Sarmento de Beires
Encyclopedia
José Manuel Sarmento de Beires (born September 4, 1892 in Lisbon
, Portugal
; died June 8, 1974 in Oporto, Portugal) was a Portuguese Army
officer and an aviation
pioneer.
Sarmento de Beires became famous for having piloted the First night aerial crossing of the South Atlantic in 1927.
, with two Lorraine-Dietrich
450 hp engine
s, baptized as Argos. The Argos crew included Sarmento de Beires (pilot
), Duvalle Portugal (co-pilot), Jorge de Castilho (navigator
) and Manuel Gouveia (mechanic
).
The Argos took of from the Tagus river near the Alverca
military airbase, on the March 7, 1927 and arrived in Casablanca
, Morocco
on the same day. From Casablanca it flew to Bolama
, Portuguese Guinea
.
In Bolama, technical problems prevented the takeoff and the pilot Duvalle sacrificed himself, standing on the ground to ease the weight of the aircraft and allow the continuation of the journey. After other problems, Argos took off on April 16 at 18:08, heading to Brazil
. Due to engine problems, the mechanic Gouveia needed to intervene twice, saving the flight. The navigator Castilho guided the aircraft to the Brazilian Rocks of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, from which she flew to Fernando de Noronha island
, where they arrived at 12:20 h, totaling 2,595 kilometers on an 18 hours and 12 minute flight. Received by the warden on the island, he shouted: "We did not know anything! Further more, the planes do not usually arrive by air in Fernando Noronha."
The flight continued with stops in Recife
, Natal
and Rio de Janeiro. In the latter city, Beires recorded in his diary:We have a great record, 14 speeches in 12 hours. From Portugal, arrives a telegram with congratulations signed by Gago Coutinho
.
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
, Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
; died June 8, 1974 in Oporto, Portugal) was a Portuguese Army
Portuguese Army
The Portuguese Army is the ground branch of the Portuguese Armed Forces which, in co-operation with other branches of the Portuguese military, is charged with the defence of Portugal...
officer and an aviation
Aviation
Aviation is the design, development, production, operation, and use of aircraft, especially heavier-than-air aircraft. Aviation is derived from avis, the Latin word for bird.-History:...
pioneer.
Sarmento de Beires became famous for having piloted the First night aerial crossing of the South Atlantic in 1927.
The first night aerial crossing of the South Atlantic
The first night aerial crossing of the South Atlantic was going to be made in a Portuguese Army Aviation Dornier Do J Wal metallic seaplaneSeaplane
A seaplane is a fixed-wing aircraft capable of taking off and landing on water. Seaplanes that can also take off and land on airfields are a subclass called amphibian aircraft...
, with two Lorraine-Dietrich
Lorraine-Dietrich
Lorraine-Dietrich was a French automobile and aircraft engine manufacturer from 1896 until 1935, created when railway locomotive manufacturer Société Lorraine des Anciens Etablissments de Dietrich and Cie branched into the manufacture of automobiles...
450 hp engine
Engine
An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert energy into useful mechanical motion. Heat engines, including internal combustion engines and external combustion engines burn a fuel to create heat which is then used to create motion...
s, baptized as Argos. The Argos crew included Sarmento de Beires (pilot
Aviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
), Duvalle Portugal (co-pilot), Jorge de Castilho (navigator
Navigator
A navigator is the person on board a ship or aircraft responsible for its navigation. The navigator's primary responsibility is to be aware of ship or aircraft position at all times. Responsibilities include planning the journey, advising the Captain or aircraft Commander of estimated timing to...
) and Manuel Gouveia (mechanic
Mechanic
A mechanic is a craftsman or technician who uses tools to build or repair machinery.Many mechanics are specialized in a particular field such as auto mechanics, bicycle mechanics, motorcycle mechanics, boiler mechanics, general mechanics, industrial maintenance mechanics , air conditioning and...
).
The Argos took of from the Tagus river near the Alverca
Alverca do Ribatejo
Alverca do Ribatejo is a city and a parish in Vila Franca de Xira Municipality in Portugal. It covers an area of 17.89 km² and had a population of 29,086 as of 2001. It was promoted to city status in 1990. It is a city and a suburb near the Tagus River , in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area...
military airbase, on the March 7, 1927 and arrived in Casablanca
Casablanca
Casablanca is a city in western Morocco, located on the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Grand Casablanca region.Casablanca is Morocco's largest city as well as its chief port. It is also the biggest city in the Maghreb. The 2004 census recorded a population of 2,949,805 in the prefecture...
, Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
on the same day. From Casablanca it flew to Bolama
Bolama
Bolama is the closest of the Bijagós Islands to the mainland of Guinea-Bissau, and is also the name of the island's main town, the capital of the Bolama Region. Population 10,014 ....
, Portuguese Guinea
Portuguese Guinea
Portuguese Guinea was the name for what is today Guinea-Bissau from 1446 to September 10, 1974.-History:...
.
In Bolama, technical problems prevented the takeoff and the pilot Duvalle sacrificed himself, standing on the ground to ease the weight of the aircraft and allow the continuation of the journey. After other problems, Argos took off on April 16 at 18:08, heading to Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. Due to engine problems, the mechanic Gouveia needed to intervene twice, saving the flight. The navigator Castilho guided the aircraft to the Brazilian Rocks of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, from which she flew to Fernando de Noronha island
Fernando de Noronha
Fernando de Noronha is an archipelago of 21 islands and islets in the Atlantic Ocean, offshore from the Brazilian coast. The main island has an area of and had a population of 3,012 in the year 2010...
, where they arrived at 12:20 h, totaling 2,595 kilometers on an 18 hours and 12 minute flight. Received by the warden on the island, he shouted: "We did not know anything! Further more, the planes do not usually arrive by air in Fernando Noronha."
The flight continued with stops in Recife
Recife
Recife is the fifth-largest metropolitan area in Brazil with 4,136,506 inhabitants, the largest metropolitan area of the North/Northeast Regions, the 5th-largest metropolitan influence area in Brazil, and the capital and largest city of the state of Pernambuco. The population of the city proper...
, Natal
Natal, Rio Grande do Norte
-History:The northeastern tip of South America, Cabo São Roque, to the north of Natal and the closest point to Europe from Latin America, was first visited by European navigators in 1501, in the 1501–1502 Portuguese expedition led by Amerigo Vespucci, who named the spot after the saint of the day...
and Rio de Janeiro. In the latter city, Beires recorded in his diary:We have a great record, 14 speeches in 12 hours. From Portugal, arrives a telegram with congratulations signed by Gago Coutinho
Gago Coutinho
Carlos Viegas Gago Coutinho, GCTE, GCC, generally known simply as Gago Coutinho was a Portuguese aviation pioneer who, together with Sacadura Cabral , was the first to cross the South Atlantic Ocean by air, from March to June 1922 , from Lisbon to Rio de Janeiro.The Fairey IIIB seaplane used by...
.