CANADIAN ROCKETMAIL FLIGHT SUMMARY
2011 to 2014
NEW!!! PAGES 9-11 catalogs the latest twelve rocket mail covers including sixteen Gerhard Zucker 1936 postage stamps which will be on board the fifth and final flight of Wilfred Ashley McIsaac’s rocket mail program scheduled to launch in the spring of 2014.
Wilfred Ashley McIsaac’s Canadian rocketmail program using scale models powered with composite fuel successfully delivered letters with ‘First Canadian Rocket-Flight’ postage stamps for the first time in Canadian history.
Any relative Philatelic information in this article is from the Air Mails Of Canada And Newfoundland, A Volume in the Sixth Edition of the American Air mail Catalogue. Copyright 1997. Page numbers are also given. The book officially recognizes the Gerhard Zucker stamps as the first Canadian rocketmail stamps produced on record for Canada.
According to the Air Mails Of Canada And Newfoundland publication, the only rocket launch to occur in Canada's history with official Canadian rocket mail postage on board took place in February of 1958 (pg# 451). However, the Astrobee D rocket impacted the ice up in Hudson Bay and was never recovered. Fifty-four years later McIsaac’s second flight of his rocket mail program actually used an Astrobee D scale rocket as the launch vehicle. McIsaac’s covers however were successfully retrieved and mailed or cancelled from the nearest post office in the town of Gananoque.
Prior to McIsaac’s launches and based on official record, no rocket mail flights in Canada have ever been flown and recovered safely while using official Canadian rocket mail postage stamps.
Key to listing: Year designation, followed by:
CF- flown covers RP- flown rocket mail stamps
CX- unflown covers RX- unflown rocket mail stamps
courtesy Air Mails Of Canada and Newfoundland
All Gerhard Zucker postage (page 449) in the Air Mails Of Canada and Newfoundland are listed as unflown rocket mail stamps.. No other flown rocket stamps (RP) are indicated in the publication. The Zucker stamps listed below should now be under the code RP (flown rocket mail stamp) and not RX (unflown rocket mail stamp).
FLIGHT 1ARCAS ROCKET: October 31st/2011 10:15AM
WEATHER: Clear and cool
(left) Program Operator Wilfred Ashley McIsaac proudly shows off Canada’s first mail letters successfully delivered and recovered by rocket using rocket mail stamps. (right) McIsaac poses with the ARCAS scale rocket prior to lift-off.
Operator: Wilfred Ashley McIsaac (rocket and mail cover design)
Flight location: Gananoque Airport, Gananoque, Ontario Flight Path: Parabolic
Rocket: ARCAS high-powered rocket from Aerotech. Fuel: Composite
Pound Thrust: 18 pounds est. Altitude: 2500 feet. Total Distance Traveled: approx. 1.5 km
Payload: Seven letters with Gerhard Zucker ‘First Canadian Rocket-Flight’ stamps onboard.
5 ‘First Canadian Rocket-Flight’ 50 cent stamps May 1936 36RX3 pg# 449
(Western Scene: Rockies, buffalo and riding indian)
2 ‘First Canadian Rocket-Flight’ 75 cent stamps May 1936 36RX4 pg# 449
(Western Scene: Rockies, buffalo, and riding indian)
Special Notes: The 4.75 foot Arcas rocket lifted off from the airstrip in Leeds and The Thousand Islands township. During the flight the vehicle crossed into Leeds and Grenville united counties before returning home. The stamps were cancelled or mailed from the nearest Post office in the town of Gananoque, Ontario. Witnesses: Rennie McIsaac, Greg Falcon, James Ryschlo.
(above) a look at the 2011 rocketmail covers before being loaded on-board the ARCAS rocket.
(left) Launch Organizer Wilfred Ashley McIsaac flys his scale ARCAS rocket on October 31st, 2011 carrying Canadian mail onboard. (right) One of several Gerhard Zucker ‘First Canadian Rocket-Flight’ postage stamps used in Canada’s first ever rocketmail flight using rocket postage which was later recovered.
(left) Program Organizer WIlfred Ashley McIsaac stands on the county line dividing Leeds and the Thousand Islands township and Leeds and Grenville united counties. Over McIsaac’s left shoulder the airfields hangar located in Leeds and the Thousand Islands township can be seen in the far background behind the old shack. (right) The ARCAS rocket returns for a perfect landing after its flight over two townships and two united counties.
Flight 2ASTROBEE D ROCKET: MAY 11TH/ 2012 EVENING LAUNCH 8:15PM (originally scheduled for May 5th) WEATHER: Clear
(left) Launch Operator Wilfred Ashley McIsaac with his Astrobee D high-powered rocket prior to the May 11th evening launch. (Right) The payload carrying Canadian mail as well as an advanced electronics package named the ‘Astrologger 54’ was recovered safely on the tarmac following the successful test launch.
Operator: Wilfred Ashley McIsaac (rocket and mail cover design)
Flight Location: Gananoque Airport, Gananoque, Ontario Flight Path: Vertical
Rocket: Astrobee D high-powered rocket by Aerotech. Fuel: Composite
Pound Thrust: 16 pounds Altitude: Under 1000 feet. Total Distance Travelled: approx. 0.6 km
Payload: Five letters with Gerhard Zucker ‘First Canadian Rocket-Flight’ stamps on board. The Astrologger 54 electronics package.
4 ‘First Canadian Rocket-Flight’ 50 cent stamps May 1936 36RX3 pg# 449
(Western Scene: Rockies, buffalo, and riding indian)
1 ‘First Canadian Rocket-Flight’ 75 cent stamps May 1936 36RX4 pg# 449
(Western Scene: Rockies, buffalo, and riding indian)
Special Notes: The evening launch on May 11th, 2012 of the 3.25 pound 5.8 foot Astrobee D rocket was a successful test of the Astrologger 54 electronics package which was located inside the payload compartment underneath the mail partition. Although the altitude was lower than expected the test flight was considered an overwhelming success. All mail was cancelled at the nearest Post Office in the town of Gananoque, Ontario. Witnesses: Rennie McIsaac, Greg Falcon
(left) One of five letters on board the Astrobee D high-powered rocket during the second flight on May 11th in Wilfred Ashley McIsaac’s rocketmail program. (right) The ‘Astrologger 54’ advanced electronics package featured two state-of-the-art altimeters as well as a cooling system which circulates air throughout the rockets cargo bay before being vented back outside.
Flight 3 ASTROBEE D III ROCKET: JUNE 29TH/2012 High winds delayed launch until 10:30am. Weather: Clear with wind gusts up to 25 km/h.
(left) The Astrobee D III is examined back in Kingston following the crash on June 29th,2012. (right) Picture taken of slightly damaged cargo following the doomed test flight .
Operator: Wilfred Ashley McIsaac (rocket and mail cover design)
Flight Location: Gananoque Airport, Gananoque, Ontario Flight Path: Parabolic
Rocket: Astrobee D III test vehicle (modified Aerotech Astrobee D with 3 strap-on boosters)
Fuel: Composite main engine with black powder for the boosters. Stages: 1 1/2
Pound Thrust: 24 pounds Altitude: approx. 1600 feet Total Distance Travelled: approx.1 km
Payload: Seven letters with Gerhard Zucker postage attached. Two on board cameras.
5 ‘First Canadian Rocket-Flight’ 50 cent stamps May 1936 36RX3pg# 449
(Western Scene: Rockies, buffalo, and riding indian)
2 ‘Rocket Flight From Canada to U.S.A’ 75 cent stamps May 1936 36RX8pg# 449
(Niagara Falls Scene: rocket over the falls)
Special Notes: The 5.8 foot Astrobee D III experimental mail rocket was powered by a main composite motor along with three smaller strap-on boosters located around the base of the rocket and fueled by black powder. The 2.87 pound vehicle crashed into a cornfield several hundred yards from the launch site when it nose dived from an estimated 1200-1600 feet after the boosters failed to ignite. The 1 ½ stage rocket including two onboard cameras was completely destroyed. The mail received only minimal damage however and was cancelled at the nearest Post Office in the town of Gananoque, Ontario.
Witnesses: Rennie McIsaac, James Ryschlo.
(left) A sequence of pics showing the lift-off of the Astrobee D III rocket on June 29th, 2012. The vehicle ultimately nose dived into a cornfield after all three strap-on boosters failed to ignite. (right) Program operator Wilfred Ashley McIsaac arrives at the crash site and immediately examines the buckled payload section. The seven letters were later retrieved with only minor damage.
(left) During a short delay due to wind gusts the test rocket is being reexamined by McIsaac while an onlooker watches. (right) The three strap-on boosters failed to ignite on the launch pad and were essentially dead weight during the test flight which ended in disaster.
(above) All seven mail letters onboard the June 29th test flight which crashed into a cornfield outside Gananoque, Ontario received only minor damage. Following the accident a note describing the incident was attached to the backside of the rocket mail envelopes before being sent to the United States for auction.
FLIGHT 4 ASTROBEE D IV SUPER BOOSTER launched on November 6th, 2012 at 11:45 am at
the Gananoque airport in eastern Ontario.
(left) The Astrobee D IV ‘Super Booster’ lifts off from the gananoque airport on November 6th. (right) The aft end of the main booster clearly shows the two integrated side boosters and the main sustainer in the middle. The three motors will combine to give the rocket over 40 pounds of trust.
The fourth flight of Wilfred Ashley McIsaac ‘s Canadian rocketmail experiment carried twelve letters with Gerhard Zucker postage attached.
Operator: Wilfred Ashley McIsaac (rocket and mail cover design)
Flight Location: Gananoque Airport, Gananoque, Ontario Flight Path: vertical
Rocket: Astrobee D IV ‘Super Booster’ Fuel: Composite and Black Powder
Pound Thrust: 41 pounds Stages: 1 ½ (Booster ignition malfunction) Altitude: under 1000 feet
Total Distance Travelled: approx. 0.5 km’s
Payload: Twelve mail covers with a variety of Gerhard Zucker 1936 Canadian postage stamps attached concluded the rocket mail program. The list below includes all Zucker stamps participating in the final launch. When no space appears from one line to the next, this indicates both stamps are on the same cover.
3 ‘First Canadian Rocket-Flight’ 50 cent stamps May 1936 36RX3 pg# 449
(Western Scene: Rockies, buffalo, and riding indian)
2 ‘First Canadian Rocket-Flight’ 75 cent stamps May 1936 36RX4 pg# 449
(Western Scene: Rockies, buffalo, and riding indian)
1 ‘Rocket-Flight From U.S.A. to Canada’ 50 cent stamp May 1936 36RX9
