The Manx Post Office this week launched stamps that commemorate the early days of transatlantic aviation.

Any connection with the Isle of Man is tenuous at best - but issuing special Manx stamps entices collectors and makes money for the Post Office.

The Art Deco Style stamp collection showcases the aircraft of the first crossings of the Atlantic in 1919 and a selection of the most significant crossings since.

In April 1913 the Daily Mail offered a prize of £10,000 (the equivalent value of over £510,000 in 2019) to ’the aviator who shall first cross the Atlantic in an aeroplane in flight from any point in United States of America, Canada or Newfoundland to any point in Great Britain or Ireland in 72 continuous hours’.

Due to the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, the competition was suspended but after Armistice was declared in 1918 the race was back on.

On June 14, 1919, pilot John Alcock and navigator Arthur Whitten-Brown flew their Vickers Vimy, featured on the Large Letter stamp, in less than 16 hours from St John’s, Newfoundland, to Clifden, County Galway in Ireland, and were awarded the Daily Mail prize.

Two weeks earlier the Curtis NC-4 (featured on first class stamp), a United States Navy flying boat flew from Trepassey Bay, Newfoundland to Lisbon, completing the first crossing of the Atlantic Ocean by air.

However, this flight was not eligible for the Daily Mail prize since it wasn’t non-stop and took more than 72 consecutive hours. Many further attempts followed of which some of the most notable and significant crossings have been captured in this beautiful and stylish stamp collection.

In April 1933 world-renowned aviator and pilot Amy Johnson and her then-husband, Jim Mollison, visited the Isle of Man.

During their stay, Amy Johnson planted a tree in Glen Helen, which is commemorated with a plaque in the glen.

Later that year Johnson and Mollison were scheduled to fly from Wales to New York, which almost ended in disaster when a shortage of fuel resulted in a crash landing in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

The £2.55 value stamp is dedicated to their plane Seafarer, a de Havilland DH.84 Dragon.

Further stamps feature the ’Ryan NYP’ flown by Charles Lindbergh (EU value), the R34 Dirigible under the command of Major GH Scott (RoW value) and the English Electric Canberra B.2 piloted by RAF Squadron Leader AE Callard (£1.52 value).

’The pioneering marathon flights in which the Atlantic Ocean was crossed by flying boat, airship and landplane must have seemed daunting at the time but opened the gateway for future long-distance air travel, thereby "shrinking" the world,’ said Sir Brian Burridge, chief exectutive officer of the Royal Aeronautical Society.

’These historic events are more than worthy of commemoration, we are only too glad to assist with this project.’

Ben Glazier of Glazier Design in London, which designed the stamps, said: ’We took our idea and inspiration for the collection from the 100th anniversary of Alcock & Brown’s flight.

’We chose to celebrate the exploits of the pilots, including their achievements in the intricate details of the stamps. Our illustrator created artistic interpretations of long-lost aircraft deriving style from the Art Deco aviation posters of the 1920s, marking another great centenary.’

Maxine Cannon, general manager of Isle of Man Stamps and Coins, said: ’The early stages of transatlantic aviation and the pioneering spirit of those involved allow us to travel the way we do today.

’We feel honoured to be able to commemorate this centenary and we are very proud to be working with Brian Riddle of the National Aerospace Library at the Royal Aeronautical Society and Glazier Design on this stylish and chic stamp collection.’

The ’100 Years of Transatlantic Flight’ collection is available as set and sheet set, presentation pack and first day cover.

The sheet set costs £97.68.