1928 London-Orient Flight (LOF)
I have finally collected all stamps in this series. Released 9th November 1928, this series consists of 11 overprinted airmail stamps with “L.O.F 1928” and the image of a flying boat bi-plane printed in red. Only 6,000 complete sets were produced.
The stamps commemorate the arrival of 4 x Supermarine Southhampton flying boats from the British Royal Air Force into the Philippines. The squadron departed England on the 14th October 1927 on a journey known as the “Far East Flight”. The purpose of which was to explore air routes and test the feasibility of long range air support to the outer corners of the British empire.
The flight was undertaken in the following sections:
- 14th October – 13th December 1927 – Felixstowe, UK to Karachi, Pakistan
- 14th December 1927 – 20th May 1928 – Karachi, Pakistan to Singapore
- 21st May – 31st September 1928 – Singapore to Australia and return
- 1st November – 11th December 1928 – Singapore to Hong Kong and return
The last part of the journey had the squadron exploring an air route to Hong Kong and back with many stops along the way. This route brought the squadron into the Philippines at Princesa where they then flew on to Manila before flying out over the South-China sea to Hong Kong.
The complete series is made up of catalog numbers PH C18 to PH C28.
| Image | Scott # | Quantity Printed |
|---|---|---|
 | PH C18 | 101,200 |
 | PH C19 | 50,500 |
 | PH C20 | 12,600 |
 | PH C21 | 10,000 |
 | PH C22 | 10,000 |
 | PH C23 | 8,000 |
 | PH C24 | 12,600 |
 | PH C25 | 8,000 |
 | PH C26 | 7,000 |
 | PH C27 | 7,000 |
 | PH C28 | 6,000 |
Thanks for reading, happy hunting and have fun with your collection!