Sweden Calling

According to the Swedish Tourist Association, "250 years ago, in 1766, Sweden became the first country in the world to introduce a constitutional law to abolish censorship. To honor this anniversary, Sweden is now the first country in the world to introduce its own phone number." Call the Swedish Number +46 771 793 336 today and you will get connected to an ambassador, who is a random Swede living anywhere in Sweden and who would talk about anything you want.

From the U.S. the local number is (301) 276-0600. Currently, Stockholm is in the Central European Summer Time Zone (CEST: UTC/GMT +2 hours) with Daylight Saving Time starting on March 27, 2016  and ending on October 30, 2016. In comparison, Las Vegas is in the Pacific Daylight Time Zone (PDT: UTC/GMT -7 hours) with Daylight Saving Time starting on March 13, 2016 and ending on November 6, 2016. Therefore, it is currently 9 hours behind of Stockholm. You can call anytime but keep the time difference in mind.

My recent received postcard SE-96903 from Sweden shows a Junkers F.13 aircraft, registered as S-AAAC and later as SE-AAC, which was used for the first flight between Stockholm and Helsinki on June 2, 1924 by AB Aerotransport (ABA), a Swedish airline that is part of the SAS Group today. The aircraft is now on display at the National Museum of Science and Technology in Stockholm.

Current local time in
Stockholm, Sweden

© Time Difference

Peach Aviation Unveils "SAMURAI Aircraft"

Postcard JP-789171 from Japan shows a silhouette of a Japanese Samurai under the tree.

Meanwhile, in order to offer visitors to Japan a taste of Japanese culture and tradition as soon as they are on board, Peach Aviation has developed a "SAMURAI aircraft" featuring seiza-style sitting on tatami mats and the captain dressing up as a samurai. However, the seats are limited, and the promotion is only valid for today on April 1, 2016.

Winnie Mae: Lockheed 5C Vega

Outgoing postcard US-3755619 to Canada shows "Winnie Mae", a seven-seat monoplane Vega 5C, on display at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC. It was made by Lockheed in 1930 with modified tail surfaces for higher gross weight operations. Flew by famed aviator Wiley Post, it set many records, including around the world flight in eight days by Wiley Post and navigator Harold Gatty in 1931; the first solo flight around the world in 1933; the world's first flight using pressure suit in 1935 that reached the stratosphere at 547 km/hr or 340 m/hr. The "Winnie Mae" was named for the daughter of F. C. Hall, the original owner and a close friend of Wiley Post.

Today it is the 112th anniversary of Wright brothers' first powered flights. According to USPS Postal Bulletin 22430 published on December 10, 2015, Kitty Hawk, NC Post Office is offering a pictorial postmark to commemorate the occasion. I am sending the card, along with several others, to get this special postmark. Such requests must be postmarked no later than 30 days following the requested pictorial postmark date.

Forward it to my Palm Pilot

Postcard US-2776605 to Germany shows a plane taking off from tropical islands. The caption under the palm tree stamp on the bottom left reads "Margaritaville", indicating it is a Jimmy Buffett-themed merchandise associated with Jimmy Buffett's casual dining American restaurants and chain stores, named after his hit song "Margaritaville".

In Las Vegas, a Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville restaurant opened at the Flamingo Hotel and Casino in December 2003; a Margaritaville "minicasino" inside the Flamingo opened in October 2011. The postcard was purchased at the gift shop there.

Curtiss JN-4 Jenny

The postcard shows a Curtiss JN-4 Jenny aircraft with model wing suspended at Edwards AFB, CA in 1921. The Curtiss JN-4 was the type of aircraft used in the first air mail flight, and was featured in the 1918 24-cent stamp with printing error showing an illustration of the plane upside down.

The U.S. Postal Service is re-issuing 2 million of the “Inverted Jenny” souvenir stamps today to mark the opening of the Smithsonian’s William H. Gross Stamp Gallery that hosts the world’s largest stamp collection. The reissued Inverted Jenny has a face value of $2, in mini-sheets of six with a decorative border.

Since the post offices near me do not open on Sundays, I will have to wait until tomorrow to buy the stamps. The postcard is available for purchase at Zazzle.com.

Update: the postcard was later sent to Poland as US-2509925.