NINETY YEARS OF AVIATION IN AUSTRIA

First Flights

Suddenly, in 1927 many 'First Flights' started to take place, and a new airmail cancel made its appearance

Shown below are several First Flight cards.

Flight to Malmö in Sweden (19.4.1927): the triangular cachet is OLAG

Flight to Gleiwitz (21.4.1927): note the FLUGPOST cancel in red

Flight to Marseille (1.7.1927)

Flight Klagenfurt-Salzburg (18.6.1928)

Beginning in 1930, Vienna became an interim destination for the Europa Rundflüge (European circular flights) of the International Aviation Association, or the start and finish points of the Alpine Flights with international participation, just to name two examples.

Quietly, military flights made their appearances again. Although Austria was still not permitted to possess an air force, at an ambassadors’ conference in Paris in 1926, permission was magnanimously given for twelve officers to participate in sport flying. With the assistance of ÖLAG a flying school was secretly formed, which primarily trained soldiers (not in uniform!) as pilots. In 1929 this training facility was moved to Graz-Thalerhof.

The first appearance of the Austrian Airforce occurred in 1937 during a large Flugtag (meeting). More than 100,000 spectators came, who subsequently became stuck in a tremendous traffic jam, as they were trying to cross the Danube in order to return to Vienna.

Back to Austrian Stamps homepage On to next part