped into my letterbox by my friend Mr. Postman. Two of them, the always carefully composed envelopes that Julia sends me with postcards inside. большое спасибо, Julia (I hope I ... and google... got it right :-))

Knowing my interest in aviation, Julia always tries to surprise me with something related to the theme, and this time she used a very nice pre-paid envelope dedicated to Vladimir Mikhailovich Petlyakov (1891-1942), a Russian aircraft designer and aeronautical engineer. 

Further to the pre-printed stamp with Petlyakov's effigy, the envelope features a  painting of his most famous design, the Petlyakov Pe-2, a dive-bomber which first flew in 1939 and was later  extensively and successfully used by the Soviet Air Force, during the second world war.

- The massive Sukhoy T-4, or project 100, was an high-speed (Mach 3) reconnaissance/strategic bomber aircraft, of which only 4 examples were built, only one of them having actually flown.

Those were the days of the super fast flying machines, like the SR71 or the XB-70 Valkyrie, on which, it seems,  project 100 was inspired. Like the later, Project 100 was also scrapped in 1975, the only flying prototype having never reached its intended Mach 3 target speed.

On 22JUL2020, Marka issued a souvenir sheet containing five 54 Rouble stamps and a vignette, honouring Pavel Osipovich Sukhoi (1895-1975), the founder of the Sukhoi design bureau, which was responsible for quite a number of famous aircraft like the  T-4.  Alongside the stamp, the vignette which Julia also included is illustrated with Sukhoi's effigy and a line drawing of what looks like his first operational design, the Sukhoi Su-2 reconnaissance aircraft.

- The  Grand Palace, or Catherine’s Palace, at Tsarskoye Selo, located some 30 km south of Saint Petersbourg, was the summer residence of the Russian Imperial family.

Originally ordered to be built by Peter the Great for his wife Catherine (hence its name), construction of the palace began in 1717 although the original two storey wooden building which would be replaced by a stone edifice in 1723, was much simpler than the one which would supersede it. 

Empress Elizabeth, daughter of Peter the Great,  after his father's passing,  would order the construction of the current building, which began in 1743 and was completed in 1756.

The immense structure, 325 meters long, in fact, was built in rococo style, and its façades were gilded with a total of 100 kilograms of gold...

The Palace is nowadays a UNESCO World Heritage  Site, as part of the Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments.

On 17JUL2006 a three stamp souvenir sheet illustrated with the façade of the Palace was issued, celebrating the 250th anniversary of the Palace. The 5 Rouble stamp with the image of the left wing was used on the cover.

As usual, Julia also included a nice postcard inside the cover. 

Julia informs me that paragliders flock to this place, the Lysaya Gora mountain, located in the Samara region,  to practice their sport.