Bartolomeu de Gusmão Airport
Encyclopedia
Bartolomeu de Gusmão Airport was an airport built to handle the operations with the rigid airship
s Graf Zeppelin
and Hindenburg
. The airport was named after Bartolomeu Lourenço de Gusmão
(1685–1724), a Portuguese priest born in Brazil who did research about transportation with balloons.
In 1942 it became an Air Force Base of the Brazilian Air Force
and therefore with exclusive military use. It is located in the neighborhood of Santa Cruz in the western region of Rio de Janeiro
.
had regular flights between Germany and Brazil, using its rigid airship
s Graf Zeppelin
and Hindenburg
. Rio de Janeiro was the final stop, where passengers could connect with aircraft services to Southern Brazil
, Uruguay
, Argentina
, Chile
and Bolivia
operated by syndicato Condor, the Brazilian subsidiary of Luft Hansa.
The airport was inaugurated on December 26, 1936 by President Getúlio Vargas
, with the presence of the German Ambassador Schmidt Elskop. Before this day the rigid airships were docked at Campo dos Afonsos
.
The new airport consisted of an airfield, a hangar, a customs house, an office building, a radio-operations building, 5 bedrooms for workers, crew-lodgings, a work and storage house, a hydrogen
factory, a plant to mix hydrogen with butane
and a branch-line connecting the complex to the main railway line to downtown Rio de Janeiro 54 km away. The whole complex was built by the Luftschiffbau Zeppelin
and are partially still in use by the Brazilian Air Force, which occupies the site.
The hangar is the only original surviving example of structures built to accommodate rigid airships in the world. Because of its historical importance, it was listed as a National Heritage Site on March 14, 1999.
As a consequence to the Hindenburg disaster
on May 6, 1937 at Lakehurst Air Naval Station in New Jersey, USA, the Luftschiffbau Zeppelin requested to the Brazilian Government on June 17, 1937 the suspension of services. Since then no more civil operations were handled at this facility.
On February 12, 1942, six months before Brazil declaring war against the Axis
, the airport was taken over by the Brazilian Air Force Ministry and became a base of the Brazilian Air Force. The name of the facility was changed to Santa Cruz Air Force Base
on January 16, 1943. The new Air Force Base became and remains one of the most important bases of the Brazilian Air Force.
Rigid airship
A rigid airship is a type of airship in which the envelope retained its shape by the use of an internal structural framework rather than by being forced into shape by the pressure of the lifting gas within the envelope as used in blimps and semi-rigid airships.Rigid airships were produced and...
s Graf Zeppelin
LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin
LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin was a German built and operated passenger-carrying hydrogen-filled rigid airship which operated commercially from 1928 to 1937. It was named after the German pioneer of airships, Ferdinand von Zeppelin, who was a Graf or Count in the German nobility. During its operating life,...
and Hindenburg
LZ 129 Hindenburg
LZ 129 Hindenburg was a large German commercial passenger-carrying rigid airship, the lead ship of the Hindenburg class, the longest class of flying machine and the largest airship by envelope volume...
. The airport was named after Bartolomeu Lourenço de Gusmão
Bartolomeu de Gusmão
Bartolomeu Lourenço de Gusmão , was a priest and naturalist born in the then Portuguese colony of Brazil, noted for his early work on lighter-than-air airship design....
(1685–1724), a Portuguese priest born in Brazil who did research about transportation with balloons.
In 1942 it became an Air Force Base of the Brazilian Air Force
Brazilian Air Force
The Brazilian Air Force is the air branch of the Brazilian Armed Forces and one of the three national uniformed services. The FAB was formed when the Army and Navy air branch were merged into a single military force initially called "National Air Forces"...
and therefore with exclusive military use. It is located in the neighborhood of Santa Cruz in the western region of Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
.
History
Between 1931 and 1937, Deutsche Luft HansaDeutsche Luft Hansa
Deutsche Luft Hansa A.G. was a German airline, serving as flag carrier of the country during the later years of the Weimar Republic and throughout the Third Reich.-1920s:Deutsche Luft Hansa was founded on 6 January 1926 in Berlin...
had regular flights between Germany and Brazil, using its rigid airship
Rigid airship
A rigid airship is a type of airship in which the envelope retained its shape by the use of an internal structural framework rather than by being forced into shape by the pressure of the lifting gas within the envelope as used in blimps and semi-rigid airships.Rigid airships were produced and...
s Graf Zeppelin
LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin
LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin was a German built and operated passenger-carrying hydrogen-filled rigid airship which operated commercially from 1928 to 1937. It was named after the German pioneer of airships, Ferdinand von Zeppelin, who was a Graf or Count in the German nobility. During its operating life,...
and Hindenburg
LZ 129 Hindenburg
LZ 129 Hindenburg was a large German commercial passenger-carrying rigid airship, the lead ship of the Hindenburg class, the longest class of flying machine and the largest airship by envelope volume...
. Rio de Janeiro was the final stop, where passengers could connect with aircraft services to Southern 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...
, Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
and Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
operated by syndicato Condor, the Brazilian subsidiary of Luft Hansa.
The airport was inaugurated on December 26, 1936 by President Getúlio Vargas
Getúlio Vargas
Getúlio Dornelles Vargas served as President of Brazil, first as dictator, from 1930 to 1945, and in a democratically elected term from 1951 until his suicide in 1954. Vargas led Brazil for 18 years, the most for any President, and second in Brazilian history to Emperor Pedro II...
, with the presence of the German Ambassador Schmidt Elskop. Before this day the rigid airships were docked at Campo dos Afonsos
Afonsos Air Force Base
Afonsos Air Force Base – BAAF is a base of the Brazilian Air Force, located in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The official name of the Base is Campo Délio Jardim de Matos after a former commander of the base and Minister of the Air Force.-History:...
.
The new airport consisted of an airfield, a hangar, a customs house, an office building, a radio-operations building, 5 bedrooms for workers, crew-lodgings, a work and storage house, a hydrogen
Hydrogen
Hydrogen is the chemical element with atomic number 1. It is represented by the symbol H. With an average atomic weight of , hydrogen is the lightest and most abundant chemical element, constituting roughly 75% of the Universe's chemical elemental mass. Stars in the main sequence are mainly...
factory, a plant to mix hydrogen with butane
Butane
Butane is a gas with the formula C4H10 that is an alkane with four carbon atoms. The term may refer to any of two structural isomers, or to a mixture of them: in the IUPAC nomenclature, however, butane refers only to the unbranched n-butane isomer; the other one being called "methylpropane" or...
and a branch-line connecting the complex to the main railway line to downtown Rio de Janeiro 54 km away. The whole complex was built by the Luftschiffbau Zeppelin
Luftschiffbau Zeppelin
Luftschiffbau Zeppelin GmbH is a German company which, during the early 20th century, was a leader in the design and manufacture of rigid airships, specifically of the Zeppelin type. The company was founded by Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin...
and are partially still in use by the Brazilian Air Force, which occupies the site.
The hangar is the only original surviving example of structures built to accommodate rigid airships in the world. Because of its historical importance, it was listed as a National Heritage Site on March 14, 1999.
As a consequence to the Hindenburg disaster
Hindenburg disaster
The Hindenburg disaster took place on Thursday, May 6, 1937, as the German passenger airship LZ 129 Hindenburg caught fire and was destroyed during its attempt to dock with its mooring mast at the Lakehurst Naval Air Station, which is located adjacent to the borough of Lakehurst, New Jersey...
on May 6, 1937 at Lakehurst Air Naval Station in New Jersey, USA, the Luftschiffbau Zeppelin requested to the Brazilian Government on June 17, 1937 the suspension of services. Since then no more civil operations were handled at this facility.
On February 12, 1942, six months before Brazil declaring war against the Axis
Axis Powers
The Axis powers , also known as the Axis alliance, Axis nations, Axis countries, or just the Axis, was an alignment of great powers during the mid-20th century that fought World War II against the Allies. It began in 1936 with treaties of friendship between Germany and Italy and between Germany and...
, the airport was taken over by the Brazilian Air Force Ministry and became a base of the Brazilian Air Force. The name of the facility was changed to Santa Cruz Air Force Base
Santa Cruz Air Force Base
Santa Cruz Air Force Base – BASC is a base of the Brazilian Air Force located in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.-History:The base was originally called Bartolomeu de Gusmão Airport and it was constructed to handle the operations with the rigid airships Graf Zeppelin and Hindenburg...
on January 16, 1943. The new Air Force Base became and remains one of the most important bases of the Brazilian Air Force.