POSTCARD N.171 - RUSSIA 

Postcrossing Postcard sent on the 30th June, received on the 3rd December 2024.

Postcard image: A phantasy scene

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Cut and Paste, the miracle technology of the late 20th century....  I did paste, but I did not cut....

And so Post regarding Postcard 171 disssolved into cyber oblivion for ever, and ever, hallelujah, hallelujah.....

I am so sorry, but I will not try to reconstruct the post. Have to move on and time is a scarce comodity.

Here's the card, of which I remeber saying without any ill intention towards Olga who kindly sent it to me in the best of intentions, that post cards with phantasy images were not my preferred type of cards.

Still the stamps were totally to my liking and I also remeber having thanked Olga for her care and attention.

The 40 Ruble stamp was issued on 10MAR2020, celebrating the life of Hero of the Soviet Union - Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub (1920-1991), fighter pilot and triple Hero of the Soviet Union. the highest scoring WW2 pilot with more than 60 victories to his credit. It shows his portrait with a Lavochkin La-5 the type of aircraft in which he score most of his victories.

The 45 Ruble stamp, issued on 10MAR2023, celebrates a pedagogue on the bicentenary of his birth: Konstantin Ushinsky, (1823 - 1871) considered to be the father of Scientific pedagogy in Russia. 

Again the stamp is illustrated with his effigy with a classroom on the background.

As far as I can tell, the postmark indiocates that the card was mailed from Moscow.

POSTCARD N.170 - RUSSIA 

Postcrossing Postcard sent on the 26th October, received on the 19th November 2024

Postcard image: A building in Novo-Sobornaya Square, Tomsk.

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Siberia, the land of the cold...just out of curiosity I went and took a look at the day's weather report as I type: 17º C here where I live; - 2ºC in Tomsk..., well, not really cold  for Tomsk's standards I presume, but I'm feeling warmer already....

Thank you Polina, for the very nice postcard of Tomsk.

Polina wrote me in Russian, so I had a bit of a difficulty in figuring out what she had written on the back of the postcard, but thanks to the Google translating app I could get it all clear... one just has to point the cellphone camera to the text and you get the translation on the screen....nothing short of amazing.

I also had a bit of difficulty identifying the building in the painting, but after some searching I managed to locate it in Novo-Sobornaya Square, a favourite place for city events, I read.

The stamps used on the postcard are all part of the first definitive issue (11JUN2029) of the series illustrated with the State Postal Administration Emblem.

Unfortunately, the Postmark is illegible but Polina tells me she lives in Nizhnevartovsk, so I presume that the postcard was mailed from there.

COVER N. 533 - RUSSIA

Postmark: Illegible

Posted on (?); Received on the 19th November 2024

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The second letter from Julia came in a nice envelope with a maxim card inside. 

The interesting envelope and maxim card are themed on aeronautical and aerospace matters, and beginning by the former it is interesting to see that Julia, who usually sends me her correspondence from the city of Kaluga, managed to find an envelope related to this particular city.

It should also be mentioned that Kaluga bears a deep relation with the history of  space exploration going back to the days of space exploration pioneer theorist Konstantin Eduardovich Tsiolkovski, so much so that it is the location of the Konstantin E. Tsiolkovsky State Museum of the History of Cosmonautics.

The envelope is illustrated with the logo for the celebrations of the  650 anniversary of the city, in which space exploration is again very much present, the central object of the logo being none other than Sputink, I the first man made satellite to orbit the earth.

On each of the sectors defined by the satellite's antennae, landmarks of the city are included, these being the Gostiny Ryady (a complex of buildings of the XIX century with shops, cafes and restaurants) the Stone Bridge, the History of Cosmonautics Museum and the Local Folklore Museum.

On my search for information I also found out that there is also a satellite named in what I think might also be a way of celebrating the city's anniversary, this being the  Avion-Kaluga 650.

The CubeSat satellite was launched from Vostochny Cosmodrome in Eastern Russia, on a soyuz rocket on  27JUN2023 with the aim of "studying the temporal and spectral characteristics of electrons and gamma radiation", whatever that might be....

It is in geostationary orbit at an average height of 554.82 km and an average speed of 27308.65 km/h.

The stamp used on the cover depicts the decoration for the Order of Gagarin, which was established in 2023 and is to be awarded in recognition of outstanding contributions to space exploration, scientific research, and technological innovation.

The 90 Ruble stamp is part of a two same face value stamp set issued on 07Mar2024, in a series dedicated to Russian medals and marks of honour.

The decoration features the face of Yuri Gagarin, the first man to travel to space,  in his flying helmet and suit, framed by the Vostok 1 rocket flying towards the stars. 

Inside the envelope Julia kindly sent me a maxim card with Drones as the main subject.

Drones are here to stay! Everyday better and more advanced drones are made and new uses are found for these incredible flying machines.

Unfortunately, not all uses are so innocent as one might be led to think from watching the image on the card of an operator who guides a camera equipped drone, and it is well known the role that these devices play in the ongoing conflicts as vectors of intelligence gathering and precise targeting of human and material resources.

In this sad state of affairs it is expected that research and development as well as  the manufacturing of drones with both civil and  belligerent intent be intensified everywhere in the world and particularly so in those countries which are already using them for military purposes.

On 24SEP2024, Marka issued the 31 ruble stamp used for the maxim card, commemorative of the Russian Unmanned Aviation Systems (UAS) National Project, established on the 1st January 2024, which, according to the stamp release notes, aims at reinforcing the domestic share on the Russian drone market from the current 24% to 72%.

Quoting direct from the said notes: "the postage stamp features operators of unmanned aircraft systems, as well as unmanned aerial vehicles of the BVS VT-45, BVS VT-440 and Geoscan 801 models".

The First day postmark was issued at Kaluga.

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.

POSTCARD N.167 - RUSSIA 

Postcard sent on the 21st September, received on the 22nd October 2024

Postcard image: Immanuel Kant

___________________________________________________________________________, 

A surprise from Russia in the guise of a Maxim Card  dedicated to one of the lights of the Enlightenment, sent by The Flying Dutchman. Hartelijk dank, Eric, que é o mesmo que dizer: Muito Obrigado!

Immanuel Kant (1724 - 1804) one of the greatest philosophers of all times, was born and died (and lived all his live, it seems) in what was then Königsberg, Prussia, and is now Kaliningrad, the administrative capital of the Russian Exclave of the same name, nested between Lithuania and Poland.

On the tercentenary of his birth, Marka, the company responsible for producing Russia's stamps, issued, on 22APR2024, the commemorative 70 Ruble stamp used on the maxim card, equally issued by the same company, which Eric so kindly made sure I would receive.

Postage was completed with a 30 Ruble stamp  issued on 17MAR2021, part of a set of identical face value stamps dedicated to  Fedoskino miniature lacquer paintings, a type of folk art that emerged in the 18th century  in the city of Fedoskino, consisting of miniatures painted with oil paints on papier mâché.

The images on the stamps are those of lacquer boxes from the collection of the Moscow Regional Museum of Folk Art Crafts and besides Tea Party (1946) by V.I. Lavrov, which illustrates the stamp on the card, there are stamps featuring images of the following works: "Ruslan and Lyudmila" (1971) by M.S. Chizhov; The Firebird (1959) by S.V. Monashov; and Ivan da Marya (1989) by Yu.V. Dotsenko.

The Very Nice maxim Card which is cancelled with a First Day postmark from Moscow, was mailed to me from the City of Saint Petersburg, as can be grasped from the Postmark cancelling the stamps actually used to post the card.

COVER N. 497 - RUSSIA

Postmark: Illegible

Posted on the 24th July; Received on the 14th August 2024

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Another of Julia's interesting covers. I really appreciate the care Julia puts in all of her  postcard sendings, always dispatched inside a very nice envelope which itself tells a story about something or someone, as it is the case, embellished with some nice stamps.  большое спасибо, Юлия.

This time, the pre-paid Tarif "A" envelope, included in the series “Benefactors of Russia”   is dedicated to earl Pyotr Borisovich Sheremetev (1713–1788), who Wikipedia informs was the second most rich man in Russia of his time, the first, of course, being Tzar Peter the Great.

The first elected Marshal of the Nobility for the Moscow Province, a top hierarchical function in the corporative administration of nobility and its interaction with the crown, which  he assumed in 1780, Pyotr Sherementev  would also become famous as a patron and collector of art. 

Being very fond of dramatic art,  he founded his own serf theatre  and serf orchestra, which would undoubtedely enlighten the receptions at the lavish estate of his family in Kuskovo, close to Moscow.

The grotto Pavilion, one of several existing in the estate,is also shown as an illustration in the envelope.

If Sheremetev was a theatre lover, Vsevolod Emilyevich Meyerhold was an actor, director and producer and a spirit free enough to have become a victim of Stalin's infamous purges, having been shot in 1940, accused of spying for the British and the Japanese...

On the occasion of the 150th anniversary of his birth, Russian Post issued, on 26JAN2024, the 50 ruble stamp on the cover, illustrated with his portrait over the subdued image of a stage with actors performing.

The Hero of the Soviet Union Title and decoration, which was awarded in conjunction with the order of Lenin, was the highest distinction that  the Soviet Union bestowed upon its citizens or organizations during its existence as a state until its desegregation  in 1991. It was  last awarded in December of that same year to  a diver of the Soviet Armed Forces, Captain Leonid Mikhailovich Solodkov, for his participation in several extreme depth diving experiments.

On the ocasion of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of the title and decoration,  the 9 ruble stamp featuring the golden star with a red ribbon decoration over a blue background was issued, on 29OCT2009.

As usual, Julia enclosed a very interesting postcard in the envelope, dedicated to the 165 years of the Russian stamp.

Central to the image is the imperforated 10 kopek stamp issued in 1857 as the first stamp of was then the Russian Empire, with several other Russian stamps orbiting alongside it. On the background there's a passageway linking two buildings with a sign, which I presume should translate as Post Office?

The postcard which has a printing run of 350 has a QR code on its back that supposedly takes you to a video, but unfortunately my cell phone is not compatible with it.

Thanks again, Julia for such a great postcard.

Although the postmark is illegible, I suspect that the letter was mailed from Kaluga, as usual with Julia's sendings.

COVER N. 491 - RUSSIA

Postmark: ПОЧТА РОССИИ - УCОПО КАЛУГА  248097 (Russian Post - Kaluga Post Office 248097) 23.05.2024

Posted on the 23rd May; Received on the 23rd July 2024

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Seems that mail to and from Russia is taking longer than it used to, no doubt as a consequence of the unfortunate situation that was created with the unjustifiable invasion of Ukraine. The war keeps dragging on  and, as in all wars, all that has been achieved is destruction, pain and suffering, wounds that will take generations, if ever, to heal. Compared to this, delays in mail are not worth mentioning, but they are a sign of  abnormality, of disruption... just like it was the case with the Covid-19  epidemic, when letters that normally would take a week would take months or could not be sent at all...

Small steps seem to have been taken, and more and more news of diplomatic efforts start to surface (and I am not talking here about the recent  distasteful and reproachable conduct of an European PM). Maybe this is a good sign. I sincerely hope this brutal and totally unjustified war ends for once and for all. Enormous damage has already been done and its nasty effects will linger, like an infectious disease whose vector will always be looking for the smallest opportunity to wreak havoc again. Just like some years ago, an urgent vaccine is needed. If only humanity could find it fast...

I have just received another of Julia's great cover/postcard combos. Postcrossing and cover exchanging is also a way to contribute for mutual understanding, for creating the bonds that bombs are so eager to destroy. Albeit small, I think it is a valid contribution for the discovery of the vaccine I mentioned above.

Большое спасибо, Юля! (I hope "deepl" got it right... :-))!

Julia informs me that the rocket whose image adorns the envelope is the Angara A-5, a three stage heavy duty launch vehicle. 

The rocket measures 55.4 m and is capable of putting a payload of 24,500 kg into Low Earth Orbit (LEO) or 5,400-7,500 kg into Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GTO). It is powered by four boosters which together generate a total thrust of 7,680 kN. (863 ton-force)

On the 11th April 2024, on its fourth flight and the first from Vostochny Cosmodrome, it placed on orbit a  cubesat designated as "Gagarinets", for Russian company Avant Space, which claims that a constellation of such satellites can be put in orbit to project images such as QR codes or advertisements, visible in the night sky from locations on the surface of the Earth.

- The 154th Preobrazhensky Independent Commandant's Regiment is the  honour guard regiment of the Russian Armed Forces and it is common to see its members on TV during the official commemorative parades that take place on the Red Square. 

It was formed in December 1979 and takes its designation from the original Preobrazhensky Life Guards Regiment, which was a unit of the Imperial Russian Army, effective between 1683 and 1917, having been disbanded just before the October Revolution.

On 20DEC2023, Russian Post issued a four x 29 rubles stamp set in the history of the Russian Uniform series, dedicated to the 154th Preobrazhensky Independent Commandant's Regiment. The stamp on the cover is illustrated with the image of mebers of a banner group of the regiment in current uniforms.

- Luna 25 was the heir to the Luna Soviet Space Programme of lunar exploration by robotic vehicles, which ran from 1959 to 1976.

The vehicle was sent on its mission on the 10th August 2023, atop a Soyus-2 rocket, with the aim of landing  (mooning would be more appropriat , but its place in semantics has long been captured by another not so science oriented meaning, as it is well known…) in the vicinity of the Moon's south pole. Unfortunately, due to an unsuccessful orbital manoeuvre, the vehicle ended up crashing itself onto the lunar surface, thus failing its intended objective.

Luna 25 is also the subject of the nice postcard, which I take would have been issued by Russian Post in connection with the stamp, that Julia kindly sent me inside the cover. Again, bol'shoye spasibo, Julia!

POSTCARD N.133 - RUSSIA

Postcrossing postcard sent on the 3rd February, received on the  28 February 2024

Postcard image: Ilyushin 96
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On my previous post I have already identified the subject of the postcard that Julia so kindly sent me inside cover #414, but I could not let go without including a scan of the postcard itself , which is another quite interesting addition to my collection and for which I again thank Julia.

The image depicts one  Il 96 in the livery  used  for service with the presidential fleet of the Russian Federation, operated by Rossiya Airlines.

COVER N. 414 - RUSSIA

Postmark: Kaluga 03.02.2024

Posted on the 3rd February; Received on the 28th February 2024

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More mail from Julia, as usual featuring a nicely illustrated envelope and interesting stamps, mostly aviation related.Спасибо большое, Julia!

This time, the envelope and the usual postcard, which I will enclose in a subsequent post, is illustrated with an image of an Ilyushin 96, a four engine wide-body, which first flew in 1988, developed for long haul flights as a substitute and improvement over the previous Il 86, capable of accommodating 262 passengers in standard configuration.

According to Wikipedia, in civil usage, only 23 aircraft have been in operation, and other than Aeroflot and some lesser known Russian airlines, only Cubana de Aviación have used the type, whose main claim to fame is its usage as the presidential aircraft of  the Russian Federation.

- Sergey Vladimirovich Ilyushin (1894-1977) was an aircraft designer who has to his credit the conception of one of the most produced aircraft ever, the ground attack  Ilyushin Il-2 Sturmovik, famous for the havoc it created in German tank units, during the second world war.

After the war, Sergey Ilyushin would turn his drafting pen to the creation of civil aviation aircraft in the Design Bureau that bore his name and that in various corporate forms has subsisted until today.

On 23OCT2019, marking the 125th anniversary of the birth of Sergey Ilyushin, Ruspost issued a celebratory  minisheet comprising five 50 Ruble stamps, illustrated with Ilyushin aircraft and a vignette with Sergey Ilyushin's effigy with a line drawing of the Sturmovik in the background.

The vignette and the stamp featuring the Il-28, a twin engined medium bomber, extensively used by the countries of the Warsaw pact, and which was taken out of service in the 80s of lat century, due to obsolescence. 

- Mikhail Timofeyevich Kalashnikov (1919-2013) was the father of what I believe must be  the most produced assault rifle ever in the world, the ubiquitous AK-47 Kalashnikov, which although not having seen service in the second world war, since it only became operational in 1947, has been widely used in all parts of the world ever since, in regular and mercenary armies.

On 24OCT2014, Ruspost issued the 15 Ruble stamp which can be seen on the cover, honouring the memory of  Mikhail Kalashnikov.

- According to Wikipedia. Goodnight Little Ones (Spokoynoy nochi, malyshi!) is a children show that has been airing in Russian television since 1966. 

On 08DEC2023, Ruspost issued a four 20Ruble stamp set featuring heroes of the current iteration of the show, one of which can be seen on the cover. Of note is the fact that all the characters are depicted playing with their stamps or postcard collections.

The Postmark, as usual, hails from the city of Kaluga.

COVER N. 332 - RUSSIA

Postmark: Illegible 04.10.2023

Posted on the 4th October; received on the 17th October 2023

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Space, the last frontier, the place where Americans and Russians and a few other Nationals cohabit in absolute confinement and interdependency and prove that they can actually work together for a common goal, irrespective of what's going down below, in the place they were sent up from.... 

People are strange, said Morrison. Indeed they are, part comes from them, of course, but the environment wherein they thrive has a lot to do with it...

That said, on to what brought me here: Julia always sends me great covers and postcards, but this time she really outdid herself, by sending a most interesting package, comprising cover and maxim card. Thank you so much Julia.

I will not even separate the cover from the Maxim card inside on the blog post, as I usually do with her nice sendings, since this, as I said, is a full package, the cover and the  card being so intimately related.

"The Challenge" is the name of the first commercial film to have been partially filmed in space. The international Space Station was the set chosen and in order to accomplish this goal actress  Yulia Peresild and film director Klim Shipenko, who also dubbed as cameraman/photography director/make up artist and production designer, were trained and dispatched in its direction aboard a Soyus Vehicle (MS-19) atop a Soyus 2.1 a rocket. There they stayed for 12 days, during which Shipenko captured approximately 30 hours of images, which, when edited, correspond to about 35 minutes of the screened film.

Curiously the logistics of it all implied that the forecast 6 month shift of the ISS regular crew had to be extended to one year, with return to earth of an American astronaut and a Russian cosmonaut happening already after the unjustifiable invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces. This unfortunate event  would also leave its mark on the final days of the mission,  although, as I said above, irrespective of what is unfortunately going on down here, up there things are continuing to work as planned as attested by the fact that, as I type, there are seven people working in the ISS: three Russians; two Americans; one Japanese; one Dane.... I guess there is no veto right in this productive assembly...

Let us take a look at the cover, first:

The image on the envelope is clearly evocative of a connection between film and space, with a strip of analogue film undulating on the base of the illustration, while a Soyus cargo ship, probably MS19, with  cosmonaut Colonel Anton Shkaplerov aboard in the company of Yulia Peresild and Klim Shipenko, orbits the Earth on its way to dock at the ISS.

This connection is highlighted by the 30 Ruble stamp in the central position, issued on 20APR2023, replicating an advertising poster for the film  "Вызов" (The Challenge), with an image of the main character, Evgenia Belyaeva (Yulia Peresild) floating by the window of the ISS.

To complete postage, Julia used two additional stamps:

- the one on the left, with a face value of 40 Ruble, issued on 07MAY2020, highlights the Rzhevsky Memorial or Ржевский мемориал, as written on the white lettering over a red star on the top right corner. 

This memorial was erected in 2020 to honour the soviet soldiers that perished in the battles of Rzhev, fought against the Wehrmacht, between  January 1942 and March 1943.

- The stamp on the right, with a face value of 5 Ruble, was issued on 12APR2000 and is part of a three stamp set dedicated to International Cooperation in Space.

The stamps in this set are dedicated to the 25 anniversary of the first joint Apollo-Soyuz mission (2 Ruble); the International Space Station (3 Ruble) and project Sea Launch (5 Ruble), this being the stamp that can be seen on the cover .

One cannot fail to note on this particular stamp the presence of the Ukranian flag side by side with those of  the Russian Federation, the United States, and Norway. When will this be possible again....?

Sea Launch was a private sector (I believe) project, developed by companies of the four above mentioned countries, aimed at providing satellite launch services from a mobile floating platform, converted from a former oil drilling rig.

Given its shareholder composition, the company fell victim of Russia's invasion and annexation of Crimea in 2014.

The  Maxim card is illustrated with an image taken from "the Challenge", showing mission control centre at Baikonour cosmodrome, I would guess. As per maxim card rules, the stamp (the same one used on the cover) is closely related to the card, and so is the cancellation postmark, in the case at hand a First Day of Issue (20APR2023) cancellation, issued at Baikonour, the leased Russian enclave in Kazakhstan, where the famous rocket launching facility is located.

All in all a very interesting  combination  and an excellent addition to my collection. Thanks a lot Julia!

POSTCARD N.107 - RUSSIA

Postcrossing postcard sent on the 4th June, received on the  5th July 2023

Postcard image: Tupolev TU-144
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Just returned from the first part of my holidays, it's time to catch up with the nice stack of potential blog entries I have on my desk.

So, without further ado...

As it is the norm with Julia's letters, inside the nice cover she had sent me,  and which I posted as Cover 276, was a great aviation themed card.

Thanks a lot Julia!

The Tu 144 was the soviet counterpart of the Concorde. Although its maiden flight took place on the last day of 1968,  two months before the Franco-British project,  it would only begin its rather short commercial career, comprising but 55 flights between Alma-Ata in Cazakistan and Moscow, in December 1977, that is some 2 years past the first commercial Concorde flight, which took place on 21 January 1976.

The design similarities between the two aircraft are rather apparent and  although the Soviet design was bigger,  the two protruding retractable canards aft of the cockpit on the TU 144 were the most striking difference on first look. 

To this day, the Tu-144 holds the title of fastest commercial aircraft, with a maximum cruising speed of 1,510 mph (2,430 km/h), while the Concorde topped at 1,354 mph (2,179 km/h).

I was a lad of 13. And I dreamed of being a pilot when I grew up.

On my black  and white TV (well, in what concerns colours, my set was as good as any other working in Portugal at the time, since colour TV was still a long way  into the future), aircraft and aviation programmes were few and far between, so I was really excited to watch the direct transmission from Le Bourget of the display flights of the 30th Salon International de l'Aéronautique et de l'Espace de Paris-Le Bourget, the 3rd June, 1973.

The more so since the two great looking new supersonic passenger aircraft would be flying. Trembling with anticipation, I sat on the couch that was usually and hierarchically used by my father  in front of the Tv set and waited for the big moment.

After the uneventful flight of the Concorde, the Tu-144 took off for what was to be an equally normal display flight, when all of the sudden the aircraft went into a dive and broke up, crashing into the ground. I couldn't believe my eyes and I remember feeling rather sorry for all those on board, which I immediately knew had perished. (the total victims tally of the accident was14 dead: 6 on board and 8 in the ground, plus 60 badly injured).

Many years later, my dreams of becoming a pilot definitively shelved, I watched in utter discomfort the footage of a Concorde in flames flying into what was to be and equally horrendous and even more deadly crash ....

The end of an era, but I will never forget the early evenings (1978, was it?) when I would go to the terrace at Lisbon airport to watch the Concorde depart from our capital.... oh, the noise.... oh, the magnificent plumes of the afterburners setting the night alight.......

 COVER N. 276 - RUSSIA

Postmark: ПОЧТА РОССИИ - УCОПО КАЛУГА  248097 (Russian Post - Kaluga Post Office 248097) 04.06.2023 

Posted on the 4th June; Received on the 5th July 2023

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Russian aicraft....but these do not drop bombs on defenseless civilians, mere pictures they are. 

If only the other, whizzing over the skies of Ukraine, could also be but pictures...images of mechanical beauty, a reminder of man's ability to defy physics, not Man himself...

A cover with a picture of  aircraft on it....nothing more, nothing less. Sent, I'm sure,  with the best intentions, since the sender knows I do like aircraft and always tries very hard to take that into consideration.

And yet it  disquiets me to look at that particular picture on the envelope - such is the power of images - knowing what those beautiful Sukhoi aircraft are being used nowadays for...

This notwithstanding, thanks a lot Julia! For this letter and for all your care in always trying to surprise me with a beautiful cover that matches my particular interests.

Stamps left to right

- Hugo Chavez (1954-2013), was President of Venezuela from 1999 until his last days.

A controversial personality, he is seen as a champion of the poor by some and a populist tyrant by others.

To his credit he does have  a strong decrease in the levels of poverty in the country during his mandates, but at the cost of individual liberties and democratic values, it is argued.

In spite of this, the positive effects of his measures have long faded  and even if poverty has decreased from 62,5% of the population in 2021 to 50.5% in 2022, Venezuela is still one of the most inequal countries in Latin America, due to a number of factors, including the fact that the economy was deeply rooted in the oil industry - thus exposed to oil prices fluctuation - international isolacionism,  corruption, it being argued that the Chavez' policies, continued by Nicolas Maduro, led to this sad state of affairs...

In all, another sad episode in the proverbial South American saga of social and political unrest fuelled by unjust and totally assimetric wealth distribution and geopolitics that ever so often leads to disasterous consequences to those who suffer the most and have access to the littlest. 

As a side note, I have to say I am a little afraid of having this stamp of Hugo Chavez on my blog so close to the Juan Carlos stamps on the previous post, lest a repetition of the famous "por qué no te callas?" incident at the XVII Ibero-American Conference ensues... 😀

On the occasion of the first anniversary of Hugo Chavez death, Russia post issued, on 28Jul2014, the 15 Ruble stamp seen on the cover.

- The Ilyushin Il14, was meant as a substitute and an improvemenf over the Lisunov Li-2, the Soviet version of the ubiquituos DC3/C47.

In itself a revised and improved Il-12, the Il-14 first flew in 1950 and entered service eith Aeroflot in 1954.

With a crew of 4, in the passenger transport version it could accomodate a maximum of 32 passengers.

The Il-14 had an empty weight of 12,600 kg and a Maximum Take Off Weight of 18,000 kg, and was equipped with two Shvetsov ASH 82T engines,  each delivering 1,909 hp.

On the 23rd October 2019, Russia Post issued a mimi sheet comprising five 50 Rubles stamps and a vignette, aknowledging the 125th anniversary of the death of Sergei Ilyushin. The stamps are all illustrated with images of Ilyushin designed aicraft while the Vignette contaibs a portrait of Sergei Ilyushin himself.

The Postmark indicates the cover was mailed from the city of Kaluga.

POSTCARD N.102 - RUSSIA

Postcrossing postcard sent on the 16th March, received on the 28th March 2023

Postcard image: Cosmonautica History State Museum Kaluga 
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The Konstantin E. Tsiolkovsky State Museum of the History of Cosmonautics, in Kaluga, was the first museum ever opened dedicated to the history os space exploration, so tells me Julia, whom I thank for the interesting postcard that arrived inside cover #227.

Konstantin E. Tsiolkovsky himself, a pioneer of astronautics, who lived in a cabin on the outskirts of Kaluga, which is now, I believe, part of the Museum that bears his name,  was himself the subject of another postcard that Julia had already sent me, so this makes for a very interesting fine piece.

Of note also is the fact that the foundation stone for the Museum was laid by no other that Yuri Gagarin, the first man ever to go to space, on 13 June 1961.

The museum itself contains two mais permanent exhibition areas, one devoted to the works and life of Tsiolkovsky, and the other to the history of space exploration.

as a rather curious add-on, Julia has also sent me a sample of the Museum's admission ticket.

COVER N. 227 - RUSSIA

Postmark: ПОЧТА РОССИИ - ???? 16.03.23  

Posted on the 16th March; Received on the 28th March 2023

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Julia, once again, did her best to find an envelope that would somehow fit my philatelic interests. Thank you so much, Julia. Greatly appreciated, a usual.

Valery Chkalov, pilot, Georgi Baidukov, co-pilot and  Alexander Belyakov, navigator. 

The history of golden age aviation is full of daring exploits  that would elevate those who bravely pursued them to herodom (sometimes in absentia, though, when things went not according to plan....) and which would pave the way to what is now so common  that one tends to forget that not that long ago, it took much more that a check-in over the internet and a hop to the airport to board a plane to uneventfully fly between two continents.

I will not go over the history of the first transpolar flight, which started on  June 17, 1937 on the runway of Shchelkovo airport, in Moscow and would  come to an halt  63 hours and 16 minutes later, on the 20th,  in the tarmac of Pearson Field, Vancouver, and which was carried out by the three heroic aviators whose photograph can be seen on the lower left corned of the cover Julia sent me, since a good summing up of all the proceedings can be found  here. This notwithstanding, the simple knowledge that  less than 10 gallons of fuel remained on the tanks of their single-engine, long winged  Tupolev ANT-25 upon landing, is enough to muster a deep respect and admiration for the three members of the crew that embarked on such an epic and perilous undertaking.... just imagine if the M-34R engine failed along the route...

Ironically, nowadays, the aggression war that Russia, wherefrom the three aviators originated, is waging against one of its neighbours, dictated that  transcontinental flights over the  north polar route be suspended,  but again, I don't even think that when such flights were commonplace, any passenger boarding one of the multi-engine aircraft certified to do it, would even contemplate the possibility of a forced landing on the ice below...., let alone think of using his/her urine as coolant.....

Stamps:

The pre-stamped envelope Julia used was issued in 2022, judging from the date on the printed stamp which, I presume, highlights the 40th anniversary of the death of the navigator  on the epic flight, Alexander Belyakov (1897 - 1982), who would rise to the rank of Lieutenant general of the Soviet Air Forces and become a  member of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union. 

- 8 Ruble stamp, issued on 07DEC2007 as part of a se-tenant two stamp set which also included a vignette, themed on Arctic deep water  Exploration. Julia had already used the companion stamp on another of her sendings to me, and the vignette can also be seen on the postcard she sent me inside the cover, as usual.

The legend on the stamp reads something like Deep Sea Manned Vehicle - MIR-1.

- 30 Ruble stamp, part of a set of three stamps with the same denomination, included in a souvenir sheet, issued on 06SEP2020, dedicated to  Russian Space Science Achievements.

The image on the stamp is that of the Lunokhod-1 Lunar Research Craft, the first wheeled vehicle ever to operate on the surface of a celestial body other than Earth, which landed on the surface of the moon attached to the Luna 17 spacecraft on November 17, 1970.

POSTCARD N.101 - RUSSIA

Postcrossing postcard sent on the 18th January, received on the 8th February 2023

Postcard image: Lavochkin La-7
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Thanks again Julia for a lovely postcard of  a beautiful famous aircraft, which was lurking inside cover #210 

Looking at such amazing industrial contraptions (and I always look at them with the eyes of a visitor in a art museum) it is easy to forget that they were built with a discomforting  purpose in mind, but as history has been proving time and time again, it pays to be prepared to defend oneself from the lunacy of those who think the world is but a playground and people just images on the screen of a videogame....

The Lavochkin La-7 was the sibling of the La-5, a reliable workhorse for Russian fighter pilots in WW2, which entered service in mid-1942, from which he got the general looks, and the penultimate in line from the LaGG-1, before the end of the run  achieved with the La-9, all products of the Lavoschkin design Bureau.

Even though powered by the same engine - Shvetsov ASh-82 FN - as the definitive version of the La-5, the La-5FN, the La-7, first flown in 1943, was lighter, faster, and climbed better than his brother, due to the streamlining refinements in design like the total  sealing of the engine cowling or the relocation of the air intake, and also to the use of metal alloys for important structural parts like the wing spars, which in the La-5 were wooden and heavier due to the shortage of strategic materials in wartime.

The La-7 had a top speed of  411 mph at 6,000 m, a range of 413 mi and  was equipped with 2  ShVAK or 3 Berezin B-20 20mm cannons mounted on the cowling, being also capable of carrying 2 44olb bombs.

The postcard painting depicts the image of the La-7 of Ivan Kozhedub (1920-1991) a remarkable pilot who would be honoured  three times with the title of Hero of the Soviet Union and which had already been featured in one stamp used on another of Julia's letters to me.

COVER N. 210 - RUSSIA

Postmark: ПОЧТА РОССИИ - УCОПО КАЛУГА  248097 (Russian Post - Kaluga Post Office 248097) 18.01.2023

Posted on the 18th January; Received on the 8th February 2023
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Another cover from Russia and another lovely envelope, as Julia always tries to ensure whenever sending me a letter. Thank you so much, Julia. I'm always very pleased to receive your covers and postcards.

I have to confess my ignorance regarding the personality that the Russian pre-stamped envelope honours, so, as usual, I consulted Google who pointed me towards his potted bio in Wikipedia.

Another Russia based biographic site expanded a bit the information and so I learned that  John Aldrige (1918-2015) was an Australian-British Author, whose most noteworthy novels are set against the backdrop of the Second World and the Cold Wars although he would also write children and teenagers books, for which he equally gained some international recognition.

Upon reading these articles, I  made a note to try to find his first novel, "Signed with their Honour", because not only the reviews look good, but also it should make for an entertaining read for a vintage aviation fan, like my own self. 

From the biographical notes I consulted, Aldridge was also ideologically close to the USSR, so much so that he was awarded the International Lenin Prize "for strengthening peace between peoples" in 1972, hence, probably, his inclusion in the list of personalities honoured by rusmarka with its line of commemorative self-stamped envelopes.

Besides the printed stamp on the envelope, there are two more stamps on it, left to right:

- On 31JUL2014 the Russian Postal Administration issued a set of 4 20 Rubble stamps on the occasion of the centenary of the beginning of the First World War. 

The one on my cover is dedicated to the Erzurum Operation, January-March, 1916, a Russian offensive against the Ottoman forces that culminated with the capture of the city of Erzurum, a strategic city in Eastern Anatolia, and its fortress.

- The MS Mustai Karim - is a luxury river liner, built in 2019, which according to a Russian tourism site " takes its name from the illustrious poet, writer and playwright who was awarded People's poet of the Bashkir Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic in 1963 and who won the Lenin Prize in 1984".

The 18 Ruble  stamp celebrating this particular vessel was issued on 08SEP2022.

POSTCARD N.90 - RUSSIA

Postcrossing postcard sent on the 2nd November, received on the 24th November 2022

Postcard image: Kaluga Airport
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Once again Julia send me an interesting postcard with beautiful stamps themed on things that fly. Thank you so much, Julia! I truly appreciate the fact that you always manage to find something to suit my interest in all things airborne.

As I said in my previous entry on this blog. this card arrived on the same day I got my first cover from  Ukraine, and  seeing them both here on my table as I write, I believe it just goes to show that no matter what differences, dissents, or even grudges nations might have, there is always a much better way to solve them than giving weapons manufacturers an horrific and immense extra bonus at the expense of the precious, unfulfilled lives, be it of soldiers or of civilians just the same… you hear that Vladimir?

Kaluga airport, Julia tells me, was built in 1970, but it was competely renovated in 2014. A quick look at the arrival schedule on its website lends me to conclude that Azimuth Airlines is the only airline operating from and to this infrastructure which is 100% owned by the by the Ministry for Economic Development of Kaluga Oblast.

The image of the postcard shows a Sukhoi Superjet 100 of the fleet of 15 operated by Azimuth Airlines, parking on the apron in front of  Terminal A, which I supose is domestic flights only, international flights being operated from terminal B.

Kaluga was founded in 1371 and so in 2021 the city celebrated its 650th aiversary, the logo for the celebrations being also present on the postacrd acompained by a legend which I believe translates into "Hello from Kaluga" but I'm far from certain.

Stamps Left to right, top to bottom

- After a first signing in Reims, France, by General Alfred Jodl, on the 7 May, on the 9th May 1945, Germany through the pens of  Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel, Colonel-General Hans-Jürgen Stumpff and General-Admiral Hans Georg von Friedeburg,  signed the German Instrument of Surrender in Berlin, thus ending the war in Europe, in what was thenceforth known as V-E Day (8 May for the western allies, 9 May for Russia). The USSR representative to this act was Marshall Georgy Zukhov.

On 02SEP2015, celebrating the 70th anniversary of this important event, Russia Post issued the 17 ruble stamp on my card, depicting Zhukov, alone, signing the Instrument of German surrender, of which, the first page is also depicted in the image. In a rather Stalinist move, Zhukov is illustrated as being alone, when in fact British Air Marshal Arthur W. Tedder also signed the document as deputy of the Supreme Commander Allied Expeditionary Force as well as General de Tassigny (for France) and General Carl Spaatz (for the USA) who signed  as witness.

- Long before becoming famous for his pioneering work in the development of the helicopter, Igor Sikorsky had already left un indelible mark in the development of aviation, especially in what concerns long range multi engine aircraft.

Of the large aircraft that left his drawing board none was more famous than the giant Ilya Muromets bomber, the first four-engine flying machine.

Initially conceived as a luxury transport aircraft, and first flown in 1913,the eruption of the First World War saw its transformation into a heavy bomber capable of carrying (and releasing..) 500 kg of bombs onto enemy positions, If one thinks that the first flight of an heavier that air machine had taken place only 10 years before, one can really see that the progress was fast.

On 10SEP2015, Russia Post issued a four 21 ruble stamp set dedicated to Russian Weapons of the First World War. Further to the Ilya Muromets, the set includes stamps with images of the Mosin–Nagant 7.62mm Rifle, the 76.2mm Rapid-Firing Field Gun and the Destroyer "Novik".

- Velikiye Luki  is a town in the Pskov Oblast, being its second largest, with a population nearing 99,000. Due to the heroism shown by its dwellers in the  2nd World War, it was granted the title of City of  Military Glory.

In 2016, it celebrated its 850th anniversary, and Russia Post issued a 24 ruble stamp with an image of hot air balloons flying over the city, given that since 1996 Velikiye Luki has become famous for hosting  ballooning competitions.