Maxi Card France 2016 "40 years of the CONCORDE Air France 1st scheduled flight Paris - Washington DC 1976" (CO-RET65CM)

CONCORDE PHILATELIC EXHIBITION AT THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT IN STRASBOURG (France) - MAY 8, 2016

40 years ago, Concorde ushered Europe into the era of supersonic commercial aviation

To mark the 40th anniversary of the first scheduled flights of the Franco-British supersonic Concorde, Editions Historiaphil© (the European Parliament's Philatelic Kiosk), with the support of the European Parliament, La Poste (the French postal service), and the UNION 1877 Philatelic Association, presented a temporary philatelic exhibition during the European Parliament's Open Day in Strasbourg on May 8, 2016. The exhibition was extended during the plenary session from May 9 to 12, 2016. It was entitled "40 years ago, Concorde ushered Europe into the era of supersonic commercial aviation (1976-2016)."

Through numerous philatelic collector's items, it recounts the history of the supersonic aircraft, the result of seven years of research and as many years of development, culminating in the transport of its first passengers who, on January 21, 1976, were the first to experience the breathtaking acceleration of supersonic flight and the taste of champagne at 2,300 km/h. Many countries dreamed of a supersonic aircraft, but it was Great Britain and France (driven by the will of General de Gaulle) that won the race for air speed. The remarkable story of the Concorde, a technological marvel, ended in 2003 but remains etched in everyone's memory.

A special postmark and five personalized French stamps, designed by Mélissa Staedel of the Historiaphil© Graphic Studio, were issued as "First Day".