A completely wooden monoplane of Metoděj Vlach used by him to make his first successful public flight.
The first day cover contains a drawing of the front of the airplane standing on a meadow and the handstamp shows a detail of the engine and propeller of Metoděj Vlach’s airplane.
Metoděj Vlach has a significant place in the history of Czech aviation. He was the first Czech builder of a functioning airplane of his own design, built from local materials and driven by a Czech engine. This neglected pioneer of Czech aviation was born on 6 July 1887 in Říkovice u Přerova and died on 8 February 1952 in Sezimovo Ústí.
In 1908-1922, he worked with the car makers Laurin & Klement in Mladá Boleslav. In the period before the First World War, he designed and built his own airplanes as a hobby. The available records show that he built several airplanes at that time.
The first one, a biplane on skis, was made in 1908 but it remained unfinished because Metoděj Vlach did not manage to find a suitable engine. He financed all his projects from his salary as a mechanic.
The second airplane built in 1909 was also a biplane. It was able to make short 30-50 metre jumps. The stability was not sufficient for longer flights.
The third, most successful airplane was made in 1910-1912. It was a completely wooden monoplane with a span of ten metres, weighing 720 kg. The propeller was two metres long and the maximum engine power was 28 kW.
description and stamp images thanks to:
| ISSUE DATE: | 18 February 2015 |
| NOMINAL VALUE: | 13.00 CZK |
| CIRCULATION: | - |
| STAMP DESIGN: | Pavel Sivko |
| STAMP SIZE: | 40 x 23 mm |
| STAMPS PER SHEET: | 50 (25 stamps of airplane / 25 Walter B6) |
| PRINTING PROCESS: | multicoloured offset |
| Czech Post - Česká pošta PRODUCT NO.: | 0839 |
FIRST DAY COVER
