Aviation in the Azores
Encyclopedia
The Aviation in the Azores is part of the greater history of aviation in Portugal, and involves the historical use of the archipelago of the Azores
by North America
n, South America
n and Europe
an pioneers of aviation. The Azores is strategically located in the centre of the North Atlantic between the continents of North America and Europe, and has historically assumed a fundamental role in the trans-Atlantic navigation between the two continents.
With the U.S. entry into the First World War the previous year, American naval forces occupied and operated a naval base in Ponta Delgada, consisting of a few Curtiss HS2L hydroplanes, 150 infantrymen, two pieces of artillery, some ships and submarines. The first of the contigent began patrolling on 23 February 1918, alongside the São Brás Fort in Ponta Delgada. There mission was to identify and combatGerman
submarines that tracked merchant shipping in the Atlantic, and protect the waters of the Azores.
Even during the conflict, and following its events, the Portuguese Navy
already projected the installation of a permanent naval air station in Horta , which never materialized. Similarly, in 1919, the British Royal Air Force
planned the possibility of acquiring one of the Portuguese islands in the Azores, to install a terrestrial base to provide support to air operation in the mid-Atlantic.
During the inter-war years, trans-Atlantic competition persisted between British and American entrepreneurs; the London-based Daily Mail
promoted a competition worth £10,000, to the aviator who was able to cross the Atlantic non-stop, within 72 consecutive hours, between the United States, Canada or Newfoundland
to any point in Great Britain or Ireland. In this context, three four-engine hydroplanes of the American Navy attempted the first non-stop trans-Atlantic crossing between 16–17 May 1919. Two of the planes (NC1 and NC2) made emergency landings near Flores: NC1 was completely damaged, while the NC2 was able to continue to Ponta Delgada (by 19 May), but unable to complete the journey. NC4, under the command of Lieutenant-Commander Albert Cushing Read
was able to survive the attempt, stopping in the Bay of Horta on 17 May, and continuing to Ponta Delgada
(where he stopped on 20 May). After a week of rest, the team left on the morning of 27 May in the direction of Lisbon, arriving in the capital in the evening and anchoring in the Tagus River.
Still in 1919, a hydroplane travelling from England to the United States stopped in Faial, which became a frequent occurrence over time, utilizing Horta as a stopover.
With the advent of commercial dirigibles, the archipelago was over-flown in 1924, 1927 and 1930, by Zeppelin
s making the connection between Germany and the United States.
In April 1926, a Fokker
hydroplane, baptized "Infante de Sagres", departed from Lisbon, under the command of Portuguese Navy pilots Moreira de Campos and Neves Ferreira, intentionally to connect Madeira and the Azores, arriving in Ponta Delgada on 9 May 1926.
Following this first flight, in 1927, the Marquess Francesco De Pinedo, colonel in the Italian Air Force
, was forced ditch his plane 200 kilometres from the island of Flores, after departing Newfoundland. The Savoia-Marchetti S.55
hydroplane, named the "Santa Maria II", was recovered and arrived in Horta, where it was repaired.
Later that year, in November, a Junkers D 1230
, piloted by Lilly Dillenz (the first woman to fly the Atlantic) and a Heinkel D 1220
hydroplane stopped off in Horta, where they encountered American aviation pioneer Ruth Elder, who was trying to emulate Charles Lindbergh
's feat. Piloting a small monoplane, that she named "American Girl", and accompanied by Captain George Haldeman, she was forced to ditch her plane in the waters along the north coast the island of Terceira due to mechanical problems, and the aircraft caught fire.
In June 1928, English pilot Frank T. Courtney, piloting a Dornier Wal G-CAGI
, and later in July, a French Lieutenant, in a small hydroplane named "La Frégate", stopped in Horta on their trans-Atlantic flights.
In Graciosa, on the morning of 13 June 1929, a Amiot 123 biplane overturned during an attempted emergency landing in some fields near Brasileira. The plane, piloted by Polish aviators Ludwik Idzikowski
and Kazimierz Kubala had departed early that morning from Le Bourget
field, in the suburbs of Paris, as part of their first trans-Atlantic crossing, heading for New York. Major Idzikowski was killed in the accident and Kazimierz Kubala suffered minor injuries, while the plane was consumed by flames during the rescue, when someone approached the wreckage with a torch. A cross was erected to mark the location of the accident.
The following year, the Portuguese armed forces supported the idea to construct an airfield on the island of Terceira. On 4 October 1930, the first mono-motor Avro 504
K biplane
called the "Açor", piloted by local Frederico Coelho de Melo departed from the 600 metre long and 70 metre wide runway.
Between 1930 and 1933, the American Pan American
completed tests in Horta bay as part of their plans to operate trans-Atlantic routes between North America and Europe. In this context, Charles Lindbergh
(accompanied by his wife Anne Morrow) in service of Pan American, landed on 21 November 1933, with his Lockheed 8 Sirius monoplane. After these tests, between 1937 and 1944, Pan America's Flying Boats (Boeing 314 Clippers) routinely made the New York-Marseilles and New York-London routes with stopovers in Lisbon. The New York-London leg of the flighthad a 23 hour and 55 minute duration, and included a one hour and thirty minute layover in Faial, while the Lisbon-Marseille route consumed an additional seven hours. The use of Faial as a technical layover was also used by other companies, who used the waters between Faial and Pico on stopovers between North America and Europe.
In April 1931, during the Azores Revolt, three small hydroplanes of the Portuguese Navy used Horta as a base to overfly Angra do Heroísmo
and Monte Brasil
. These planes dropped panphelts onto the island in order to convince the mutineers to surrender.
In 1933, a squadron of 24 hydroplanes commanded by Italo Balbo arrived in the archipelago: nine landed in the port of Horta, while the remaining continued onto Ponta Delgada, where one was lost enroute.
A year later, on 19 May 1938, a comparable squadron of four tri-motor aerial reconnaissance Breguet-Bisert of the 1st Atlantic Light Squadron landed in Ponta Delgada, before one continued on to Horta and another to Angra do Heroísmo.
, in the municipality of Ribeira Grande. Located on the northern part of the island, it operated as a military installation during the War, when it was known as Base Aérea No.4. But, by the spring of 1941, António de Oliveira Salazar
began to believe that Germany, or its allies, would completely overrun the Iberian Peninsula
. As a consequence, the Estado Novo regime pondered the withdrawal of the Portuguese government to the Azores, with the support of Britain. It was in this context that an Anglo-Portuguese working group was established to study and design the construction of new airfields in the archipelago. But even as the fear subsided, British prime minister Winston Churchill
believed that new installations would be essential in the control of central and southern supply routes in the Atlantic Ocean, as well as supporting Allied forces operating in North Africa and the Mediterranean Sea. The construction of air-sea bases would closeAzores Gap, and provide a secure blanket for the North Atlantic. The sudden attack at Pearl Harbour by Imperial Japanese forces resulted in a review of Portuguese guidelines, paralysing the working group.
A ship (the Portuguese "Mirandela") shipped 30 Gloster SS37 Gladiators
and five Junkers Ju 52
monoplanes, as well as support equipment and personnel, were sent to the Azores (departing on 4 June 1941). Fifteen of the Gloster Gladiators and five JU52s were deposited in São Miguel at Air Base 4, for the 1st Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, while the remaining planes were sent to Terceira to form the 2nd Expeditionary Fighter Squadron. At the same time, the British sent to São Miguel 12 Curtiss P-36 Hawk, to constitute the 3rd Expeditionary Fighter Squadron.
But, the Achada Airfield in Terceira suffered from periods of fog, which covered the area during most of the year. This meteorlogical problem, forced the relocation of air operations to the plain of Lajes
, where they constructed a new runway.
After long negotiations, an accord was established between Portugal and Great Britain (1 August 1943), which conceded the facilities at Air Base 4 and Lajes for use by British forces to base their North Atlantic anti-submarine patrols. In exchange, the Portuguese received six squadrons of Hawker Hurricane
s. By this time, in 1942, Humberto Delgado
was appointed Air Force representative to the Anglo-Portuguese working group. Conscious of the geostrategic importance of the Azores, to trans-Atlantic flight, Delgado recommended to Salazar that one of the two air bases (Santa Maria or Lajes) should be converted into a trans-Atlantic airport and centre for air traffic control, while noting: "If Your Excellency wishes to decide [which airport], I would say Lajes will do, but everyone, even the British,consider Santa Maria better" For his efficiency in the commission, the British government, decorated Humberto Delgado with the Order of the British Empire
, since the officer had risked his career and future on the Allied cause. Between 15–18 May 1943, the Trident conference to approve an Allied strategy on the Azores. It was followed by the Quebec Conference on between 11–30 August, in which U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt and British Prime Minister agreed that Great Britain would enter the Azores with Portuguese authorization, followed by the United States, two weeks later. On 10 September, a combined British force, under the command of Air Marshall G.R. Bromet, departed from Liverpool in the direction of the island of Terceira.
British forces disembarked on 8 October 1943, at the Port of Pipas, in Angra do Heroísmo, and a contingent of 3000 soldiers, travelled to Lajes in begin expanding the small aerodrome in the area called Terra Chã. Before the end of the year, the 235 Squadron of the Royal Air Force's Coastal Command was able to sink a German submarine using its contigent on Terceira. By the beginning of 1944, 1400 U.S. troops and 1700 tonnes of equipment had also arrived in Angra and Praia da Vitória, in order to expand and reinforce the runway at Lajes. This included the 928 Engineering Regiment of the U.S. Air Force (17 January), and the 95 Battalion of the U.S. Navy's Seabee
construction corp (19 January). Later the Americans signed an accord to construct an aerodrome on the island of Santa Maria (28 November 1944). This was done under the guidance of Pan American airlines, as the Portuguese, not wanting to arouse the wrath of the Nazi Germany
, only accepted the project on the grounds that it was a civilian facility. The construction began in 1944, in conjunction with the erection of a company hospital that served to provide medical assistance to U.S. troops hurt in the European theatre of operations.
At the end of 1946, the aerodrome in Santana was converted into a civil airport, with two grass fields (one with a 1500 metre runway and the other 100 metres in length). The local population, owing to its rural location, on prime agricultural location, resulted in its local colloquial name as "aerovacas", since cattle grazed on the land when flights were not occurring. Ponta Delgada-Santana field was a regional airport at the time, and international services were directed to the international airports in Santa Maria or Lajes Airfield.
began to provide regular flights between Lisbon and Ponta Delgada.
By the end of the 1960s, new aerodromes were constructed on other islands in the archipelago:
In 1976, following the fall of the Estado Novo regime, in an era that was tumultuous, the democratic politicinas debated a proposal in Portuguese National Assembly to regionalize the provision of services to the Azores and Madeira.
Following these events, the increasingly autonomous governments of the Azores, between 1981 and 1983, built several airports to provide expanded service to the remaining islands. In addition to improvements at Horta Airport, the government of the Azores finalized construction of:
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Since the 1940s, the Portuguese flag carrier Transportes Aéreos Portugueses
operated regular flights to the Azores through the gateways in Ponta Delgada, Lajes and Vila do Porto. Meanwhile, a group of investors started their own air carrier: Sociedade Açoriana de Transportes Aéreos
, or SATA, as it was known, during the Second World War. These investors, which included Augusto Rebelo Arruda, founded originally the Sociedade Açoriana de Estudos Aéreos, Limitada (on 21 August 1941), with the objective of obtaining the authorization from the Portuguese government to establish inter-island flights with the continent.
Six years later, its objective reached, the society changed its title to Sociedade Açoriana de Transportes Aéreos, Limitada, and on 15 June 1947 inaugurated flights using their first Beechcraft
(serial number CS-TAA), named "Açor". The airplane transported two crew and seven passengers, and made connections between the islands of São Miguel (from the Santana air field until 1969, and later from Nordela after 1969) with Santa Maria and Terceira. A year later, SATA received two De Havilland DH.104 Dove
(on 23 May 1948), with a capacity for nine passengers and 700 kilometres of cargo (in addition to the crew). Flight operations began on the 1 August 1948, but were quickly suspended after the Beechcraft was involved in an accident. On the morning of 5 August, the "Açor" crew registered difficulties after departing São Miguel on a routine flight to Santa Maria
On 21 August 1963, the SATA fleet increase with the acquisition of a Douglas DC-3
with a capacity for 26 passengers.
In 1972, SATA acquired the small fleet of Avro HS-748 which it had been using since 1969, with an improved capacity for 48 passengers.
Following the Carnation Revolution
, in 1976, when the Portuguese government debated regionalization of aviation services, the Portuguese Air Force
transferred two Douglas DC-6
to SATA. Regionalization was achieved on 17 October 1980, when 50% of SATA's operating shares were purchased from the Bensaude Group by the Regional Government of the Azores (the remaineder by TAP Air Portugal, EP). The purchase allowed the regionalization of air services into the public company Serviço Açoriano de Transportes Aéreos, Empresa Pública (while maintaining its abbreviation). The same year that SATA became a public company, it also joined the European Regional Airline Association (ERAA) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
Following the suggestion of Regional President Mota Amaral, in 1986, the regional air carrier began to operate as SATA Air Açores. After 1985, Azores Express, an company of Grupo SATA, operated charter flights between the United States and the archipelago, while SATA Express, served charter services to Canada.
By the end of 1980s, SATA re-marketed itself: in 1988, it altered its colours; began re-publishing its onboard magazine Paralelo 38 as the bilingual Espírito Açoriano/Azorean Spirit; and between 1989 and 1990, the Avro aircraft were replaced by a small fleet of British Aerospace
ATP aircraft. The first aircraft, baptized "Santa Maria" entered into service in 1989; the second, named "Flores", in 1990; and the third, "Graciosa", in 1991. Still in 1991, the first permanent flights began to serve the island of Corvo, with a single Dornier 228-212
, occasionally substituted by an CASA C-212 Aviocar from the Portuguese Air Force.
Azores
The Archipelago of the Azores is composed of nine volcanic islands situated in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, and is located about west from Lisbon and about east from the east coast of North America. The islands, and their economic exclusion zone, form the Autonomous Region of the...
by North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
n, South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
n and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an pioneers of aviation. The Azores is strategically located in the centre of the North Atlantic between the continents of North America and Europe, and has historically assumed a fundamental role in the trans-Atlantic navigation between the two continents.
History
First World War
The city of Horta was bombarded by on December 1916, and the following year the city was shelled by the German U-115 class submarine "Deutschland" on 4 July 1917.With the U.S. entry into the First World War the previous year, American naval forces occupied and operated a naval base in Ponta Delgada, consisting of a few Curtiss HS2L hydroplanes, 150 infantrymen, two pieces of artillery, some ships and submarines. The first of the contigent began patrolling on 23 February 1918, alongside the São Brás Fort in Ponta Delgada. There mission was to identify and combatGerman
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
submarines that tracked merchant shipping in the Atlantic, and protect the waters of the Azores.
Even during the conflict, and following its events, the Portuguese Navy
Portuguese Navy
The Portuguese Navy is the naval branch of the Portuguese Armed Forces which, in cooperation and integrated with the other branches of the Portuguese military, is charged with the military defence of Portugal....
already projected the installation of a permanent naval air station in Horta , which never materialized. Similarly, in 1919, the British Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
planned the possibility of acquiring one of the Portuguese islands in the Azores, to install a terrestrial base to provide support to air operation in the mid-Atlantic.
Inter-wars
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
promoted a competition worth £10,000, to the aviator who was able to cross the Atlantic non-stop, within 72 consecutive hours, between the United States, Canada or Newfoundland
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...
to any point in Great Britain or Ireland. In this context, three four-engine hydroplanes of the American Navy attempted the first non-stop trans-Atlantic crossing between 16–17 May 1919. Two of the planes (NC1 and NC2) made emergency landings near Flores: NC1 was completely damaged, while the NC2 was able to continue to Ponta Delgada (by 19 May), but unable to complete the journey. NC4, under the command of Lieutenant-Commander Albert Cushing Read
Albert Cushing Read
Albert Cushing "Putty" Read was an aviator and Rear Admiral in the United States Navy.-Biography:Read was born in Lyme, New Hampshire into a Boston Brahmin family. He attended the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, graduating in the Class of 1907. In 1915, he was designated Naval Aviator No. 24.As...
was able to survive the attempt, stopping in the Bay of Horta on 17 May, and continuing to Ponta Delgada
Ponta Delgada
Ponta Delgada is a city and municipality on the island of São Miguel in the archipelago of the Azores, an autonomous region of Portugal. It includes 44,403 residents in the urban area, and approximately 20,113 inhabitants in the three central parishes that comprise the historical city: São Pedro,...
(where he stopped on 20 May). After a week of rest, the team left on the morning of 27 May in the direction of Lisbon, arriving in the capital in the evening and anchoring in the Tagus River.
Still in 1919, a hydroplane travelling from England to the United States stopped in Faial, which became a frequent occurrence over time, utilizing Horta as a stopover.
With the advent of commercial dirigibles, the archipelago was over-flown in 1924, 1927 and 1930, by Zeppelin
Zeppelin
A Zeppelin is a type of rigid airship pioneered by the German Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin in the early 20th century. It was based on designs he had outlined in 1874 and detailed in 1893. His plans were reviewed by committee in 1894 and patented in the United States on 14 March 1899...
s making the connection between Germany and the United States.
In April 1926, a Fokker
Fokker
Fokker was a Dutch aircraft manufacturer named after its founder, Anthony Fokker. The company operated under several different names, starting out in 1912 in Schwerin, Germany, moving to the Netherlands in 1919....
hydroplane, baptized "Infante de Sagres", departed from Lisbon, under the command of Portuguese Navy pilots Moreira de Campos and Neves Ferreira, intentionally to connect Madeira and the Azores, arriving in Ponta Delgada on 9 May 1926.
Following this first flight, in 1927, the Marquess Francesco De Pinedo, colonel in the Italian Air Force
Italian Air Force
The Italian Air Force has gone under different names in different periods:*Regia Aeronautica , from 1923 to June 1946*Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana, the air force of Italian Social Republic during World War II...
, was forced ditch his plane 200 kilometres from the island of Flores, after departing Newfoundland. The Savoia-Marchetti S.55
Savoia-Marchetti S.55
|-References:NotesBibliography* Yenne, Bill. Seaplanes & Flying Boats: A Timeless Collection from Aviation's Golden Age. New York: BCL Press, 2003. ISBN 1-932302-03-4.-External links:* *...
hydroplane, named the "Santa Maria II", was recovered and arrived in Horta, where it was repaired.
Later that year, in November, a Junkers D 1230
Junkers
Junkers Flugzeug- und Motorenwerke AG , more commonly Junkers, was a major German aircraft manufacturer. It produced some of the world's most innovative and best-known airplanes over the course of its fifty-plus year history in Dessau, Germany. It was founded there in 1895 by Hugo Junkers,...
, piloted by Lilly Dillenz (the first woman to fly the Atlantic) and a Heinkel D 1220
Heinkel
Heinkel Flugzeugwerke was a German aircraft manufacturing company founded by and named after Ernst Heinkel. It is noted for producing bomber aircraft for the Luftwaffe in World War II and for important contributions to high-speed flight.-History:...
hydroplane stopped off in Horta, where they encountered American aviation pioneer Ruth Elder, who was trying to emulate Charles Lindbergh
Charles Lindbergh
Charles Augustus Lindbergh was an American aviator, author, inventor, explorer, and social activist.Lindbergh, a 25-year-old U.S...
's feat. Piloting a small monoplane, that she named "American Girl", and accompanied by Captain George Haldeman, she was forced to ditch her plane in the waters along the north coast the island of Terceira due to mechanical problems, and the aircraft caught fire.
In June 1928, English pilot Frank T. Courtney, piloting a Dornier Wal G-CAGI
Dornier Do J
The Dornier Do J Wal was a twin-engine German flying boat of the 1920s designed by Dornier Flugzeugwerke. The Do J was designated the Do 16 by the Reich Air Ministry under its aircraft designation system of 1933....
, and later in July, a French Lieutenant, in a small hydroplane named "La Frégate", stopped in Horta on their trans-Atlantic flights.
In Graciosa, on the morning of 13 June 1929, a Amiot 123 biplane overturned during an attempted emergency landing in some fields near Brasileira. The plane, piloted by Polish aviators Ludwik Idzikowski
Ludwik Idzikowski
Ludwik Idzikowski was a Polish military aviator. He died during a transatlantic flight trial.-Early life and service:Ludwik Idzikowski was born in Warsaw. He started mining studies in Liege, Belgium....
and Kazimierz Kubala had departed early that morning from Le Bourget
Le Bourget
Le Bourget is a commune in the northeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris.A very small part of Le Bourget airport lies on the territory of the commune of Le Bourget, which nonetheless gave its name to the airport. Most of the airport lies on the territory of the...
field, in the suburbs of Paris, as part of their first trans-Atlantic crossing, heading for New York. Major Idzikowski was killed in the accident and Kazimierz Kubala suffered minor injuries, while the plane was consumed by flames during the rescue, when someone approached the wreckage with a torch. A cross was erected to mark the location of the accident.
The following year, the Portuguese armed forces supported the idea to construct an airfield on the island of Terceira. On 4 October 1930, the first mono-motor Avro 504
Avro 504
The Avro 504 was a World War I biplane aircraft made by the Avro aircraft company and under licence by others. Production during the War totalled 8,970 and continued for almost 20 years, making it the most-produced aircraft of any kind that served in World War I, in any military capacity, during...
K biplane
Biplane
A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two superimposed main wings. The Wright brothers' Wright Flyer used a biplane design, as did most aircraft in the early years of aviation. While a biplane wing structure has a structural advantage, it produces more drag than a similar monoplane wing...
called the "Açor", piloted by local Frederico Coelho de Melo departed from the 600 metre long and 70 metre wide runway.
Between 1930 and 1933, the American Pan American
Pan American World Airways
Pan American World Airways, commonly known as Pan Am, was the principal and largest international air carrier in the United States from 1927 until its collapse on December 4, 1991...
completed tests in Horta bay as part of their plans to operate trans-Atlantic routes between North America and Europe. In this context, Charles Lindbergh
Charles Lindbergh
Charles Augustus Lindbergh was an American aviator, author, inventor, explorer, and social activist.Lindbergh, a 25-year-old U.S...
(accompanied by his wife Anne Morrow) in service of Pan American, landed on 21 November 1933, with his Lockheed 8 Sirius monoplane. After these tests, between 1937 and 1944, Pan America's Flying Boats (Boeing 314 Clippers) routinely made the New York-Marseilles and New York-London routes with stopovers in Lisbon. The New York-London leg of the flighthad a 23 hour and 55 minute duration, and included a one hour and thirty minute layover in Faial, while the Lisbon-Marseille route consumed an additional seven hours. The use of Faial as a technical layover was also used by other companies, who used the waters between Faial and Pico on stopovers between North America and Europe.
In April 1931, during the Azores Revolt, three small hydroplanes of the Portuguese Navy used Horta as a base to overfly Angra do Heroísmo
Angra do Heroísmo
Angra do Heroísmo , locally referred to as Angra, is a municipality and city on the island of Terceira, within the Portuguese autonomous region of the Azores. The municipal area has a population of 35,581 and an area of . Along with Praia da Vitória to the north, it is one of two municipal...
and Monte Brasil
Monte Brasil
Monte Brasil is a peninsula located on the south coast of Terceira Island in the central Azores Islands, near the city of Angra do Heroísmo. Monte Brasil is flanked by two bays: Baía de Angra do Heroísmo to the east, from which the city's name is derived, and Baía do Fanal to the west....
. These planes dropped panphelts onto the island in order to convince the mutineers to surrender.
In 1933, a squadron of 24 hydroplanes commanded by Italo Balbo arrived in the archipelago: nine landed in the port of Horta, while the remaining continued onto Ponta Delgada, where one was lost enroute.
A year later, on 19 May 1938, a comparable squadron of four tri-motor aerial reconnaissance Breguet-Bisert of the 1st Atlantic Light Squadron landed in Ponta Delgada, before one continued on to Horta and another to Angra do Heroísmo.
Second World War
With the outbreak of the Second World War, the Portuguese Navy finally established a permanent Air-Navy Centre in Ponta Delgada. At the same time, a military aerodrome was established at Santana, in the civil parish of Rabo de PeixeRabo de Peixe
Rabo de Peixe is a parish in the district of Ribeira Grande in the Azores. The population in 2001 was 7407, its density is 437.7/km² and its area is 16.92 km². It is the most populous and most densely populated parish in Ribeira Grande. It has an altitude of 29 m .-Geography:Rabo de...
, in the municipality of Ribeira Grande. Located on the northern part of the island, it operated as a military installation during the War, when it was known as Base Aérea No.4. But, by the spring of 1941, António de Oliveira Salazar
António de Oliveira Salazar
António de Oliveira Salazar, GColIH, GCTE, GCSE served as the Prime Minister of Portugal from 1932 to 1968. He also served as acting President of the Republic briefly in 1951. He founded and led the Estado Novo , the authoritarian, right-wing government that presided over and controlled Portugal...
began to believe that Germany, or its allies, would completely overrun the Iberian Peninsula
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula , sometimes called Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar...
. As a consequence, the Estado Novo regime pondered the withdrawal of the Portuguese government to the Azores, with the support of Britain. It was in this context that an Anglo-Portuguese working group was established to study and design the construction of new airfields in the archipelago. But even as the fear subsided, British prime minister Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
believed that new installations would be essential in the control of central and southern supply routes in the Atlantic Ocean, as well as supporting Allied forces operating in North Africa and the Mediterranean Sea. The construction of air-sea bases would closeAzores Gap, and provide a secure blanket for the North Atlantic. The sudden attack at Pearl Harbour by Imperial Japanese forces resulted in a review of Portuguese guidelines, paralysing the working group.
A ship (the Portuguese "Mirandela") shipped 30 Gloster SS37 Gladiators
Gloster Gladiator
The Gloster Gladiator was a British-built biplane fighter. It was used by the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy and was exported to a number of other air forces during the late 1930s. It was the RAF's last biplane fighter aircraft and was rendered obsolete by newer monoplane designs even as it...
and five Junkers Ju 52
Junkers Ju 52
The Junkers Ju 52 was a German transport aircraft manufactured from 1932 to 1945. It saw both civilian and military service during the 1930s and 1940s. In a civilian role, it flew with over 12 air carriers including Swissair and Deutsche Luft Hansa as an airliner and freight hauler...
monoplanes, as well as support equipment and personnel, were sent to the Azores (departing on 4 June 1941). Fifteen of the Gloster Gladiators and five JU52s were deposited in São Miguel at Air Base 4, for the 1st Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, while the remaining planes were sent to Terceira to form the 2nd Expeditionary Fighter Squadron. At the same time, the British sent to São Miguel 12 Curtiss P-36 Hawk, to constitute the 3rd Expeditionary Fighter Squadron.
But, the Achada Airfield in Terceira suffered from periods of fog, which covered the area during most of the year. This meteorlogical problem, forced the relocation of air operations to the plain of Lajes
Lajes (Praia da Vitória)
Lajes is a civil parish in the municipality of Praia da Vitória, on the island of Terceira in the Portuguese Azores. In 2001, the population was 3753, occupying an area of 12.11 km², in the north-eastern coast of the municipality : it is the second largest and the most populous parish in the...
, where they constructed a new runway.
After long negotiations, an accord was established between Portugal and Great Britain (1 August 1943), which conceded the facilities at Air Base 4 and Lajes for use by British forces to base their North Atlantic anti-submarine patrols. In exchange, the Portuguese received six squadrons of Hawker Hurricane
Hawker Hurricane
The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd for the Royal Air Force...
s. By this time, in 1942, Humberto Delgado
Humberto Delgado
Humberto da Silva Delgado, GCL was a General of the Portuguese Air Force and politician.Delgado was born in Brogueira, Torres Novas. He was the son of Joaquim Delgado and wife Maria do Ó Pereira and had three younger sisters, Deolinda, Aida and Lídia....
was appointed Air Force representative to the Anglo-Portuguese working group. Conscious of the geostrategic importance of the Azores, to trans-Atlantic flight, Delgado recommended to Salazar that one of the two air bases (Santa Maria or Lajes) should be converted into a trans-Atlantic airport and centre for air traffic control, while noting: "If Your Excellency wishes to decide [which airport], I would say Lajes will do, but everyone, even the British,consider Santa Maria better" For his efficiency in the commission, the British government, decorated Humberto Delgado with the Order of the British Empire
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
, since the officer had risked his career and future on the Allied cause. Between 15–18 May 1943, the Trident conference to approve an Allied strategy on the Azores. It was followed by the Quebec Conference on between 11–30 August, in which U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt and British Prime Minister agreed that Great Britain would enter the Azores with Portuguese authorization, followed by the United States, two weeks later. On 10 September, a combined British force, under the command of Air Marshall G.R. Bromet, departed from Liverpool in the direction of the island of Terceira.
British forces disembarked on 8 October 1943, at the Port of Pipas, in Angra do Heroísmo, and a contingent of 3000 soldiers, travelled to Lajes in begin expanding the small aerodrome in the area called Terra Chã. Before the end of the year, the 235 Squadron of the Royal Air Force's Coastal Command was able to sink a German submarine using its contigent on Terceira. By the beginning of 1944, 1400 U.S. troops and 1700 tonnes of equipment had also arrived in Angra and Praia da Vitória, in order to expand and reinforce the runway at Lajes. This included the 928 Engineering Regiment of the U.S. Air Force (17 January), and the 95 Battalion of the U.S. Navy's Seabee
Seabee
Seabees are members of the United States Navy construction battalions. The word Seabee is a proper noun that comes from the initials of Construction Battalion, of the United States Navy...
construction corp (19 January). Later the Americans signed an accord to construct an aerodrome on the island of Santa Maria (28 November 1944). This was done under the guidance of Pan American airlines, as the Portuguese, not wanting to arouse the wrath of the Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
, only accepted the project on the grounds that it was a civilian facility. The construction began in 1944, in conjunction with the erection of a company hospital that served to provide medical assistance to U.S. troops hurt in the European theatre of operations.
At the end of 1946, the aerodrome in Santana was converted into a civil airport, with two grass fields (one with a 1500 metre runway and the other 100 metres in length). The local population, owing to its rural location, on prime agricultural location, resulted in its local colloquial name as "aerovacas", since cattle grazed on the land when flights were not occurring. Ponta Delgada-Santana field was a regional airport at the time, and international services were directed to the international airports in Santa Maria or Lajes Airfield.
Post-World Wars
But, the inauguaration of the Ponta Delgada-Nordela Airport on the southern coast, fronting the main population centre, on 10 August 1969 changed the face of regional/international services in the Azores. Since its inauguration the Nordela Airport served as the operational base of SATA Air Azores and, two years later (in 1971), TAP Air PortugalTAP Portugal
TAP Portugal, commonly known as TAP, is the national airline of Portugal. It has its head office in Building 25 on the grounds of Portela Airport in Lisbon, and has been a member of the Star Alliance since 14 March 2005, the same day on which the company celebrated its 60th anniversary...
began to provide regular flights between Lisbon and Ponta Delgada.
By the end of the 1960s, new aerodromes were constructed on other islands in the archipelago:
- in 1969, the airport in the barrio of Nordela was inaugurated, on the island of São Miguel, next to the growing centre of Ponta Delgada (eventually renamed Ponta Delgada-João Paulo II International Airport);
- on 24 August 1971, a new airport in the civil parish of Castelo BrancoCastelo Branco (Horta)Castelo Branco is the southern civil parish on the island Faial, in the Azores; part of the municipality of Horta. This agricultural community is primarily known for the location of the Central Group's first airport, Horta Airport.-History:...
along the southern coast of Faial wa inaugurated; and - in 1972, Flores Airport was constructed on the eastern coast of the island of Airport to support the neighbouring islands of Flores and Corvo.
In 1976, following the fall of the Estado Novo regime, in an era that was tumultuous, the democratic politicinas debated a proposal in Portuguese National Assembly to regionalize the provision of services to the Azores and Madeira.
Following these events, the increasingly autonomous governments of the Azores, between 1981 and 1983, built several airports to provide expanded service to the remaining islands. In addition to improvements at Horta Airport, the government of the Azores finalized construction of:
- Graciosa Airport;
- Pico AirportPico AirportPico Airport is an airport in Pico Island in the Azores .-Airlines and destinations:...
; - São Jorge AirportSão Jorge AirportSão Jorge Airport is an airport in São Jorge Island in the Azores ....
; - Corvo Airport.
SATA
Since the 1940s, the Portuguese flag carrier Transportes Aéreos Portugueses
TAP Portugal
TAP Portugal, commonly known as TAP, is the national airline of Portugal. It has its head office in Building 25 on the grounds of Portela Airport in Lisbon, and has been a member of the Star Alliance since 14 March 2005, the same day on which the company celebrated its 60th anniversary...
operated regular flights to the Azores through the gateways in Ponta Delgada, Lajes and Vila do Porto. Meanwhile, a group of investors started their own air carrier: Sociedade Açoriana de Transportes Aéreos
SATA Air Acores
SATA Air Açores is an airline based in Ponta Delgada in the Azores, Portugal. It operates scheduled passenger, cargo and mail services around the Azores. It provides its own maintenance and handling services and manages 4 regional airports...
, or SATA, as it was known, during the Second World War. These investors, which included Augusto Rebelo Arruda, founded originally the Sociedade Açoriana de Estudos Aéreos, Limitada (on 21 August 1941), with the objective of obtaining the authorization from the Portuguese government to establish inter-island flights with the continent.
Six years later, its objective reached, the society changed its title to Sociedade Açoriana de Transportes Aéreos, Limitada, and on 15 June 1947 inaugurated flights using their first Beechcraft
Beechcraft
Beechcraft is an American manufacturer of general aviation and military aircraft, ranging from light single engine aircraft to business jets and light military transports. Previously a division of Raytheon, it has been a brand of Hawker Beechcraft since 2006....
(serial number CS-TAA), named "Açor". The airplane transported two crew and seven passengers, and made connections between the islands of São Miguel (from the Santana air field until 1969, and later from Nordela after 1969) with Santa Maria and Terceira. A year later, SATA received two De Havilland DH.104 Dove
De Havilland Dove
The de Havilland DH.104 Dove was a British monoplane short-haul airliner from de Havilland, the successor to the biplane de Havilland Dragon Rapide and was one of Britain's most successful post-war civil designs...
(on 23 May 1948), with a capacity for nine passengers and 700 kilometres of cargo (in addition to the crew). Flight operations began on the 1 August 1948, but were quickly suspended after the Beechcraft was involved in an accident. On the morning of 5 August, the "Açor" crew registered difficulties after departing São Miguel on a routine flight to Santa Maria
On 21 August 1963, the SATA fleet increase with the acquisition of a Douglas DC-3
Douglas DC-3
The Douglas DC-3 is an American fixed-wing propeller-driven aircraft whose speed and range revolutionized air transport in the 1930s and 1940s. Its lasting impact on the airline industry and World War II makes it one of the most significant transport aircraft ever made...
with a capacity for 26 passengers.
In 1972, SATA acquired the small fleet of Avro HS-748 which it had been using since 1969, with an improved capacity for 48 passengers.
Following the Carnation Revolution
Carnation Revolution
The Carnation Revolution , also referred to as the 25 de Abril , was a military coup started on 25 April 1974, in Lisbon, Portugal, coupled with an unanticipated and extensive campaign of civil resistance...
, in 1976, when the Portuguese government debated regionalization of aviation services, the Portuguese Air Force
Portuguese Air Force
The Portuguese Air Force is the air force of Portugal. Formed on July 1, 1952, with the Aeronáutica Militar and Aviação Naval united in a single independent Air Force, it is one of the three branches of the Portuguese Armed Forces and its origins dates back to 1912, when the military aviation...
transferred two Douglas DC-6
Douglas DC-6
The Douglas DC-6 is a piston-powered airliner and transport aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company from 1946 to 1958. Originally intended as a military transport near the end of World War II, it was reworked after the war to compete with the Lockheed Constellation in the long-range...
to SATA. Regionalization was achieved on 17 October 1980, when 50% of SATA's operating shares were purchased from the Bensaude Group by the Regional Government of the Azores (the remaineder by TAP Air Portugal, EP). The purchase allowed the regionalization of air services into the public company Serviço Açoriano de Transportes Aéreos, Empresa Pública (while maintaining its abbreviation). The same year that SATA became a public company, it also joined the European Regional Airline Association (ERAA) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
Following the suggestion of Regional President Mota Amaral, in 1986, the regional air carrier began to operate as SATA Air Açores. After 1985, Azores Express, an company of Grupo SATA, operated charter flights between the United States and the archipelago, while SATA Express, served charter services to Canada.
By the end of 1980s, SATA re-marketed itself: in 1988, it altered its colours; began re-publishing its onboard magazine Paralelo 38 as the bilingual Espírito Açoriano/Azorean Spirit; and between 1989 and 1990, the Avro aircraft were replaced by a small fleet of British Aerospace
British Aerospace
British Aerospace plc was a UK aircraft, munitions and defence-systems manufacturer. Its head office was in the Warwick House in the Farnborough Aerospace Centre in Farnborough, Hampshire...
ATP aircraft. The first aircraft, baptized "Santa Maria" entered into service in 1989; the second, named "Flores", in 1990; and the third, "Graciosa", in 1991. Still in 1991, the first permanent flights began to serve the island of Corvo, with a single Dornier 228-212
Dornier Do 228
The Dornier 228 is a twin-turboprop STOL utility aircraft, manufactured by Dornier GmbH from 1981 until 1998. In 1983, Hindustan Aeronautics bought a production licence and manufactures the 228 for the Asian market sphere. Approximately 270 Do 228 were built at Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany and...
, occasionally substituted by an CASA C-212 Aviocar from the Portuguese Air Force.