The motto of the Olympic movement is usually used in German as “Höher, schneller, weiter” (“Higher, faster, further”). These three words, which do not quite correspond to the original, describe both the aspirations of the athletes, those of the aeronautical engineers and courageous aeronauts, and those of the postal administrations, which were urged by their customers to focus on faster mail transport. These three pillars are in focus, with the history of the Olympic movement, presented here in stages from an aerophilatelic point of view, providing the structure. Purely sporting aspects are only rarely referred to.
The volume 1 starts from the first aeronautical competitions during the Olympics in 1900, considers the awarding of Olympic diplomas for aeronautical achievements and the development of airtraffic in connection with the Olympics. Olympic history covered by airmail.