1927: A Major Milestone and Unbounded Enthusiasm for a Pioneering Flight across the South Atlantic

June 5, 1927

Under the command of Brazilian aviator João Ribeiro de Barros, the Savoia-Marchetti S.55 hydroplane known as Jahú first touched down on the South American mainland as part of its long-distance flight across much of the South Atlantic. This aircraft landed at the city of Natal in northeastern Brazil 38 days after departing from the city of Praia on Santiago, the largest island of Cape Verde archipelago. The islands of Cape Verde, which was a Portuguese colony at this time, lie between 320 and 460 nautical miles (600 and 850 kilometers) west of continental Africa.

A major delay for the South Atlantic journey of Jahú took place when the plane fell into the sea. A steamship came to the rescue, picking up de Barros and his crew and transporting all of them as well as their aircraft to the main island of the Brazilian archipelago of Fernando de Noronha. (Fernando de Noronha, which is now part of Brazil’s State of Pernambuco is about 191 nautical miles [354 kilometers] off the Brazilian coast.)

After needed repairs were made to their aircraft, de Barros and his crew resumed their flight to the mainland. The Associated Press (AP) reported that, upon arriving at Natal, they were “greeted enthusiastically by the population.” The AP story amplified this even further by also noting that “the enthusiasm today was unbounded when the fliers finally arrived.”

Those other fliers accompanying de Barros were the following fellow Brazilians: João Negrão, the co-pilot; Newton Braga, the navigator; and Vasco Cinquini, the mechanic. Their flight marked the first long-distance aerial crossing of the South Atlantic by non-Europeans.

After their stopover in Natal, de Barros and his crew continued their flight southward along Brazil’s coast until ultimately reaching Rio de Janeiro. The celebratory atmosphere surrounding their accomplishment was unmistakable. “During the latter part of July, Rio de Janeiro celebrated with enthusiasm the completion of the flight by Brazilian aviators from Porto Praia, Portugal, to Fernando Noronha and on to Brazil,” recounted the Bulletin of the Pan American Union that summer. “The successful aviators received homage from all classes of citizens, who feel a great pride in the conquest of the Atlantic by their countrymen.”

More than a century after that flight, the plane Jahú (featured in the attached photo) is on display at the TAM Museum (also known as the Museu Asas de um Sonho [Wings of a Dream Museum]) in the city of São Carlos in southeastern Brazil.

Photo Credit: JCMA (licensed under Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike 4.0 International license at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en)