The excuse I found to write this page was this 1936 Pan American Airways booklet promoting Flying Clipper Cruises to Rio. I purchased it on Ebay. I have put the full text and a scan of all pages at the bottom of this article (Click on icon on the right to go directly down to the pamphlet).
Old travel posters and postcards. Brazil has an important role in the story of aviation, not only because of Santos Dumont (Brazil's father of Aviation), but also because Rio de Janeiro was an important destination in so many early routes taken in so many historic voyages including the first trans-Atlantic trips, the famous flying clipper seaplanes (flying boats), the Zeppelins, and many other giant aeroplanes of the 1930s. It was an exciting time.
Just as in the age of sailing vessels and great maritine exploration, Rio became a mandatory stop on all around-the-world and trans-Atlantic voyages. Amelia stopped here and Charles Lindberg too, as did Howard Hughes in his own S-42 flying boat. The great Portuguese aviators, Sacadura Cabral and Gago Coutinho (love those names!), flew to Rio and became heros. Even until the 1970s Rio was one of the three regular destinations of the first and only supersonic airliner, the Concorde. Yes, Rio is rich in aviation lore and history. There is also the fact that I worked only a few short blocks from the Santos Dumont airport in downtown Rio, where so many of these events happened.
Panam Clippers over Rio (S-42s). If there is one company associated with "Flying Boats" and "Clipper" planes it is Pan American Airways. From the USA to Europe, Asia and South America, Panam introduced the world to travel by air and did it with its fabulous flying boats - mainly the 4-engine Sikosky S-42 (10 produced) and the Boeing B-314 (12 produced). These were the planes that ruled the skys in the 1930s. The era of the flying boat was a result of the lack of adequate land-based facilities. Even in the mid-1930s there were less that a dozen long, hard surface cement runways in the world, all other airfields were primitive flat areas with grass runways. This worked fine for small planes, but larger aircraft with much heavier gross weight could not safely land on these soft surfaces - they would sink into the soil and crash, no matter how packed it was. This is why all large airplanes of that period were seaplanes.
The Brazilian Clipper - 822M. The airplane used mostly on the South American route was the Sikorsky S-42. While not as big or famous as the later Boeing 314 flying boat, it was probably a better aircraft, all things considered, or at least for travel to South America where the extreme distances over water were not as much of a problem as in the Pacific Ocean. The problem of distance was so acute that early trans-Atlantic commercial flights were even supported by depot ships stationed at regular intervals across the ocean for refueling and supply. It wasn't until the S-42 and FW-200s were developed that these distances could be flown non-stop. A flying boat could land or take-off anywhere there was a mile of water a few feet deep - preferably calm. The Brazilian Clipper, registration NC-822M, was in fact the plane used by Charles Lindbergh and Boris Sergievski to set eight world records in one day. The S-42 was easily the most advanced aircraft of its time - its streamlined fuselage and hull design made made it both stable and aerodynamically efficient; its wing design incorporated a new airfoil with high lift, low drag and landing flaps (a first for large airplanes), it was powered by 750-horsepower engines with variable-pitch propellers (another first for commercial planes) and it utilized a new engine control system that matched power settings to aircraft weight to compensate for fuel use and load changes. It was a great plane. On its first flight, it covered a distance of 1200 miles - the magical number corresponding to the distance needed to cross both the North and South Atlantic routes. This magnificent plane served from 1934 until 1946, when it was sent to the scrapyard.
The S-42 - Unparalleled luxury. Although not stated in the Pan American Airways pamphlet below, the plane featured is a S-42. The normal configuration was 4 cabins split by a center aisle, with four passenger on each side of a cabin in facing seats, for a total of 8 people per cabin and a total of 32 passengers in all four cabins for the plane (see picture of the cabin in the pamphlet below!). Food and service was not just good, it was great. All planes had a galley and bathrooms. They had sleeping cabins and about double the leg room of tourist class travel in planes today. Notice the water-tight doors and compartments. The passenger entrance was through the roof, near the twin tail, as seen in the second photo.
Although the S-42 four engine plane is the most famous of the Sikorsky clippers, another type was even more used. This was the S-43 model, often called the "Baby Clipper," a scaled-down twin engine version. The S-43 even had an amphibious version, that is, with floats and wheels for both land and water use, which was widely employed in WW2. The S-43 was extensively used all over the world, but particularly in the Hawaiian Islands, the Caribbean and in South America. Unlike both the S-42s and the Boeing 314s, some of the fifty plus S-43 aircraft built still survive today in museums and on airfields. Pictures of Clipper flying boats in Brazil and Rio de Janeiro show both types, but I am not sure of how aircraft were allocated on this route.
The reason that one of the twin-engine Panam S-43s in the Rio pictures featured above look different from the S-43 in other pictures is because it is NOT a Sikorsky S-43. It is a Consolidated Commodore! Oops! This seaplane was used between 1931 and 1935 by Panam on routes to South America as far south as Buenos Aires - so it pre-dates the Sikorshys. In fact, the term clipper was first applied to the Commodore aircraft, not to the Boeings or Sikorshys. The Commodores were designed to carry up to 32 passengers, the final arrangement provided for 22 passengers in two 8 passenger compartments and two drawing rooms each seating three. It seems that for the long trips to South America the number of passengers was reduced to 14 or 16. The crew would consist of pilot, copilot and a combination radio operator/steward. Ample space was also available for mail, express, radio gear and lavatory.
A rare (?) picture of two Panam flying boats together. Here we have a S-42 Sikorsky and Consolidated Commodore in Miami = both out of the water. I bought this on Ebay for $12.00 and it is a picture, not a postcard. I liked it so much that I put a much higher resolution picture here. Click on the photo for a larger version. I don't know where the picture is from, but on back it is stamped with "Berry-Hilton Co. Inc, Roman Pools Casino, 134 - 23rd Street, Miami Beach - Florida" and "No 29". I did a Google search and found a few entries indicating that this was a small casino in the 1930s.
A total of 14 Commodore flying boats were built and it is obvious by the shape and configuration that they were the precursor to the famous PBY Catalina warbirds. Now that I know, it is easy to tell the S-43 from the Commodores because of the frog-like cockpit in the front and their unique double-tail design. Duhhh! 
A great picture from a magazine article. This is a fabulous picture of a 
Another important clarification: the Boeing 314 Clipper was a long-range flying boat used extensively by Panam. It was their biggest and best. Although used in the North Atlantic, it became much more famous for its long flights over the vast Pacific Ocean. As far as I know, this type was never used in Brazil.
The gigantic Dornier Do-X. The age of the flying boat really started with the Dornier Do X. This German flying boat that was the largest, heaviest and most powerful aircraft in the world when it was produced (and they remained so for 15 years until the B-29). In one flight it held over 150 passengers, although the normal compliment was about 60. Three planes of this type were built. In November 1930 a DO-X took off for a promotional trip through Europe then to South America, then north to NY, and from there back to Germany in May 1931. You could have walked (or rowed) this distance in this time. The fact was that the airplane was too heavy, too slow, too thirsty and worst of all, unlucky. Things kept breaking down or falling apart. The plane would sit for weeks in a port waiting for parts. But it was grand! The Do-X's visit to Rio de Janeiro (and later to New York) was one of the great moments in aviation history. The problem was, I think, that engine technology had not yet advanced enough for the grand vision of the designers and engineers. The motors were much too weak (that is why there were 12 of them) and too unreliable for the weight of the huge airplane. I have read that it flew at a height of less than 30 meters for most of its voyages, and usually at half that - that was how underpowered it was. Imagine flying across the Atlantic ocean at 30 feet above the water. This was probably the only airplane in aviation history that had to fly around large ships, not over them.
The rugged JU-52 trimotor. Because of the large numbers of German immigrants to the south of Brazil, there had always been a meaningful commercial relationship between Brazil and Germany. This was particularly true in the 1930s as the Nazi party sought to use this to extend their influence to the strategic South American continent. One of the ways of doing this was the use of aviation to project German power. It was a great propaganda tool. Three types of aircraft are usually associated with this period of history: the Junkers Ju52, the Condor FW200 and the big Zeppelin airships. I have a page here about famous people in Brazil with a story about the fascinating life of the man (the seller of souls) who started German immigration to Brazil: 
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I first became aware of the use of the Junkers tri-motor in Rio de Janeiro from a promotional item on a map (see my collection of maps of the city of Rio de Janeiro here: ) showing the JU-52 on an airfield in Rio. This was not just any JU-52, but a floatplane (seaplane) version. The Ju-52s were still flying in Brazil and many other places throught the world in the late 1950s.
The elegant FW-200 Condor. The main organization responsible for this Germanic influence was the Condor Syndicate, a company created to sell German manufacted goods, including aircraft. In the late 1920s a group of German-Brazilian businessmen in the South of Brazil got together (with Condor support) to form the Varig Airline (Viacao Area Rio Grandense), a company that for the first decade used German planes exclusively (Dornier, Junkers, Messerschmitts and Focke-Wulfs) flown by German pilots. The Condor Syndicate also worked with a Lufthansa subsidiary in Brazil that came to be known as Servicos Aereos Condor. The name of this company was later changed to the more familar name Cruzeiro do Sul. It was this group that brought another famous plane to Brazil: the FW-200 Condor, an advanced and graceful 4-engine airliner built to Lufthansa specifications for long-distance travel. It was a great plane with an exceptional range, but probably not robust enough for war use. There are stories that the Germans were planning to have the Condor built in Brazil under license (as they already did so for some smaller planes) at the Galeao airbase in Rio de Janeiro. The Cruzeiro do Sul Condors were still flying after WW2, until one of them hit a Panair DC-3 on the ground at Santos Dumont Airport in 1947. Traffic accident!
All this Teutonic aerial activity greatly bothered the Roosevelt administration in Washington. The Americans were increasingly alarmed by the high visibility of German presence in Brazil, particularly in the fields of commerce and aviation. In fact, Panam's entry into the South American market was actively encouraged (both diplomatically and financially) by the US government as a counter-weight to expanding German interests.
German airplanes flying the skys of Brazil was bad, but it would get worse. The Germans had an ace propaganda card that would put the swastika in front of every face in the world, something they had and no one else: the great Zeppelin airships - and the greastest of these was the Graf Zeppelin - and the Graf Zeppelin was the flagship of the Germany-Brazil transatlantic route. Of all the great dirigibles built by the US, Britian and Germany, no other ship even comes close to the Graf Zeppelin in terms of trips, distances and number of passengers carried. It made 144 trips accross the Atlantic.
Pictures of the Graf Zeppelin over Rio de Janeiro. It is difficult today to imagine the visual impact of these huge airships. Not only are we removed almost 70 years in time, but this technology has mostly disappeared except in the form of the small blimps (like the famous Goodyear lighter-than-air helium-filled airships). Modern blimps are nice, but they are toys compared to the rigid-frame dirigibles of the 1920s and 30s. They were huge; they were astounding; they were special. A zeppelin in the air over a large urban center was like a big sign saying "we are the greatest" - and they were. It was kind of like the huge alien spaceships floating over the capital cities of the world in the movie Independence Day - that was basically the effect of a zeppelin overhead in the 1930s.
Two very common postcards from the 1930s. More views of the Graf Zeppelin over Rio - except there is a problem - they are fake photos. The big airships were so impressive that people couldn't resist making them even more impressive. Obviously these picture use the same original image and have superimposed it over downtown Rio (Cinelandia, in front of the Municipal Theathre) and Flamengo Beach with Sugarloaf in the background. A nice visual effect, but totally forged.
After thinking about it for a few minutes, I decided that the first picture of the gigantic Do-X above, over Botafogo, is also probably fake. It is a very common postcard, but it is not right. Given the aerodynamics of that seaplane, and the limited space for takeoff from Botafogo, it had to be fake. In a few minutes I found the original picture on the Internet of the Do-X taking off in Germany (see inset in picture here) that was used to make this photo. Also the Corcovado statue is clearly visible, but it wasn't finished until the end of 1931, almost a year after the Dornier's visit. Fake! In Portuguese this is called a foto-montagem. I decided to make my own version which I present here: it is the original photo of Botafogo bay, the original fake Do-X, the take-off picture from Germany, six more Do-Xs, and what-the-heck, a Concorde too! It also is a fake! maybe!
The old Zeppelin hanger is still there, 70 years later....
In the 1970s, once in a while I would drive south of Rio de Janeiro about 30 miles, beyond Barra da Tijuca, Grumari and past the Restina. There one finds a rural suburb called Santa Cruz. Well, in the 1970s, the huge hanger built for the Graf Zeppelin was still there. It was built in 1937 (I think?) so it was only used for about two years because all zeppelin flights were suspended after the Hindenburg tragedy. Here are some pictures from that location and also from the Brazilian Air Force (FAB) base at Campo dos Afonsos (where, in case you are interested in historic planes and pioneer aviation, there is a great aviation museum with a very nice collection of planes from all over the world.) It seems that the Zeppelin would dock at either Santa Cruz or Campo dos Afonsos because there was no level, clear land any closer to downtown Rio (just like in the US, where the zeppelins had to dock in New Jersey instead of anywhere closer to New York City, and where the Hindenburg met its tragic end). Just for fun I looked at GoogleEarth photos of the Santa Cruz area, and yes, the huge hanger is still there (see thumbnail) almost 70 years after the last zeppelin voyage to Brasil. Incredible! This structure - with doors 50 meters high weighting 80 tons each (they still work!) - is the last existing Zeppelin hangar in the world!
Here are two great items from an auction on ebay. These are 1935 route maps showing Lufthansa airplane and zeppelin traffic. Unfortunately, I was not able to acquire them. There are some very serious zeppelin memorabilia collectors out there that wanted them much more than I, or at least had a lot more money (not hard to happen!). Oh yes, I understand that up in Natal, in the state of Rio Grande do Norte (the northeast corner of Brazil, where it is closest to Africa) the old zeppelin mooring mast and tower still exist - more relics of a bygone age.
Santos Dumont Airport in the Center of Rio. Anyway, back to Rio de Janeiro in the 1930s. It became clear to city officials that Rio needed an airport - all great cities were building airports. It just so happened that Rio had just torn down its most historic hill (Morro do Castelo, where the city was founded and the oldest buildings were) and was using the earth as a landfill for a new commercial and government area. The idea also was that part of this new reclaimed area (aterro) would be sold to payoff the city government's debts. Anyway, after a few changes, including the idea of building a "Statue of Liberty-like" monument on the location (and which ended up as a Christ statue on Corcovado instead) it was decided that the new landfill would be the perfect place for an airport, and because it was on Guanabara Bay, it could serve both land-based and flying boat aircraft. So around 1930 it was built and named in honor of Mr. Santos Dumont. Note: I have a page about the criminal destruction of Castelo Hill and another webpage that takes a humorous look at the building of the Corcovado statue and the little known project to put a big monument on the edge of the bay, found on this page: .
The Terminal buildings, old and new. As I have mentioned before, I worked on Rua Santa Luzia for over 10 years in the downtown area where Castelo Hill used to be. This is only about three short blocks to the airport, so I would walk over once in a while to watch the planes or I would go there to take the shuttle (ponte aerea) to Sao Paulo. Santos Dumont is very convenient for the cariocas. The original terminal was built in the 1930s was on the edge of the bay and was basically intended for the flying boats (first picture, on left). I am not sure but I think this building still exists and is part of the "Clube da Aeronautica" complex next to the airport. This is a FAB (Brazilian Air Force) club for military service personnel. This would have been the building used for Pan American Clipper passengers arriving in Rio de Janeiro. It was the building of many large airfields throughout the planet - mainly as a consequence of the World War II - that brought the era of the flying boats to an end. Later, in the 1950's, I think (?), the newer and present building was built, also seen here in two old postcards.
One thing I will never forget was the huge mural painting inside the terminal on one side of the main lobby depicting the history of aviation, with dozens of different planes, balloons, dirigibles and even helicopters in different situations. It was an artistic disaster. It was visually offensive because it had no theme and the drawings were so bad - the object sizes, angles and perspectives were all wrong. The airspace was very crowded and planes flew in all directions at all heights. The basic idea was to fill every space some kind of flying object - identified or not. Even the choice of planes is weird: along with the normal and expected airplanes - DC-3s, 14-bis, Connies - there are a bunch of less-known types - Vampires and Cutless fighter jets, flying boxcars, British Comets and B-47s, to name a few. The painting was so bad that it was fascinating! It was pure kitsch! I heard that there was a fire in the terminal and this priceless piece of art (?) was destroyed. I have never seen a picture of it, but I will never forget it! Note: After spending an hour doing image searches on the Internet, I found a partial picture of the mural. The picture is from a very good site about historic Rio de Janeiro but it shows less than 50% of the mural, and it is dark and vague, but it gives you the general idea of the appearance of the artistic catastrophe that at one time decorated the Santos Dumont Airport lobby. Oh yes: the title of this painting was: Air Traffic Controllers Nightmare!
Here are a few more photographs of Santos Dumont airport. The first is a large high-resolution satellite picture showing the airport in 2004 (?). The other two images are old pictures showing the airport and its location on Guanabara Bay and relative to the center of the city of Rio de Janeiro.
; a 1934 map by a Panam pilot showing the center and airport locations for Pan American Airways and the Condor Syndicate in the Caju area 
and a 1935 map showing the center again, with Serviço Aereo Condor and Junker J52 advertisements 
. If you want more maps of the City of Saint Sebastian of Rio de Janeiro, here is a link to my 'Maps of Rio' page on this site: .
If one writes about aviation in Rio and Santos Dumont airport, one must mention the Electras. For over 30 years, day after day, hour after hour, dozens of times per day, a fleet of Lockheed Electras provided an air bridge (known as the Ponte Aerea) between Brazil's two largest cities: Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo. Millions have people travelled on these 4 engine turboprop planes - and never a fatal accident. That is a record that is hard to match. Finally, in the 1990s, the Electras were retired after decades of faithful service. They will be missed!
Ugly but beloved. I would also like to say a word about another fabulous airplane that served for so many years in Brazil and even became a symbol of the Brazilian Air Force in the Amazon region. This was the World War 2 era PBY Flying Boat, usually called the Catalina. After the war, Brazil acquired a fleet of these great planes and used them for over 30 years to serve the remote villages and indigenous populations of the Amazon Forest. The Catalinas were ideal aircraft for taking supplies and medical support to these locations - all that was needed was a little water, and the Amazon has thousands of rivers of all sizes. The arrival of the FAB Catalina was to hundreds of villages a much anticipated and celebrated event. In the 1970s these historic aircraft were finally taken out of service. There was a nice ceremony in Rio de Janeiro as the last amphibian was donated to a museum. This ugly but graceful plane will also be missed. You can see one of these planes and many other historic aircraft in Brazil if you visit the Brazilian Aerospace Museum (Museu Aeroespacial) at Campo dos Afonsos Air Force base in the suburb of Marechal Hermes, Rio de Janeiro. I went there many times when I lived in Rio and it has a great collection of antique planes and aviation artifacts of all types. I have even included a satellite picture of the airfield from GoogleEarth showing the museum. Here is also a link to their Internet site: .
Before I end this section I would like to say a word about two very important airlines in Brazilian Aviation history. The first is Panair, which started out as small airline established to serve New York, Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires under the horrible name 'NYRBA airlines' and was taken over by Pan American Airways and given the name 'Panair do Brasil'. What was initially a small local subsidiary of Panam became much more important as an instrument to counter Germanic influence in both Varig and Condor airlines. Panair received the backing of both the American and Brazilian governments, using mostly S-42s and Commodores, made in the USA of course. Panair was very successful and soon became the preeminent airline of Brazil. More than any other airline, Panair was responsible for bringing aviation to the common people - well, at least the middle class. By the late 1940s, the Brazilians had taken control of the company, and it was for all purposes the unofficial official airline of Brazil.
The Constellation - affectionately known as the "Connie". The growth of Panair was natural because air travel is highly suitable for a country with the population, great distances and natural barriers found in Brazil. All that was needed was a plane that was suitable for all aspects of aviation. This came in the form of the famous Douglas DC-3 (or C-47 in the military version, also called the Dakota as in 'Douglas Aircraft Company Transport Aircraft'). Thousands of these highly efficient, simple, robust and economical planes were made and hundreds were available after the war as surplus. They could be bought for less than $10,000. More than any plane in history, the DC-3 changed aviation. At one time over 90% of the world's commercial airline fleet were DC-3s.
I have a cousin in Brasil - Rubens - who flew DC-3s for the CAN - Correio Aereo Nacional (Air Mail Service) in the 1960s and 70s. He had great stories of emergency landings, improvised repairs and "seat-of-the-pants" flying. There is even a story of a FAB DC-3 taking off with more than 90 people on board. Is it possible? We would sometimes go the the Jacarepagua airport to fly, and there were plenty of DC-3s parked there in the 1980s, and even an old Curtis Commander C-46.
Panair brings jets to Brazil. The 1950s were the golden years of Panair: as it grew it introduced new and better planes, including the fabulous Lockheed Constellation (known and loved as 'the Connie' - certainly one of the most beautiful planes ever to take to the sky!), DC-6, DC-7s and the first jets - Douglas DC-8s. Panair, according to its staff, was as good as any airline in the world.
Back to Panair - by the 1960s, however, things had changed and Panair crashed - financially! There are two basic stories for this reversal of fortune:
On the ground, in Arizona. After the tragic demise of Panair, Varig picked up its equipment and international routes and became Brazil's flagship airline. In a few years it became almost as much a symbol of Brazil as the yellow and green flag. I have flown on Varig many times; it was a well-run company, at least in the 1960s through the 1990s. Like Panair, Varig at its best was as good as any airline in the world, and like Panair, it was loved both by its employees and passengers.
History repeats itself... Unfortunately Varig too was fallen on hard times (just like other traditional brazilian carriers of the 1960,70s and 80s - VASP, Cruzeiro do Sul and Transbrasil). Bad management, changing economic conditions, competition from lower cost carriers has put Varig into bankruptcy. In a strange way it is the Panair story repeating itself, with a few variations, of course. Strangely enough, much of Varig's fleet is sitting on a desert runway in Goodyear Arizona, not too far from where I live (see photos above - I counted 10 planes!).
(Note: Thinking about Varig reminds me of the rumors that circulated in Brazil after a Varig 707 went down in Paris. It was a famous crash and for months there were these stories about what really happened: A) that a passenger was smoking in the bathroom and put a lighted cigarette in the trash which caught fire; B) that the Brazilian Air Force was shipping a defective missile back to France and it exploded and C) that it was a bomb designed to kill Filinto Muller, head of the Brazilian Senate and one-time chief of Getulio Vargas's secret police. Yes, I think that one day I will have to write a story about rumors in Brazil, like how General Castelo Branco's plane was destroyed by a bomb; how Costa e Silva (another General turned president) was really shot at the Jockey Club; about what really happened to Tancredo Neves; the real cause of Glauber Rochas's death; the stories about the governor of Sao Paulo - Ademar de Barros - and his naked girl safaris; the true story of JK and his secretary; and so on....). But I digress - lets get back to planes and aviation.
You have come a long way, baby. Aviation is still important in Brazil, and Brazil is very important to aviation. Few people realize this, but Brazil is the 3rd largest airplane manufacturer in the world. Let me quote from Wikipedia: Embraer, the Empresa Brasileira de Aeronáutica S.A. is a Brazilian aircraft manufacturer. The company produces commercial, military, and corporate airplanes. It was Brazil's largest exporter from 1999 to 2001 and is one of the three main exporters in Brazil. Among aircraft manufacturers, it currently has the fourth largest workforce (behind Boeing, Airbus and Bombardier), and the third largest yearly delivery of commercial airplanes (behind Boeing and Airbus). The company is headquartered in São José dos Campos, São Paulo with its main production facilities and engineering/design offices there also. Embraer also has a production plant in Gavião Peixoto, São Paulo state, where major components are manufactured and flight testing is conducted. This facility's runway is the longest in Latin America. Embraer has maintenance and commercial sites in the USA and commercial offices in France, Singapore and China. As of September 30, 2005, Embraer has a workforce of 17,046 people... and a firm order backlog totalling US$ 10.4 billion. On May 3, 2005, the company announced plans to introduce two new aircraft models, dubbed Phenom 100 and 300, in the business aviation market. The aircraft will complement the super mid-size Legacy 600 in the Very Light and Light segments (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embraer).
I am quite familiar with Embraer, having visited ITA in Sao Jose dos Campos on a field trip while still in Ginasio Estadual Vocacional Oswaldo Aranha in 1964 (?) when it was just beginning to take the first steps in the world market. ITA (Instituto de Tecnologia da Aeronautica) was, and is still considered to be, the best engineering school in Brazil - modeled after MIT - even if you have to be nissei to be admitted - a joke! Later my brother-in-law worked for Embraer for a while after that company signed the first technical agreements with Piper (under a nationalist policy known as reserva de mercado or "market reserve"). This ended the reign of the much beloved Cessna light aircraft in Brazil. Still later, after Embraer turboprops and jets became a force in the world market, they selected a small, remote town near Araraquara in the interior of the State of Sao Paulo as the site of their new, modern plant. Now how many gringos not only know about Gaviao Peixoto, but have actually been there in the 1970s and 1980s when it was a village of 750 people, 345 cows, 112 dogs and one mean bull that had gored my sister-in-law's brother? Yes, my in-laws, the Torresani's, are from Gaviao. Small world! I still remember a city official proudly showing me a huge old German generator (Siemens?) installed in the local powerplant about the year 1910. I once mentioned to an Allied Signal / Honeywell executive that worked with Embraer that I knew where Gaviao Peixoto was, and he was amazed.
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Plane 1. Dornier Do-X (1930) 2. Consolidated Commodore (1931) 3. Junkers J-52 (1933) 4. Sikorsky S-42 Flying Clipper (1935) 5. Sikorshy S-43 Baby Clipper (1936) 6. Douglas DC-3 (1936) 7. Boeing 314 Clipper (1937) 8. PBY Catalina (1937) 9. Focke-Wulf Condor FW-200 (1938) 10. Lockheed Constellation (1945) 11. Lockheed Electra L-188 (1958) 12. Graf Zeppelin LZ-127 (1928) |
Engines 12x600hp 2x 575hp 3x 750hp 4x 660hp 2x 750hp 2x1200hp 4x1600hp 2x1200hp 4x1200hp 4x3400hp 4x3500hp 5x500hp |
Weight 50,000kg 7,900kg 10,000kg 17,300kg 8,500kg 12,000kg 38,000kg 16,000kg 20,000kg 30,000kg 40,000kg - x - |
Span/length 48m/40m 30m/20m 29m/19m 36m/20m 26m/16m 29m/20m 46m/32m 32m/20m 33m/24m 38m/35m 30m/31m 30m/236m |
Speed/range 200kph/2000km 170kph/1600km 200kph/ 900km 250kph/3000km 250kph/1200km 270kph/1600km 300kph/5800km 300kph/4000km 250kph/3000km 320kph/4800km 600kph/3500km 100kph/12000km |
Pass/crew 150/12 16/2 18/3 36/4 15/2 28/2 86/11 9 25/5 95/5 100/3 24/40 |
Here is an opportunity for a real vacation - something unique in the travel world - an opportunity that travelers have never been offered before. A cruise through lands that tourists seldom reach-down half the world to Rio - along this royal skyroad to romance in the Flying Clipper Ships. Imagine - 12,000 wonder-filled miles to glamorous Rio de Janeiro and back again in the luxury of these giant transocean flying boats, sisterships to the Pan American Clipper, pioneer of the first airway across the Pacific to the Orient! ... Half the living map of the Western Hemisphere unrolling before your eyes, life-size, in full color. Ten different, appealing countries. ... 30 magic cities ... through the "new world" of Columbus and Magellan, of Spanish Conquistadores, of pirates and buccaneers; lands of strange peoples, magnificent scenery, new and different customs, musical languages. Through the West Indies and the Spanish Main . . . over jungle empires ... the Guianas and Devil's Island ... across the equator and the Amazon . . . down Brazil's amazing coastline to the glittering capital of Rio de Janeiro, goal of world travelers since the New World was first discovered. A living panorama of great cities, quaint colonial ports, nooks and corners of a world that few travelers have ever looked upon. Seeing these things and doing these things with guides, aloft and ashore, who have traveled this sky route for years, who know peoples and places, unusual things to do and see. Flying for the most part only in daylight hours, each night is spent ashore at a splendid hotel or in one of the modern, up-to-the-minute Pan American Airway Inns. An overnight stop at San Juan, Puerto Rico; in Port of Spain, Trinidad; at Belem, Para at the mouth of the Amazon; at Recife, one of the oldest capitals of the Americas, in Brazil. Shorter stops at a dozen other points. Where, in an equal amount of time, and for so little, could one find an equal travel opportunity? Only the magic of wings makes such a journey possible. Ten vacations packed into one; through ten alluring countries, 10,000 sights and sounds and experiences assembled for one amazing holiday. Ten times the scope of the usual "trip."
Of all the wonders of aviation none can equal the opportunity it offers the pleasure traveler. Now, just beyond that old familiar horizon - yesterday's travel limits - lie the thirty-three lands of the southern Americas. Cuba and Colombia, Haiti and Honduras, Panama and Peru, Mexico and Martinique, Chile, Brazil, Argentina. What pictures these names conjure . . . what thrilling historical pageantry they represent . . . of Columbus, Cortez, Pizarro, San Martin and Bolivar - of Inca and Maya and Aztec - of Bluebeard and Cap'n Kidd - lands with whose names we have lived since childhood, yet only dreamed of ever seeing. Magic? Miami is but overnight from New York or Chicago, then a few hours more will take you to tropical lands of romantic legends, thrilling beauty, strange customs, sights and sounds and scenes unlike anywhere else on the face of the globe. Within a single day on this air cruise route you span the West Indies, fly over and into four countries. Another few hours on the second day takes you over the western Caribbean to Port of Spain on the island of Trinidad, just off the South American mainland. In three days you are cruising above the Guianas, unknown to travelers until the coming of the airliners, along primeval jungle lands to Para at the mouth of the great Amazon. In four days you have reached the Equator, passed into another hemisphere. Different stars are overhead, different lands and people below. Five incredible days take you 7,000 miles from your home to the fairy capital of Brazil. In five days to Rio. . . . Board a giant airliner of Eastern Air Lines or other connecting services. The fastest trains of the south also connect at Miami.
In a single wonder-filled day - Cuba, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico! Scarcely are you aloft over Biscayne Bay, when you are already into a different world. Slowly the skyscrapers of Miami, symbols of the bustling work-a-day existence you are leaving, slip below the horizon. Then picturesque Keys of lower Florida. Multi-colored sunlit waters of the Bahamas through which Columbus first cruised. The indigo blue of the Gulf Stream, then Cuba's foliage-covered coast. Vistas of checkered fields of sugar cane, palm covered mountains. On over the famous Windward Passage, green mountains rising from the Sea. Haiti - the magic island! Land of busy market places, throbbing drums, flamboyant foliage, eerie customs, mystic air. The colorful and noisy welcome at the landing pier. Off again, directly over Haiti's lovely valleys, and the rolling countryside of the Dominican Republic, the land Columbus loved. The ancient city of Santo Domingo, now Ciudad Trujillo, first white man's capital in the new world and in whose ancient Cathedral Columbus lies buried, where the crumbling walls of his castle still stand. Into the port of San Pedro de Macoris, heart of ancient Hispianola's sugar industry. A few minutes more over Mona passage, then the round topped mountains of Puerto Rico, the storied land of Ponce de Leon. A landing in San Juan harbor, below the ancient Morro. Through the quaint city, a curious blend of modern American and ancient Spanish, to the Condado Hotel on the ocean. Here your first night ashore. Dinner on the patio, dancing beneath the stars, a swim in the pool, or in the surf at the Cabana Club. Then sleep under the lull of murmuring palms and the cooling trade winds of this historic island.
Soaring out of San Juan harbor, the Flying Clipper Ships take up once more their steady shifting of a glorious panorama. The glistening walls and many colored roofs of the ancient city. The Puerto Rican countryside. The picturesque harbor of St. Croix, in the Virgin Isles. Rolling vistas of indigo sea, of tropic cloud-flecked skies. Time for a rubber of bridge or two, a bit of bullion, a chapter perhaps in your book of the moment. Then the headlands of the great South American continent break above the horizon. Soon the Grenadines slip into sight and the lovely harbor of Port of Spain, cross roads of the eastern Caribbean, into which your Clipper glides to a graceful landing. Trinidad! Almost the entire day still lies ahead of you for exploring the wonders of this famous island. From your comfortable quarters of the Airway Inn, at the historic Queen's Park Hotel, a limousine takes you through the interesting residential section of this busiest port in the British West Indies. White jacketed British Colonials, turbaned Hindus, smiling Chinese, giant South Africans and picturesque Javanese rub elbows on the streets. Bicycles, ox carts, old-fashioned victorias dispute the highroad the latest model motor cars from the States. Native shops that teem with unique bits of artistry from the ends of the earth. Then out through the country-side, over the "Saddle" dividing the Santa Cruz and Maraval Valleys. A visit to the Botanical Gardens, world-famous for its rare tropic blossoms. Past Government House and the lovely "Queen's Park." Still ample time left for a dip in the famous "Blue Hole," or in one of the picturesque coves along the shore; for a round of golf on the sporty seaside course, a set of tennis or two - or shopping. Dinner in the evening at the Pan American Airway Inn - Queens Park Hotel; dancing if you wish, or a lazy evening in the gardens. Trinidad! At the end of the Spanish Main.
Flying into the breath-taking sunrise of the tropics from port of Spain, the coastline of the southern continent looms through the early light, the goal which, four centuries ago, drew the historic caravels of discovery and conquest.
Beneath, the jungle-covered coast of Venezuela, the myriad mouths of the muddy Orinoco. Birds of every brilliant hue flash against the dark green background of the jungle foliage. Shimmering swarms of flying fish, startled by the roar of the Clipper's engines, spring from the rippled surface, to move, a flashing silver cloud, over the chocolate-colored water of the sea. Out of the jungle beyond unfolds the living history of mankind. For hours the Clipper wings over this land few travelers have ever looked upon, one of the supreme travel treats of the western world. Georgetown, capital of Great Britain's Guiana, at the red mouth of a racing jungle river ... Georgetown, famous for its rum, its diamonds, coffee, hard woods and copra. Then on across the flooded rice fields and the neat canals of Dutch Guiana, to a landing at quaint Paramaribo, on the banks of the Suriname ... colorful bush negroes, costumed Javanese, swarming dugouts. Aloft again the Clipper crosses French Guiana, best known to all the world for its notorious penal colony, Devil's Island. Southward along the coast to the delta of the Amazon, twice as wide as Lake Erie. Over this mightiest of rivers you cross the Equator; qualifying for the coveted "Certificate from Juniter Rex" and membership in his exclusive set of "gods of the sky." A tan-hued ocean, dotted with strange sailing craft, plodding freighters. Curious river boats mark the course up the great river to the landing at Belem, Para, airport of entry for Brazil and the Clipper's third day goal. Twenty years ago Para controlled the world's supply of rubber. "Black gold" poured through the streets as the Amazon pours by her portals today, flowing out of that incredible Amazon valley whose jungle presses the city's streets. Here stand the "castles that rubber built," among them, the proud old Grande Hotel, now with its smart Airway Inn.
MEALS SERVED ALOFT, STEWARDS IN ATTENDANCE, YOUR LUGGAGE CARED FOR, RESTFUL COMFORT, LUXURIOUS TRAVEL EASE, BROAD-VISIONED WINDOWS
Traveling aboard the famous Clipper Ships is a coveted experience in itself. Largest, finest aerial transports in the world, these are great transocean flying boats. Their appointments are a revelation of what modern travel luxury can be. In their four spacious cabins, sound-proofed and automatically ventilated, are roomy accommodations for thirty-two passengers. Their soft divan-like seats are fitted to full-visioned windows. Passengers may move about in utter freedom, stroll along the 50 foot aisle from cabin-to-cabin, or into the smoking and lounge compartment. Built for service over ocean routes these huge streamlined flying boats, weighing 19 tons, are aerial giants, their four engines more powerful than an average locomotive, their dimensions larger than ships in which Columbus first crossed the Atlantic.... Each carries a crew of six, Captain and three flying officers, a purser and cabin steward, trained to anticipate your every need or desire. In addition, the cruise ships carry a special escort to serve as your guide aloft as well as ashore. Over this eastern airway, one of the great aerial trade routes of the Pan American Airways System, along the pioneer trails blazed by Lindbergh to the lands of the West Indies and Central and South America, you travel along great highways of the sky, reared by the outstanding air transport system of the world. You are under the watchful care of 3,000 trained experts who are stationed through 39 countries to speed your airliner and its important cargoes between the continents. Over the romantic trails of Columbus, of Spanish Conquistadores, of swashbuckling pirateers, of "Clipper Ships" of another age, you speed along radio-guarded routes to arrive at your destination, entranced at the ease of your passage, refreshed and enthusiastic for the holiday ahead just as more than five hundred thousand other Pan American passengers have flown two hundred million miles along these airways that link the Americas. On these Flying Clipper Cruises you experience none of the inconveniences usually associated with foreign travel. Port formalities are simplified. A special attendant cares for your luggage. Expert Guides are in constant attendance aloft and ashore. And all arrangements are made in advance to assure your comfort, to add the last possible measure of enjoyment to your voyage. And how easy it is to travel this modern way! From the moment you make your reservation until you have returned home again your voyage is a revelation of what modern, personalized, transportation can mean. To assure the same excellence of service that you enjoy aboard the Clipper Ships, the Pan American Airways System has provided a series of "Airway Inns" at the principal overnight stop-over points of the air route to Rio. Modern annexes, or modernized whole floors of historic hotels, these are a new treat for international travelers. Up to the minute in accommodations and service they provide the same comforts and conveniences you enjoy at the finest hotels in North American cities. They have in addition, a particular interest in the aerial travelers and are concerned only with making their overnight stay an enjoyable addition to their aerial voyage.
Winging smoothly on from Para into the Southern Hemisphere, the Clipper brings you the living scenic glory of the largest country in the Americas, of the third largest country in the world - gigantic Brazil. A quarter of a million square miles larger than the United States, it covers half of the entire southern continent... Yet it is a land few travelers had reached until the airplane brought it as close to New York as is our own Pacific Coast by rail. Gliding along the endless coastline of this great land, one catches glimpses of an untouched world. Mysterious miles of jungle rivers, glistening coral beaches a hundred miles in length, tiny isolated villages, caravans of bullock-carts. Seaports, old before America was new, hamlets, cities. Mountains appear, the first since Trinidad. The Clipper lands in Sao Luiz, famed the world over for its laces. Here two centuries ago, the first coffee tree was planted in Brazil, now the world's greatest coffee country. Then Natal, one of the most unusual of the world's busy cross-roads - terminal of the transatlantic air mail! . . . Who but the aerial traveler knows that the South Atlantic is but a lake, and Africa only hours away? Another two hours and the Flying Clipper Ship slips behind the breakwater at Recife, to end another day of wonder-filled voyaging. Still, ahead are hours of daylight, a long evening and a beckoning night to explore this, "Venice of South America." From its primeval forests came 20,000 species of hard woods; from its fertile soil came California's first oranges, today come the world's principal supplies of cotton, of cocoa, of other essentials; from its inland streams come almost every kind of precious and semi-precious stone-and the priceless "black diamond," the most precious of all. For over 400 years Brazil has been a great treasure land, tremendous areas of it still unexplored, a fabulous source of natural wonders.
At Recife a new world begins, a world of colossal proportions. Rolling sand dunes, endless to the horizon. A grove of majestic palm trees hundreds of miles in length. Mountains, a continent building up its strength against the ocean. Big cities. Salvador, Bahia, with its uptown and downtown elevators, its crowded river front, a church for every day in the year... the first capital of the southern world, a hundred years old before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth. Even this far away the natives answer each enthusiastic acclaim of some local point of beauty with the phrase: "But wait until you see Rio!" To every true Brazilian Rio de Janeiro represents the heaven-on-earth he must see at least once in his lifetime. And in every mile along that remarkable coast the stories increase in earnestness. Could such a city ever exist? The medley of age-old lighthouses, native fishing boats daring the white-capped surf, ancient fortresses, historic ports, clouds of brilliant plumaged birds, intensify in color. Green mantled mountains appear to race toward the ocean's edge. Rich-hued fields mantle the earth. Streaks of tan and brown dot the peacock blue waters of the ocean. Motor highways, strips of white, cross and criss-cross; winding rivers like bands of shimmering metal. Victoria, a hill-bordered seaport. Gradually ocean, mountains. rivers, roads, all seem to point in one direction. Climaxing the matchless panorama of Brazil's prismatic forests, mysterious rivers, colorful seaports, bustling villages, far ahead a new medley of brilliance flashes and whirls. Incredibly sea, mountains, sky meet amid a multitude of figures, myriad bits of color dance in the sunlight. Then the whole, magnificent expanse bursts forth. . . . Rio! Circling the beautiful harbor in a Flying Clipper Ship as it settles in toward a landing.... Like an immense paint-spotted canvas of blue water, silver sand, green trees, red roofs, pink and blue and white walls, the city seems to be turning slowly 'round like a color wheel. Then closer, the bizarre architecture of its great buildings, its spacious boulevards, even the fantastic inlay patterns of its sidewalks stand out sharply. But Rio is unreal from the air, it can not be. To explore it, to stroll along its palm-lined boulevards, to climb its fantastic mountains, to lounge in its sidewalk cafes while the world parades by, is a travel adventure long to remember, unlike anything else on the face of the globe.
No city in the world has ever been successfully compared with this amazing capital of Brazil, the second largest metropolis on the southern continent. Its fantastic pattern spreads across sixty square miles weaving in and out among grotesque peaks and symmetrically curved beach thrust from the foot of rugged green mountains. From the center of this picture the world famous cone of Sugar Loaf Mountain rises eleven thousand feet out of the Bay. Across the water lies Corcovado, the "hunch-back" mountain, surmounted by a colossal statue of The Saviour, the largest christian statue in the world. Beyond is Tijuca and the fantastic shapes of the Organ Mountains and their "awe-inspiring Finger of God." And Rio's streets and buildings are worthy of this striking setting. Facing the sea is a promenade of white marble five miles long. The sidewalks along its main thoroughfare are paved with colored tiles set in fanciful patterns. Palatial buildings of superb architecture stand everywhere the tourist may turn. Broad public squares, ornamented with splendid monuments, fountains and lovely formal gardens add to the holiday appearance of this wonder city. In it live two million inhabitants, Cariocas, who take an inordinate pride in their capital and in the gracious hospitality proffered by its comfortable hotels, luxurious casinos, marvelous beaches, its unique race course. Rio - acclaimed for generations in song and story - is rapidly becoming the preferred South American resort for the international traveler. And the Flying Clipper Cruises to Rio were designed to allow the traveler not only a panorama of the interesting lands on this skyway to the southern continent, but leisurely hours in which to do what you please, to go where you wish in this remarkable city. Your accommodations are reserved at the splendid Hotel Gloria, midway between the heart of the city and the beaches, handy for any objective you may select. On the two weeks cruise, with its three days in Rio, limousines call for you at the hotel, after your first night ashore, for an escorted drive about the city, a general tour to form the basis for the explorations you will want to make on your own. First along the Avenida Rio Branco, Rio's "Fifth Avenue," a wide, resplendent boulevard, through the heart of the city. To make it an artistic pattern for builders to follow throughout all of Rio required the razing of six hundred buildings! Along its tree-shaded mozaic sidewalks are Rio's famous shops, stocked with goods from the five continents. . . . Here is the center of the city's sophisticated life. Then on past the National Library, the School of Arts, the beautiful Municipal Theatre. Along Flamengo and Botafogo Beaches to the world-famous Copacabana Beach. Past still other lovely beaches, to the beautiful Jockey Club for a visit to the race course, one of the finest in the world. A visit to the Botanical Gardens. Through famous streets to the Government Palace, the ancient aqueduct, the lovely Republica Gardens. A stop at the interesting National Museum. Then back to the hotel, by way of Praca II de Junho, Praca de Republica, Rua Marechal Floriana and the Avenida Rio Branco once more. You will have uncovered a thousand points of interest, spotted a dozen shops to visit, a hundred other sights to see. And the afternoon and evening hours are yours to spend as you please, with a guide alert to direct you on any plan you may devise. On the second day, the limousine will call for you once more to take you to Praia Vermelha, for the exciting climb by cable car up to the summit of the famous Sugar Loaf Mountain. The trip is made in two stages, a five minute ride to the top of Urca, five hundred feet up. Then another five minutes to the peak of Sugar Loaf itself. Before you spreads a fascinating panorama of the great city and its surrounding country, mountains and sea. Again an opportunity to plan another eventful, exciting afternoon before you return to the lower station and thence to the hotel. You may decide to revisit some shop, some museum, but let us recommend a visit to one of the magnificent beaches . . . lazing beneath the benign sun, pillowed on snow white sand . . . hours that will glide by all too swiftly. Then an invigorating dip in the surf to tone you up for Rio's gay cocktail hour when the fashionable city goes on parade.... The entire third day is unplanned, that you may do all the things you still want to do, visit this shop or that, this cafe or that club for one last round of gayety-before your departure in the morning for the airbase and the swift but leisurely air cruise north that carries you back to Miami in four days. For those on the three weeks cruise, these same choice trips are provided. Then, so varied are the attractions of this interesting land, each traveler is left free to plan his or her own holiday. Any arrangements may be made in Rio or before leaving home. Perhaps you will wish to travel farther. The ten days at your command will enable you, if you wish, to visit Sao Paulo, the "New York" of Brazil, and Santos, the world's greatest coffee port, on a triangle tour from the capital. Or your time will permit you to fly on down to Buenos Aires, to visit the Argentine, and return to Rio before starting homeward again. But in and about Rio the traveler could profitably spend a month-or a year. There are trips up Corcovado; across the Bay to the lovely Island of Paqueta and its flamboyant tropic foliage; Nictheroy, the island capital of the state of Rio de Janeiro, with its famous beaches of Icarahy, Saco de Sao Francisco, and Jurujuba. An all-day trip to Therezopolis, the mountain city overlooking the Bay of Guanabara, the islands of Nictheroy and the peaks which frame the city of Rio. The motor drive to Penha with its famous Church of the Rock, thronged by a constant parade of colorful pilgrims. Thence over the remarkable motor road that winds through the mountains, to Petropolis. This "City of Flowers," most famous summer resort of Brazil, was at one time the imperial residence of the Emperor Dom Pedro, I. Here await you the Grande Hotel, known the world over for the excellence of its hospitality. The magnificent Cathedral, with the Emperor's tomb; the beautiful city itself with its attractive avenues and picturesque residential sections. Or you may wish to visit Bella Horizonte or go further inland to visit one of Brazil's vast coffee fazendas with its endless miles of neatly cultivated coffee trees, its own village, church, school and homes of the plantation workers. But the remarkable attractions of Brazil cannot be catalogued. They are everywhere, in every direction, of every kind and appeal. The Pan American office in Rio has expert advisers at your command at all times and their services are without charge. You will find them anxious to add in any way possible to the fullest enjoyment of your holiday. Then, after your exciting stay in Rio, the swift, smooth, flight homeward. Time to order in your mind myriad impressions, experiences, sights and scenes of your visit to the wonder city. New scenes to look upon, too, hundreds of things to notice that you somehow missed on your southward flight. Up along Brazil's amazing coastline, following the westward rim of the Atlantic, once more to the delta of the Amazon where the soil borne out of the primeval jungles turns blue ocean into a frothy tan for hundreds of miles. Overnight in the ports in which you now feel familiar with precious hours in which to visit the many scenes, the many shops, the points of interest you did not manage to see before. Another view of the Guianas, those unusual lands tucked along the northeast coast of the continent. The myriad mouthed Orinoco with its world of brilliant plumed birds - a panorama which not one in ten thousand had ever been privileged to see before - the living history of mankind. Endless miles of primeval forest - occasional clearings-rude native huts - naked Indians in dugout canoes startled at their fishing in tranquil lagoons - living as their ancestors have lived for ages, unseen by white men until the coming of the flying Clipper Ships. Gradually, civilization begins. Thatch-roofed huts and patches of cultivation - stone dwellings, grouped about a steepled church - unfrightened natives clothed in the white cotton of the tropics. Then from Port of Spain to Miami in a single day - from South to North America between breakfast and dinner - and a thrilling climax for a "voyage of discovery" that will be a vivid remembrance after other vacations have been long forgotten.
Air Transportation from Miami to Rio de Janeiro and return. Full 55 pound baggage allowance. Extra charges for additional baggage. Transportation between airports and hotels enroute. Meals aloft and ashore. Hotel accommodations (except laundry, wine, liquors) at all stops on the airway and in Rio. Sight-seeing drives and services of expert guides in Port of Spain and the two special trips in Rio.
The Flying Clipper Cruises leave Miami every Sunday - Direct connections by air or rail from northern cities. Sundays - Miami to San Juan, Puerto Rico Mondays - San Juan to Port-of-Spain, Trinidad Tuesdays - Port-of-Spain to Belem, Para, Brazil Wednesdays - Belem to Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil Thursdays - Recife to Rio de Janeiro
