The early years of airmail delivery were daring experiments to test the viability of the airplane delivery. Since the first successful flight in 1903, aeroplanes were becoming faster and staying aloft longer. The Wright Brothers’ initial flight lasted 12 seconds. In 1909, the English Channel was conquered in a 37 minute nonstop flight. By 1911, the race to break height, speed and distance records was intense.
What determines a “first airmail” can be disputed. Does it mean first officially sanctioned, first carrying standard covers with regular postage, or an exhibition flight that ferried a number of souvenir covers or postcards. Or, to muddy the waters further, a flight that carried no stamped covers, but acted as a private courier to deliver letters, bypassing the official post office?
The race to be first
In 1911, 3 major events occurred that triggered the race to prove aeroplanes were a practical method of delivering mail. The first took place in India, with the world’s first airmail delivery. On Feb. 18, 1911 Frenchman Henri Pequet (1888-1974) successfully flew his Humber-Sommer biplane 8.2 km in a 13 minute trip (Allahabad polo field to Naini), to deliver approx. 6,000 letters and postcards.
Later that year, on Sept. 9, British pilot Gustav Hamel (1889-1914) successfully travelled 30 km from Hendon Aerodrome to Windsor Palace delivering 400 letters, an unspecified number newspapers and 800 postcards for the Royal Mail. Hamel’s Blériot XI covered the route in 18 minutes.
Sandwiched between these two historic flights was the first international airmail delivery.
The pilot and the plane
French pilot Marc Pourpe (1887-1914) planned the flight as an exhibition of his talents and bravado. He was not going to be paid for this trip, nor was there a great deal of publicity. Instead, he announced it to fellow flyers and organisers of the Boulogne-Sur-Mer tournament in August 1911.
Likeable, charming and a little brash, Pourpe was considered the future face of aviation. His contributions to both flight and airmail are largely forgotten, primarily because he was killed in the first months of WW1. His contributions were brief, but he was a brilliant showman and pilot.
He began flying in 1909, learning on a Wright Flyer while living in Australia. From there, he drifted back to France where he dabbled in designing his own aeroplane as well as performing in aviation events. By 1910 he was teaching pilot candidates how to fly at the La Brague aerodrome in Nice as well as continuing to participate in various events and tournaments around France, usually in a Blériot monoplane.
On July 11, 1911, little more than a month before his Channel crossing, Pourpe finally received his flying certificate from the Aéro-Club de France (Aviator Certificate No. 560).
Not only was Pourpe planning a double crossing, he would do so at the widest point. Earlier Channel crossings took the shortest route, from Calais to Dover which was approx. 36 km (23 miles), but Pourpe planned to take a longer route from Boulogne, France to Folkstone, England and back. The estimated distance one way was 49 km (30 miles).
The distance wasn’t such an over riding concern. Pilot Pierre Prier flew non-stop from Paris to London in April of the same year. The danger was the Channel. More than one unhappy pilot found himself bobbing around the water waiting to be rescued after ditching.
The young pilot knew very well that the slightest breakdown would almost certainly send him into the other world, but he is one of those for whom these contingencies remain negligible when they have a definite idea in mind.
AEROPHILE FEB 15, 1914 P. 73
Photo: Marc Pourpe Oct. 1, 1911
Agence de presse Meurisse
Courtesy National Library of France,
Department of Prints and Photography, EI-13 (2469)
Unlike previous flights across the Channel, Pourpe planned to fly without the usual ship escort to ensure his safety. He would be soloing in every sense of the word. In today’s world, it may not seem like much, but in 1911, it was a huge challenge to both aircraft design and maintenance and pilot skill.
Pourpe arranged to carry two letters on the trip including one from the mayor of Boulogne for the mayor of Folkestone. These two letters were destined to be the first cross border airmail.
Bit of a wobble
August 27, 1911 at 6:25 pm, Pourpe climbed into the cockpit of his Bléroit monoplane, with the letters safely tucked into his coat pocket. He turned north and slowly rose to 500 metres and headed for Folkestone. Pourpe was flying by sight because his compass was not functioning, which wasn’t a problem for a skilled pilot. The evening turned hazy as he travelled north, making line of sight travel difficult. Without a compass, Pourpe drifted northeast to Dover, rather than Folkestone.
By 7:50 pm, Pourpe found himself circling Dover, about 16km off course. He continued to circle until he found a good landing spot and brought the Blériot down in the middle of Barrack Square at Dover Castle. It was here that he nearly triggered an international incident, depending on which account you read.
In 1911, British officials were already on high alert because of increasing tensions between England and Germany. Pre-war Europe was a jittery place. Flight magazine noted, in a number of articles between 1911 and 1913, a growing sense of panic gripping certain sections of the public over “phantom airships”. By late 1912, this would grown into a full blown nation-wide hysteria, but in 1911, Pourpe flew in on the beginnings of the panic about German’s testing British defenses.
To make matter worse, Dover officials were not aware of the flight so Pourpe quickly found himself explaining his presence to around 400 Royal Irish Rifles stationed there. Pourpe kept his cool and identified himself, quickly de-escalating the situation. The French newspaper Aerophile delightfully underplayed the situation by describing it as an “enthusiastic reception by officers and soldiers”.
By the time everything was explained, it was too late to fly to Folkestone. Pourpe took up an offer for a night’s billet and prepared for an early morning take off. At 5:00 am, with the help of the soldiers and Dover Aero Club member Eric Snepp, Pourpe prepared his Blériot for the next leg of the trip. By 5:30 am he was in the air again.
With a quick circle around the cliffs of Dover, Pourpe turned westward eventually landing on the local golf course at Folkestone, near Shorncliffe station. From there he was taken to the city and hand delivered the first international airmail letter to the mayor. The second letter, from the engineer of the Boulogne Harbour Board was given to the French Consul. The letter was a bit of a curiosity in itself. It was written in Esperanto, a language created in 1887 and touted as a unifying language for an increasingly divided world. The letter suggested Esperanto might be of benefit to aviators as a common language. The engineer was a visionary in some ways. As the flying industry took hold, a common language, Aviation English, was developed and is now the standard for civil aviation world wide.
After this brief visit wrapped up, Pourpe returned to the golf links, started his airplane back up and headed south across the Channel by 9:38 am.
Home sweet home
The return trip was uneventful and quicker. By 10:10 am, Pourpe had landed in Boulogne with the flight taking only 32 minutes.
The trip passed with just a handful of mentions by newspapers tracking aviation matters. But, it was clear, his flight had an impact.
By September 23, there was talk of establishing a more permanent airmail delivery between the two countries.
A Cross-Channel Mail Service.
UPON similar lines to the Hendon-Windsor scheme, the idea of arranging a cross-Channel postal service by aeroplane appears to be making some progress, especially in France, and it is possible that arrangements may shortly be made with Marc Pourpe, who, it will be remembered, made the double trip between England and France last month, to carry ” mails ” across the Channel.
Flight, September 23, 1911 p13
The discussions never progressed past the planning stages, and Pourpe was soon off to Egypt and later various countries in Asia on flying exhibitions. He also made another historic airmail first flight, next time in Egypt. It wasn’t until November 11, 1919, that the first regular route was established between France and England.
Bibliography
- National Library of France Department of Prints and Photography.
- AEROPHILE editions from 1911 to 1919
- Flight from The Royal Aero Club of the United Kingdom Sept to Dec 1911
- La Revue aérienne Oct. 10, 1911
- Louis Blériot, a traverseé de la Mancha, Alain Dégardin
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