On March 23, 2026, La Poste (the French postal service) issued a stamp and a mini-sheet of notes from its Airmail series featuring Elisabeth Boselli, the first woman to earn a fighter pilot's license and holder of several world records flying the Mistral.
A new-generation security ink, fluorescent white, is applied to the stamp. Visible under UV light, it reveals a compass rose. This ink provides an additional layer of technologically advanced security while also offering a distinctive visual signature. Its aesthetic and technical properties create a unique texture that makes each stamp truly one-of-a-kind.
In 1945, at the initiative of Air Minister Charles Tillon, France opened military pilot training to women. Elisabeth Boselli, 31 years old, a graduate of the École des Sciences Politiques (Sciences Po) in 1935, passionate about aviation and a licensed pilot since 1938, seized this opportunity. Enlisting as a second lieutenant in the French Air Force, she trained on several aircraft, including the legendary Dewoitine D.520 fighter, and on February 12, 1946, earned her military pilot's license, number 32939. She was the first French woman to hold this qualification, but she was demobilized the same year after refusing an administrative position, as female personnel were no longer authorized to fly.
In 1952, having already broken several women's altitude records, Élisabeth Boselli rejoined the Air Force and then began jet aircraft qualification training at the fighter pilot school in Meknes, Morocco. She then achieved several world records on Mistral, including the straight-line distance record from Creil to Agadir in 1955, with 2,331 km covered in 3 hours 30 minutes. In 1957, wishing to serve in Algeria, she was assigned to Air Liaison Squadron 54 (ELA 54) on medical evacuation and liaison missions in difficult conditions – which earned her three citations – then to Air Liaison Group 45 (GLA 45), as a postwoman in the sky, ensuring the distribution of mail for the troops on the ground. Having completed 254 peacekeeping missions totaling 729 flight hours, including 89 combat missions, a member of the Aero Club of France since 1948, a recipient of the Legion of Honour, and the Military Valour and Aeronautics Medals, Élisabeth Boselli retired from active service in 1969 with the rank of Captain – First Class Attaché-Editor. She died on November 25, 2005, at the age of 91.
