Singapore 2011 Stamp - 100 Years of Aviation in Singapore

On 16 March 2011, Singpost launched a set of five stamps  marking 100 years of aviation in Singapore. Singapore's have made a lot of progress in aviation during these 100 years. Each stamps depicts an important milestone in that progress. Both the aircrafts and the infrastructure have of course been greatly modernised greatly. From a racecourse, to Seletar, Kallang, Paya Lebar, and finally Changi Airport, the journey was commemorated in the postage stamps. The following history is excerpted from the leaflet accompanying the stamp issue.

Joseph Christianes' Landing on a Postcard (Photo taken from here an article by Lim Sa Bee)

2011 marks a centennial of aviation in Singapore. Singapore saw her first aircraft, piloted by Mr Joseph Christiaens, take off from the racecourse in Farrer Park on 16 March 1911 and that marked the start of aviation in Singapore. Eight years later, on 4 December 1919 about 4:48pm, a pioneering flight from England to Australia, piloted by Captain (later Sir) Ross MacPherson Smith, with Lieutenant (later Sir) Keith MacPherson Smith as navigator, Sergeant Bennet and Sergeant Shiers, on a modified Vicker-Vimy biplane, landed on the racecourse in Farrer Park. From then, the development of our aviation industry never looked back.

Seletar Airport today

The opening of her first civil airport located at Seletar, completed in 1929 with the first commercial flight into Singapore arriving on 11 February 1930 from Batavia (now Jakarta), to the completion of Kallang Airport in 1937, when the passenger traffic became too heavy for Seletar Airport to manage, to the shifting to Paya Lebar Airport in 1955 and to the inception of Changi International Airport in 1981, Singapore today boasts a world-renowned international airport, affectionately known as
Changi Airport (Terminals 1, 2 & 3).

Kallang Airport (taken from National Archive)

Paya Lebar Airport in the 1960s

Together with the birth of Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) in 1968 from the times of Singapore Air Defence Command (SADC) to the advance force today, a world-class local airline in Singapore Airlines since it officially became a standalone in 1972 (though history dates back to 1947), and an award winning aviation academy that was formed in 1958 at Paya Lebar Airport to provide experts in air traffic control, aircraft fire-fighting & rescue services, the aviation industry in Singapore has since developed from its beginnings in the colonial days through World War II and the Japanese occupation, to establish tself as a global and vibrant aviation hub.

Aviation enables enterprises in Singapore to reach global markets, advancing Singapore’s economic success. It creates unlimited opportunities, and enables business partnerships,
cultural links and personal ties that span the globe, strengthening Singapore’s connectivity to the world. Moving ahead, Singapore will continue in its quest to elevate Singapore's status as a centre of excellence for aviation.

Set of Stamps on FDC with first day cancellation

Specifications:
Denominations : 1st local, 45¢, 65¢, 80¢, $1.10
Stamp Size : 40.5mm x 30mm
Perforation : 14
Paper : Unwatermarked
Printing Process : Offset Lithography
Printer : Thai British Security Printing Public Company Limited
Sheet Content : 10 stamps per sheet
Designer : Chua Ban Har

Data adapted from Singpost's Leaflet