Article

Sacadura Cabral and the Dawn of Portuguese Aviation

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  • AEROG Aeronautics and Astronautics Research Center
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Abstract

Sacadura Cabral was one of the two Portuguese navigators that crossed by air the South Atlantic in the beginning of the 20th century. From 1901 to 1915 Sacadura was at Mozambique and Angola where he developed geodetic and geographical missions of the greatest importance for Portuguese interest at Africa. With the Great World War requirements as a Navy Officer with 34 years old he decided to serve Portugal at the Aviation. In 1915 he went to France and obtained its pilot license. In 1916 Sacadura returned to Portugal and begun its instructor pilot career. He developed the “path corrector” which he created to compensate the drift caused by wind. In 1922 Sacadura made the First Air cross from Europe to South Atlantic. In 1923 he proposes himself to make an attempt to the First Air Circumnavigation Journey. He developed all its possible efforts to initiate this journey in March of 1924; however some delays had forced him to postpone the journey. Sacadura received important official medals and prizes, including the PhD Honoris Causa from the Universities of Lisbon and Oporto. In 1924 he died before he could carry out its Circumnavigation Air Journey.

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... The International Evaluation Panel classified LAETA with an Overall Quality Grade of Excellent. The AEROG research activities include basic and applied research in Aerodynamics [37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48][49][50][51][52], V/STOL [53][54][55][56][57][58][59][60][61][62][63][64][65][66][67][68], Secondary Atomisation , Liquid Rocket Engines [113][114][115][116][117][118][119][120][121][122][123][124], Aerospace Systems Dynamics [125][126][127][128][129][130][131][132], Optimal Control [133][134][135][136][137][138][139][140][141], Satellites and Space Safety [142][143][144][145][146], finally Portuguese Aeronautics History [147][148][149][150][151][152][153][154][155][156][157][158][159][160][161][162]. ...
Conference Paper
In 1991/92, the University of Beira Interior (UBI) established Portugal's first permanent and official civilian Aeronautics program, a 5-year Licenciatura Degree in Aeronautics Engineering. In addition, a Doctorate Degree in Aeronautics Engineering was established in 1993/94, and a Master's Degree in Aerospace Systems Engineering in 1999/2000. By 2007/08, a European intergovernmental reform (Bologna Process) was implemented to achieve the European Higher Education Area to allow students, graduates, and specialized staff working in higher education to benefit from mobility and equal access to high-quality higher education without obstacles. The essential bases are mutual recognition of degrees, transparency (readable and comparable degrees organized in a 3-Cycle structure), and European quality assurance cooperation, emphasizing competency development over knowledge transmission. The degree system was made official in Portugal by Decree-Law nº. 74/2006. According to the expressed perspective, the reformulation of Aeronautical Engineering Studies at UBI followed the adoption of formal structures, corresponding to 6 Semesters for Licenciatura (180 ECTS = 1st Cycle); 4 Semesters for Master's (120 ECTS = 2nd Cycle), and 6 Semesters for Doctorate (180 ECTS = 3rd Cycle). After its implementation, the requirements to accomplish the reformulation created significant national difficulties leading to successive adaptations exposed in six amendments to Decree-Law nº. 74/2006. A Master's and Doctorate Degree in Portugal legally requires the support of an R&D Unit with a minimum classification of Very Good or Excellent in an evaluation process carried out by foreign experts, with concepts and procedures recognized by the international scientific community. The Aeronautics and Astronautics Research Center (AEROG) is a member of the Associated Laboratory for Energy, Transport, and Aeronautics (LAETA). LAETA received an Excellent Overall Quality Grade from the International Evaluation Panel.
... Nonetheless, the airplane was not yet autonomous, this crossing of the South Atlantic ocean mobilized several support ships, even the airplane had to be replaced two times due to damages and faults. [2][3][4] The Cabral and Coutinho's long flight was possible due to new navigation equipment developed by Gago Coutinho. Because a conventional navy sextant cannot be used in aviation, a new model of sextant was necessary. ...
... However, Imperial College in London, England claims that they first taught a course in aeronautics in 1909 with a first chair in aeronautics established in 1920 [9]. Figure 5). In August of 1916 Sacadura Cabral finished his apprenticeship at France and returned to Portugal, and became pilot instructor at Vila Nova da Rainha [15]. honorary doctorate also from the TU Munich which was entitled "The pioneering engineer in the field of construction of metal aircraft" (Figure 7). ...
Article
Full-text available
Aviation education and training began early in the 20th century just after the first successful powered flight of the Wright brothers. In the present paper, the types of aviation education and training around the world are reviewed. Its developments were distinct in many different countries, and in some cases evolved from the military needs while in others from the dedication of a few enthusiasts. In the 21st century aeronautical and aerospace engineering is taught at the most advanced engineering schools in the world providing skills and competences that integrate advanced disciplines.
... Gago Coutinho and Sacadura Cabral started the first flight across the South Atlantic Journey at the Bom Sucesso Naval Air Station in the Tagus River near the Belém Tower in Lisbon, at 07:00 on March 30, 1922. The used seaplane Fairey III D "Lusitânia" was equipped with an artificial horizon precision sextant for aeronautical use; a revolutionary invention at the time according to the Portuguese Navy Museum, testing the horizon was one of the main reasons for the flight [4]- [7]. Figure 2 illustrates Portuguese navigators, the used sextant and the seaplane "Lusitânia". ...
Article
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This article is intended as a summary of a new area of study on the History of the Portuguese Aeronautics and Aerospace and addresses issues such as: the forthcoming of the aircraft at Portugal, its military and civilian use; the scope of early days concerning Portuguese intercontinental flights and their authors; the development of air navigation devices by Portuguese inventors in the 1920s and 30s; the Aeronautics industry and the need to develop expertise in Aeronautical/Aerospace Engineering in Portugal during the centuries XX and XXI.
... This preference was then communicated to commissioned Officers, who followed the appropriate steps for the immediate purchase of such airplane: a public subscription organized by Pinheiro Corrêa, Jardim da Costa and Bensabat Levy. On June 1921 an aircraft of this type was delivered disassembled at the Amadora hangars, starting immediately to be assembled and adapted for Intercontinental [12]. That fact led to amend the initial route (initially Rio de Janeiro) destination for this aircraft along this Journey. ...
Article
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On 1920, Brito Pais and Sarmento Beires tried an unsuccessful flight attempt from Amadora, Lisbon to Madeira Island onboard an airplane Breguet XIV A2, named “Cavaleiro Negro”. Despite the scarce means of navigation both navigators managed to reach Madeira, which failed to land due to dense fog. On their way back after 8 hours of flight time, they alight at the Atlantic Ocean for lack of fuel and were rescued at about 500 km from Lisbon. On 1922, Gago Coutinho and Sacadura Cabral conducted the First Aerial Cross of the South Atlantic, flying from Lisbon to Rio de Janeiro. The Portuguese Aeronautics rejoiced auspicious days that time, with its aviation pioneers trying consecutively to reach more distant places along intercontinental flights. On 1923, Gago Coutinho and Sacadura Cabral were contemplating to perform an Around the World Flight. However, Sacadura died in 1924, while piloting an airplane acquired for the circumnavigation voyage. Later on 1924 the pilots Brito Pais and Sarmento Beires idealized the conducting of an aerial flight from Lisbon to Macau as an aspiration for a future Portuguese Around the World Flight attempt: on 7 April 1924, those pilots departed from Vila Nova de Milfontes in a Breguet XIV Bn2 airplane, starting their Journey to Macau. During a flight stage on 7 May an engine failure forced them to crash the airplane at India; on 30 May, both pilots managed to continue the Voyage in a De Havilland DH9 aircraft before being forced to end their attempt in 20 June in flying over Macau. A typhoon hindered their efforts to land and the airplane was crash landed in Chinese Territory about 800 meters from the Hong Kong Border. On 25 June 1924, they were shuttled back to Macau by boat. Brito Pais, Sarmento Beires and Manuel Gouveia returned to Portugal, via North America, visiting several Portugueses nuclei at China, Japan, United States and England. They went to Portugal on 9 September, after having flown a total of 16,760 km in 117:41 h facing often extremely adverse atmospheric conditions, sandstorms and inaccurate navigation maps.
Article
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Two Portuguese aerial navigators, Gago Coutinho and Sacadura Cabral, crossed for the first time, from Europe to the South Atlantic in 1922; they developed and used for the first time scientific methods of astronomic navigation when flying out of sight of land: a path corrector and a precision sextant. Both navigation devices were tested during short flights from Lisbon to Madeira Island (1921) and the encouraging results obtained, allow the navigators to apply them with quite success into an intercontinental flight. The “path corrector” was invented by Sacadura Cabral and Gago Coutinho with the intent to calculate graphically the angle between the longitudinal axis of an airplane and the direction of flight, taking into account the intensity and the direction of the winds. The regular sextant used by the navy could not be applied to aviation due to the difficulty of the definition of the sky-line at a normal flight altitude. Gago Coutinho developed a new model of sextant that could be used to measure the altitude of a star without the need of the sea horizon; this new device was called “precision sextant” and was improved with an artificial horizon line defined with the help of a water bubble. This device was later improved with an internal illumination system to allow its use during night flights and was used along the First Aerial South Atlantic Night Crossing, in 1927, performed by Portuguese airmen Sarmento Beires, Jorge Castilho, Duvalle Portugal and Manuel Gouveia. An advanced version of this instrument started to be manufactured in Germany by C. Plath under the name of “System Admiral Gago Coutinho”.
Article
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Gago Coutinho, jointly with another Portuguese aerial navigator, managed to perform the First Flight from Europe to the South Atlantic in 1922, a Journey exclusively guided by internal means of navigation. Despite Coutinho being a person with multipurpose activity on several areas of knowledge, he became known and glorified in the World in 1922, as an air navigator, a position that he achieved due to an aerial navigation device that he also had invented. Coutinho developed a new sextant model that could be used to measure the altitude of a star (when flying overseas) without the need of the sea horizon. This new device was called precision sextant and was provided with an artificial horizon line defined with the help of a water bubble. Due to his knowledge of Navigation, Astronomy, Geography and Mathematics, Coutinho received from the Portuguese King D. Carlos I, several assignments at Africa and Asia. Gago Coutinho received several important official medals and prizes, including the Ph.D. Honoris Causa from the Universities of Lisbon and Oporto and authored several scientific publications. Coutinho received the distinct position of Admiral of the Portuguese Navy in 1958 and died in the following year.
Article
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The History of the transatlantic flights goes back to 1919 and began with a flight performed from Newfoundland to Lisbon; two weeks later another flight was performed between Newfoundland and Ireland. On 1922, the Portuguese airmen Gago Coutinho and Sacadura Cabral crossed the South Atlantic Ocean by air in a flight performed exclusively with internal means of navigation: a new instrument that consisted in a type of sextant improved with two spirit levels to provide an artificial horizon and also with the help of a “path corrector”. Despite this journey had lasted 79 days to cross South Atlantic Ocean, their flight time was only 62:26 minutes, and they’ve flown 8,383 nautical miles, using 3 different hydroplanes christened: Lusitânia, Pátria and Santa Cruz. Despite this journey had lasted 79 days, their flight time was only 62 h 26 m; they’ve flown 8,383 nautical miles using 3 different hydroplanes christened: Lusitânia, Pátria and Santa Cruz. The new artificial horizon sextant had proven itself while flying over the ocean, without external references.
Article
The history of the transatlantic flights began in 1919 when Albert C. Read’s team flew between Newfoundland and Lisbon, with a stopover at Azores, for fuel and repairs. The flight was made following a chain of 60 U.S. warships in order to guide it along its route and to provide assistance if needed. Two weeks later, John Alcock and Sir Arthur Whitten Brown made the first nonstop transatlantic flight from Newfoundland to County Galway, Ireland, covering more than 3000 km in just 16 hours of flight. In 1922, Gago Coutinho and Sacadura Cabral crossed the South Atlantic Ocean by air, for the first time using only internal means of navigation: a modified sextant and a course corrector; both devices proved its effectiveness. The Portuguese Aeronautics rejoiced auspicious days that time, with its aviation pioneers trying consecutively to reach more distant places along intercontinental flights. Several Around-the-World Flight Attempts were made in 1924: United States, England, France, Portugal, Argentina and Italy. However the circumnavigation purpose was only officially confirmed before the general public, when a considerable flying progress was achieved. In 1923, Gago Coutinho and Sacadura Cabral were contemplating to perform an Around the World Flight, a dream pursued also by Sarmento de Beires in 1924 and 1927. In 1927 and by following the knowledge obtained by Coutinho and Cabral, four Portuguese Airmen started an Around the World Flight Attempt in a mission that ended with seaplane sunk at the Ocean; however this mission was renamed after the seaplane loss and became known in the World as the First Aerial South Atlantic Night Crossing. For the first time in history, during the night of 16 to 17 March 1927, a Portuguese crew flew 2595 km over the Atlantic Ocean from Guinea, Africa to Fernando de Noronha Island, Brazil. The flight was made only by astronomical processes navigation resources that proved again to be absolutely feasible and trustworthy, regardless day or night lighting conditions.
Presentation
The history of the transatlantic flights goes back to 1919, and began with a flight between Newfoundland and Lisbon, and another between Newfoundland and Ireland. Gago Coutinho and Sacadura Cabral crossed the South Atlantic Ocean by air in 1922. This last flight was the first that used only internal means of navigation, and a new instrument that consisted in a type of sextant incorporating two spirit levels to provide an artificial horizon was invented. The flight began with a Fairey hydroplane that did not have enough fuel capacity to make the entire trip so some stops were made along the way. Several problems had to be solved and near the Brazilian coast he aviators were forced to stay some time in the ocean water, having been rescued by a Bristish ship called "Paris City". Finally, the 8,300 km trip was concluded, only with internal means of navigation, after 62 hours of flight using another plane, with a most enthusiastic reception at Rio de Janeiro, and the new artificial horizon sextant had proven itself.
Conference Paper
The history of the transatlantic flights goes back to 1919, and began with a flight between Newfoundland and Lisbon, and another between Newfoundland and Ireland. Gago Coutinho and Sacadura Cabral crossed the South Atlantic Ocean by air in 1922. This last flight was the first that used only internal means of navigation, and a new instrument that consisted in a type of sextant incorporating two spirit levels to provide an artificial horizon was invented. The flight began with a Fairey hydroplane that did not have enough fuel capacity to make the entire trip so some stops were made along the way. Several problems had to be solved and near the Brazilian coast he aviators were forced to stay some time in the ocean water, having been rescued by a Bristish ship called "Paris City". Finally, the 8,300 km trip was concluded, only with internal means of navigation, after 62 hours of flight using another plane, with a most enthusiastic reception at Rio de Janeiro, and the new artificial horizon sextant had proven itself.
Conference Paper
Gago Coutinho was one of the two Portuguese navigators that crossed by air the South Atlantic in the beginning of the 20th century. He developed a new model of sextant that could be used to measure the altitude of a star when flying without the need of the sea horizon. This new instrument was called "precision sextant" and used an artificial horizon line which was defined with the help of a water bubble. Due to his knowledge of Navigation, Astronomy, Geography and Mathematics he received from the Portuguese King D. Carlos I several assignments in Africa and Asia. Gago Coutinho received several important official medals and prizes, including the PhD Honoris Causa from the Universities of Lisbon and Oporto, and authored several scientific publications. He received the distinct position of Admiral of the Portuguese Navy in 1958, and died in the following year.
Conference Paper
Two Portuguese navigators crossed the South Atlantic in the beginning of the 20th century. They developed and used for the first time scientific methods of astronomic navigation when flying out of sight of land. A new model of sextant that could be used to measure the altitude of a star without the need of the sea horizon was developed. Another instrument called "path corrector" was introduced to calculate graphically the drift of an airplane and the direction of flight, taking into account the intensity and the direction of the winds. For the very first time in the history of the aviation the crossing of the South Atlantic had been achieved, and using an instrument that enabled an airplane's position to be precisely determined by astronomic navigation when flying out of sight of land.
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