Issued in 1952 to mark the 39th anniversary of Agustín Parlá's historic flight from Key West to Cuba, this 8-cent Cuban airmail stamp tells the story of one of Latin America's great aviation pioneers. The design shows Parlá's Curtiss hydroplane over a map of the Florida Strait, with the route from Key West to Bahia Mariel clearly marked — the actual path he flew on May 19, 1913. Cape Sable, the southernmost point of the Florida mainland, appears on the map as a geographic reference point along the route — a landmark that would have been visible from the air before Parlá headed out over the open water toward Cuba. Without a compass to guide him, he left Key West carrying the Cuban flag that José Martí had carried during his travels in Florida raising money for the Cuban cause. He was blown off course by heavy winds but pressed on, eventually landing at sea near Mariel bay where sailors rescued him from his hydroplane.

The flight was part of a competition between Parlá and fellow Cuban aviator Domingo Rosillo to make the first crossing from Key West to Havana — a distance of roughly 90 miles over open water considered extremely dangerous at the time. Rosillo flew two days earlier and arrived first, claiming the $10,000 first prize. Parlá, flying alone without naval escort or instruments, completed the crossing and earned $5,000 as second prize. He had graduated from the Curtiss School of Aviation in Miami in 1912, becoming the first Cuban to earn a pilot's license. On July 5, 1913, when Cuba created its Army Air Corps, Parlá was named a Captain and honored with the title "Father of Cuban Aviation."

The stamp was issued 39 years after the flight and just one year before Parlá's death in 1953, giving this issue a particular poignancy. His name is inscribed at the Smithsonian Institution as one of the "Early Birds" of aviation. For collectors of aviation history, Latin American philately, or early flight on stamps, this is a richly storied single from a chapter of aviation history that deserves to be better known.

Issued in 1952 to mark the 39th anniversary of Agustín Parlá's historic flight from Key West to Cuba, this 8-cent Cuban airmail stamp tells the story of one of Latin America's great aviation pioneers. The design shows Parlá's Curtiss hydroplane over a map of the Florida Strait, with the route from Key West to Bahia Mariel clearly marked — the actual path he flew on May 19, 1913. Cape Sable, the southernmost point of the Florida mainland, appears on the map as a geographic reference point along the route — a landmark that would have been visible from the air before Parlá headed out over the open water toward Cuba. Without a compass to guide him, he left Key West carrying the Cuban flag that José Martí had carried during his travels in Florida raising money for the Cuban cause. He was blown off course by heavy winds but pressed on, eventually landing at sea near Mariel bay where sailors rescued him from his hydroplane.

The flight was part of a competition between Parlá and fellow Cuban aviator Domingo Rosillo to make the first crossing from Key West to Havana — a distance of roughly 90 miles over open water considered extremely dangerous at the time. Rosillo flew two days earlier and arrived first, claiming the $10,000 first prize. Parlá, flying alone without naval escort or instruments, completed the crossing and earned $5,000 as second prize. He had graduated from the Curtiss School of Aviation in Miami in 1912, becoming the first Cuban to earn a pilot's license. On July 5, 1913, when Cuba created its Army Air Corps, Parlá was named a Captain and honored with the title "Father of Cuban Aviation."

The stamp was issued 39 years after the flight and just one year before Parlá's death in 1953, giving this issue a particular poignancy. His name is inscribed at the Smithsonian Institution as one of the "Early Birds" of aviation. For collectors of aviation history, Latin American philately, or early flight on stamps, this is a richly storied single from a chapter of aviation history that deserves to be better known.