Medal - Maritime Aviation in Malta

The issue of this medal coincides with the Como to Malta Seaplanes Rally, which was held between 6 and 7^th October 2017.

This seaplanes rally, which is in its second edition, is organised by the Malta Seaplanes Association in collaboration with the Aero Club Como in northern Italy. This rally is reminiscent of the long-distance flying challenges undertaken in the heyday of seaplane flying in the first half of the twentieth century.

On 13 February 1915, Captain Cecil Kilner made the first recorded flight from Malta on a Short Admiralty Type 135 seaplane which was carried by HMS Ark Royal then berthed in Grand Harbour. This event is depicted on the medal’s obverse as a celebration of Malta’s historic ties with maritime aviation. The medal reverse carries the coat of arms of the Central Bank of Malta together with the date of issue 2017.