Aero India 2003 Centenary of man first flight stamps

Man has always dreamt of flying in the sky. But he had to wait till the 20th century  for this dream to become a reality. The persistent efforts of scientists and inventors to build a machine that could fly appeared to be moving in the right direction by the 1880s. Finally in 1903 the Wright brothers, Wilbur and Orville (of USA), could successfully test fly a machine that was powered and manned. This landmark feat that changed the life of man on earth was achieved on 17th December 1903.

The history of Indian aeronautical   industry is inseparably interwoven with that of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). The company that began as the rather modest Hindustan Aircraft Limited in Bangalore in 1940 is today a mammoth organisation spread over seven locations, fourteen production units and nine research and design centres. It has produced 12 types of aircraft from in-house development and 13 types by license production, over the years. The postage stamps appropriately depict four aircraft models of HAL, reflecting its growth and evolution.

The first stamp shows the ‘Hindustan Trainer No. 2’ (HT–2), the first aircraft  to be designed,  developed  and manufactured in India. The first flight of the prototype of this piston engined trainer aircraft was held in August 1951 and the first batch of six HT-2s flew out of HAL in January 1953. The HT-2 was the mainstay of flight training, both civilian and military, in the country for many years.

The second stamp carries a picture of the ‘Marut’, a twin engined transonic ground attack aircraft designed by a team of Indian and German Engineers. The first prototype flew in June 1961.

The Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) figures on the third stamp. This is the world’s smallest lightweight, multi role combat aircraft. It was designed for the Indian Air Force as a multi mission tactical aircraft. It has many advanced features and its successful maiden flight was conducted in January 2001.

The  forth stamp Dhruv, the Advanced Light Helicopter is depicted on the fourth stamp. It is a unique multi role, state-of-the-art helicopter with different variants to suit the requirements of the Army, Air Force, Navy and Coast Guard. A civil variant is currently undergoing test flights. Dhruv is the most exportable aerospace product of India and is noted for its advanced features as well as user-friendliness.

2003 is celebrated all over the world as the centenary year of man’s first flight.
The Department of Posts  joins the celebrations by issuing a set of commemorative  postage stamps that present glimpses of the Indian experience in aeronautics. The stamps have being released on the occasion of Aero India 2003,  Bangalore,  one among the top aero events of the world.

The Aero India is organised biennially by the  Department  of Defence Production and Supplies. Leading scientists and management personalities of the world aeronautical industry participate in this prestigious show.

Issued Date : 05.02.2003 
Denomination : 500, 500, 500 & 1500 Paise

The 11th edition of the Aero India is scheduled to be held from the 14to18 February 2017