Aviation and history - p-38
Each year, the series pays tribute to two aircraft that have marked the history of aviation. In 2019, the Concorde and the P-38 are honoured.
Each year, the series pays tribute to two aircraft that have marked the history of aviation. In 2019, the Concorde and the P-38 are honoured.
The year 2019 marks the anniversaries of the first flights of both aircraft. Concorde made its maiden flight 50 years ago, on 2 March 1969; and the P-38 80 years ago, on 27 January 1939. The P-38 is also the aircraft in which French writer-pilot Antoine de Saint-Exupéry disappeared 75 years ago, on 31 July 1944.
The face represents a P-38 turning, springing from the clouds. In the background, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry stands in pilot outfit of the Free French Air Forces. The symbols of the Little Prince dot the face of the coin.
The reverse, common to the series, features the profiles of two pilots, symbolising the different eras and types of use: civil and military. In the sky are several aircrafts, also representing the different eras and uses, in a tribute to the history of aviation. The face value is inscribed on the bottom left of the reverse side, as is the symbol "RF".