The Galeotas Pavilion, at the Museu de Marinha, in Belém, receives tomorrow, Tuesday, January 11, at 16:00 pm, the ceremony that marks the start of the centenary celebrations of the First Air Crossing of the South Atlantic, a feat achieved by Sacadura Cabral and Gago Coutinho.
Carlos Viegas Gago Coutinho, who was the navigator of the crossing, was from the Algarve, as he was born in São Brás de Alportel, on February 17, 1869, although he was later registered in Belém, Lisbon.
At the event, organized by the Navy and the Air Force - which created an Aeronaval Commission for the Commemorations for this purpose - the plan for commemoration of the ephemeris will be presented, as well as the launch of the book "A Enigmática Travessia do Atlântico Sul, 1922" by by Marco Pitt, the opening of the traveling exhibition and various interventions.
The ceremony will count, among others, with the presence of the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, Admiral António Silva Ribeiro, the Chief of the General Staff of the Navy, Admiral Henrique Gouveia e Melo, and the Chief of the General Staff of the Air Force, General Joaquim Nunes Borrego.
Sacadura Cabral and Gago Coutinho left Lisbon on March 30, 1922, but the journey was not smooth and they only arrived in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on June 17. Along the way, they lost the Lusitânia, the plane with which they left Lisbon, and another aircraft.
The trip allowed the first air connection between Lisbon and Rio de Janeiro, but also the testing of navigation devices that marked the history of aviation, proving that it was possible to perform long-distance flights with precision, using a new type of sextant invented by Gago Coutinho.
On the crossing, more than 4.500 nautical miles were covered and upon arrival in São Paulo the navigators were welcomed as heroes.
Comments