For such a tiny island like Singapore to have an airport that is ranked the world's best for three successive years is surely a feat worthy of mention in records of civil aviation. Considering that Changi Airport is only in its tenth year of operation this year, the achievement is nothing short of spectacular.

Released this June to commemorate the official opening of Changi Airport Terminal 2, the History of Civil Aviation stamp issue traces the sixty-year history of local civil aviation. Four stamps chronicle the different airports in operation and the significant aircraft during each phase of local aviation history. Befitting the stature of Singapore's airports, all the aerodromes on the lower portion of the stamp designs are printed by recess - the par excellence technique. The stamp values are also printed in recess. The upper portion of the designs showing the aircraft and lionhead are printed in five colours by offset-lithography.

The artist, Leo Teck Chong, drew each aircraft in colour pencil, using the right colours to bring out their aerodynamic features. Boeing 747-400 or Megatop on the 20¢ stamp and Boeing 747-200 on the 75¢ stamp, the aeroplanes of current times, are paired with Changi Airport Terminals 2 and 1 respectively. Both aircrafts are in white with background colours to add to their appeal. The Concorde on the $1 stamp which also features Paya Lebar Airport, makes an impact in sleek grey in a take-off position. The DC-2, the aircraft of the 1930s on the $2 stamp, is coloured brown to give it a dated look. This aircraft hovers over Kallang Airport, Singapore's first civilian aerodrome.

Brown, connoting age and blue, conjuring images of skies, are the theme colours of the first day covers, presentation packs and posters. The first day cover design is a beautiful drawing of an old aircraft in brown. The aircraft, a KLM Fokker F-18, was the aircraft that first linked Singapore directly with Europe in the 1930s. The reverse of the first day cover shows a simple drawing of the Changi Skytrain, transporting collectors into the future.

Brown is also the colour of the outer panels of the presentation pack. An illustration of the Megatop as viewed from the front, is specially gold-stamped on the front of the presentation pack. This illustration is also used for the first day of issue datestamp. Brown and blue fill the inner panels of the presentation pack which has a colourful illustration of the landmark of Changi Airport - its Control Tower. The pack has a die-cut which gives a window view of the stamps. Drawings of old aircraft add interest to the four corners of the pack when opened. The Boeing 747-200 at the back of the pack complete the story of local civil aviation history.

The KLM Fokker F-18 forms the main design of the poster which has background colours of brown and blue. The same drawings of the old aircraft which appear in the presentation pack also frame the corners. The stamps are arranged in a block form with the first day of issue datestamp design printed over the corners of the stamps.

With the beautiful stamp designs, the universal appeal of the theme, its significance for Singapore and the combination of the offset-lithography and recess printing techniques - a first for Singapore stamps - this issue looks set to take off