1996 Jacqueline Cochran Sc 3066 FDC PCS aviation pioneer pilot flying cross
Note: Blank label over neat typed address
This official Postal Commemorative Society (PCS) presentation sheet features a First Day Cover honoring pioneer aviator Jacqueline Cochran. The ArtCraft cacheted cover is franked with a 50¢ U.S. international post card-rate stamp depicting Jacqueline Cochran (Scott 3066).
Year of Issue: 1996
Designation: Jacqueline Cochran 50¢ Stamp (Pioneer Pilot)
Scott Number: Sc 3066
Format: Single-page PCS display panel featuring an unaddressed ArtCraft cacheted cover
First Day of Issue (FDOI) Cancel: Official Indio, CA 92201 postmark, dated March 9, 1996, with "FIRST DAY OF ISSUE" killer lines.
Design, Artistry & Historical Subject
The Artwork: Designed by Davis Meltzer, the 50¢ stamp depicts Jacqueline Cochran in her flight cap and goggles alongside jet aircraft, inscribed "50 USA / Jacqueline Cochran / Pioneer Pilot". The ArtCraft cachet features a portrait illustration of Cochran in the cockpit of her plane, captioned "Winner of the Distinguished Flying Cross / Jacqueline Cochran".
Historical Significance: Jacqueline Cochran (1912–1980) held more speed, altitude, and distance records than any pilot in the world. A six-time winner of the Harmon Trophy, she organized the Women's Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs) during World War II, directing over 1,000 female aviators who ferried planes from factories to air bases. In 1945, she became the first civilian woman awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.
Fun Fact
On May 18, 1953, piloting an F-86 fighter jet, Jacqueline Cochran became the first woman to break the sound barrier. She later set a women's jet speed record of 1,429.2 mph in 1964 and a women's altitude record of 55,300 feet.
JACQUELINE COCHRAN
Jacqueline Cochran (1912-1980) was a six-time winner of aviation's coveted Harmon Trophy. She earned the award for holding more speed, altitude, and distance records than any pilot in the world, and for being a role model for women aviators.
Born in Pensacola, Florida, Cochran was orphaned in infancy and raised by a poor family in Georgia. She worked in the local cotton mill before learning the beautician trade and moving to New York. In 1932, her life changed dramatically when she met industrialist Floyd Odlum, whom she eventually married. She became an entrepreneur, establishing her own enormously successful international cosmetics company. At the same time, acting on Odlum's suggestion, she began taking flying lessons. After just three weeks of training, she received her pilot's license.
Cochran loved piloting a plane around the country to promote her cosmetic line. In 1935, she became the first woman ever to enter the Bendix Transcontinental Air Race. She was also the first woman to win that event, in 1938. For three straight years, from 1937 to 1939, she was honored by the International League of Aviators as the leading woman pilot in the world.
When World War II broke out, Cochran added another first to her list: the first woman to ferry a bomber to England. She also organized the Women's Air-force Service Pilots (WASPs), whose 1,000 female aviators flew planes from factories to air bases. In 1945, she was rewarded for her efforts with the first Distinguished Flying Medal ever awarded to a civilian woman.
Cochran's greatest single accomplishment was achieved May 18, 1953. Piloting an F-86 fighter plane she became the first woman to fly faster than the speed of sound. Her record-setting continued through the mid-1960s. She twice set the world's jet speed record for women, reaching 1,429.2 miles per hour in 1964. She also set a new woman's altitude mark of 55,300 feet. The 50¢ U.S. international post card-rate stamp honoring Jacqueline Cochran was designed by Davis Meltzer. First Day of Issue was March 9, 1996 in Indio, California.
