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A Deed Across the Pond

BACK IN THE 1920S, AVIATORS FROM SEVERAL NATIONS SET OUT TO TAKE UP TO THE SKIES IN AN EFFORT TO FLY EVEN FURTHER. FOUR SPANIARDS FLEW FROM THE IBERIAN PENINSULA TO BUENOS AIRES ABOARD A HYDROPLANE NAMED PLUS ULTRA

TEXT: JORGE OSMANI MORENO PÉREZ PHOTOS: ARCHIVO EXCELENCIAS

Do those traveling comfortably across the Atlantic on board Plus Ultra Líneas Aéreas know that this name is linked to one of the transoceanic feats of Spanish aviation?

The 1920's witnessed the exploits of brave aviators from various nations, who took to the skies with the intention of flying further. Labeled as "the crossing flights", they allowed some intrepid people to show their skills as pilots and, at the same time, to check the efficiency of their flying machines.

In 1919, UK'S John Alcock and Arthur Whitten Brown made the first transatlantic flight over the northern zone aboard a World War I Vickers Vimy bomber, streamlined for the objectives they were pursuing, and which covered 1,890 miles from St. John, Newfoundland, in Canada, to Clifden, Ireland. The itinerary took them about 72 consecutive hours.

Three years later, in 1922, Portugal's Gago Coutinho and Sacadura Cabral set out to cross the Atlantic, this time by the southern zone. They used a Fairey IIID Mk II equipped with a Rolls Royce engine -named Lusitania- trying to travel from Lisbon to Rio de Janeiro. Although the crossing was conceived with several stops, it panned out to be quite an event for the time, even though the flight failed over a series of inconveniences and breakdowns. But there was one element that gave great relevance to the development of aviation: the use, for the first time, of the sextant coupled to the artificial horizon.

Another important event was the one commanded by Spaniard Ramón Franco. He was accompanied by members of his crew: Captain Julio Ruiz de Alda, Lieutenant Juan Manuel Durán and mechanic Pablo Rada.

Ramón Franco, Ruiz de Alda, Durán and Rada became the first Spaniards to cross the Atlantic and the second in the Iberian Peninsula, only preceded by the flight of the Lusitania, by Coutinho and Cabral

The flight included the route Palos de la Frontera-buenos Aires, for which a hydroplane Donier DO J Wal and two 400-HP Napier Lion engines, called Plus Ultra, were used.

Franco began his military life when he entered the Toledo Infantry Academy in 1911. Nine years later, he studied at the Military Aeronautics, where he was certified as a pilot. He was then sent to the seaplane base of Atalayón (Melilla). Decorated with the Military Medal for his role during the Rif War, he was encouraged by the initiative of the Portuguese, so in 1925 he began to make preps to cover the stretch between Spain and Buenos Aires, crossing the Atlantic on the southern side.

Finally, on January 22, 1926, the Dornier Wal Plus Ultra seaplane left from the town of Palos de la Frontera in Huelva for Gran Canaria, a leg that took 8 hours. On the 26th, the second leg began, from Palma de Gran Canaria to Praia on the Cape Verde Islands. After almost 10 hours, the Plus Ultra splashed down in Praia.

Then, the organization of the most critical phase got going: the ocean crossing, that is, overcoming a distance of 2,305 km to the island of Fernando de Noronha (it was essential to reduce the weight of the plane, taking the minimum of fuel required).

This flight went down in aviation history for many reasons; among them, the first time a radio direction finder was used, an instrument that allows pilots to set a course and maintain it without deviations.

About 504 km were flown over land from Fernando de Noronha to Pernambuco, however, a problem came up: about 100 km from the destination, the rear propeller broke and had to be repaired in mid-flight. For this reason, the time of the trip was extended by one hour. On February 4, the city of Rio de Janeiro was able to observe the arrival of the Plus Ultra, at 12:15 noon, which took it to slash the 2,100 km that separated it from the territory where a crowd was waiting for it and gave it a warm welcome. A welcome that would be repeated five days later, when this plane traveled over the calm waters of Guanabara Bay and soared into the skies towards Montevideo.

It was on February 10 when the Spanish pilots set out to reach their final destination: Buenos Aires, where they arrived that same day. The Plus Ultra, which maintained an average speed of 172 km/h, traveled a total of 10,270 km and took 59 hours to reach its destination in Rio de la Plata, where it was given a wonderful welcome. Dozens of small boats accompanied the hydroplane as it glided smoothly through the waters towards the docking point.

Ramón Franco, Ruiz de Alda, Durán and Rada became the first Spaniards to cross the Atlantic and the second in the Iberian Peninsula, only preceded by the flight of the Lusitania, by Coutinho and Cabral. The aerial feat of these four great men was no doubt admirable.

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2020-11-09T08:00:00.0000000Z

2020-11-09T08:00:00.0000000Z

https://revistasexcelencias.pressreader.com/article/282531545927416

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