19 July 1922 - First Flight Chahbar to Marona, India

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19 July 1922 – First Flight Cover from Chahbar to Manora (Karachi), India franked on obverse with 2Kr & 3Kr perf. 11½ tall vignette of Ahmad Shah Qajar Small Portrait issue tied by CHAHBAR * IO PERSIAN GULF 19 JUL 22 purple postmark with
MANORA 20 JUL 22 receiving postmark on reverse; cover also autographed by N.H. Malins, the flight photographer

CHAHBAR * IO
19 JUL 22
PERSIAN GULF
Indian Post Office Postmark

MANORA
20 JUL 22 / 12 30 P.M.
Receiving Postmark

History of the flight: Major W. T. Blake organized the flight round-the world with Captain Norman Macmillan as the pilot and Colonel L. E. Broome as their photographer, which he was replaced at Marseilles, France with Geoffrey Malins.

Flight began with a DH-9 biplane on May 24, 1922 from Croydon, England to Marseilles, France, which due to a hard landing they had to replace their plane with another DH-9 plane, which it had to be shuttled to Marseilles from England.On June 22, 1922 the flight was continued through Europe to Middle East. On July 11, 1922 they departed Cairo, Egypt and through Baghdad and Basra in Iraq and Bushire, Bandar Abbas, and Jask in Iran, they arrived in Chahbar (Chah’Bahar), Iran. The flight carrying this cover left Chahbar on July 19, 1922 and arrived at Manora (Karachi), India on July 20, 1922.On August 16, 1922 the flight reached Calcutta, India, where their DH-9 plane was auctioned off for a Fairey F-3 Floatplane. However, Major Blake suffered appendicitis and had to be hospitalized and stayed behind in Calcutta. Captain Macmillan and Malins left Calcutta on July 19, 1922 for Akyab, Burma, but contaminated fuel interrupted their flight and after floating for three days and two nights, they were rescued by the SS Dorothea and their Fairey F-3 sank in the Bay of Bengal on August 25, 1922.