On November 12, 2024, La Poste issues a stamp and a mini-sheet from the Airmail series bearing the image of André Japy on the occasion of the 120th anniversary of his birth and the 50th anniversary of his death. Aviator of great raids and exploits.
The stamp is illustrated by a portrait of André Japy with on his right, a view of his emblematic plane the Caudron Simoun, above a torri (traditional Japanese gate), wild geese and a red sun, symbols of Japan to which he was very close.
On the outlines of the sheet are represented: a cross-section of the plane, the Japanese flag, the dials of the Caudron Simoun C.630 and the Caudron brand
André Japy was born on July 17, 1904 in Beaucourt, in the Territoire de Belfort.
He preferred aviation to running the family business that was his destiny, and he began it late in 1932, but thanks to the recognized skills of instructor pilot Guy Bart, his progress in the art of piloting was dazzling. He obtained his license the day after his release, a unique case in the annals of aviation.
With his license in his pocket, he immediately undertook flights in Europe, then to Africa. He gradually trained for night flights and over slightly longer distances in order to test the real autonomy of his aircraft.
On December 16, 1935, André Japy succeeded in his attempt at the Paris-Saigon record aboard his 100 horsepower Caudron-Renault Aiglon.
In November 1936 he took up the challenge of reaching Tokyo from Le Bourget in less than 100 hours, including stopovers, using a Caudron-Renault Simoun. His raid failed in southern Japan.
Returning to France after his accident in Japan, he set new records by flying from Istres to Djibouti (straight-line distance record), then from Istres to Wadi Halfa (Sudan), this time in a two-seater.
Raised to the rank of Knight of the Legion of Honour in 1936, then Officer of the Legion of Honour in 1937, he was awarded the Henry-Deutsch-de-la-Meurthe prize in 1938 for his Istres-Djibouti raid, as well as the Louis Blériot medal, awarded by the Fédération aéronautique internationale, for all his exploits. In 1946, André Japy went to Tahiti as a meteorologist. He acquired an airplane that he put at the service of the Tahitian community for medical evacuations or searches for missing ships. He returned to Paris in 1970 and died four years later, the victim of a heart attack while walking on a beach in Brittany.
