Monument to Gago Coutinho

Gago Coutinho (1869-1959) was a Portuguese aviation pioneer, together with Sacadura Cabral (1881-1924), were the first to fly cross the South Atlantic Ocean by air. The flight left Lisbon, on 24 March 1922 and arrived in Rio de Janeiro on the 6 June 1922, these were the days before fast direct flights!

The Fairey seaplane used by Coutinho and Cabral for their transatlantic flight did not have the fuel capacity to make the entire trip unaided so various stops were required along the route. The aviators were shadowed by a support ship, called the República. On the journey down the Brazilian coast a heavy rain storm caused the aircraft’s engine to fail and they were forced to ditch into the Pacific Ocean.

Realizing that something was wrong, the support boat República sent out a distress signal asking other ships in the area to look out for the seaplane. After a worrying period in the water, the pilots were found by a British freighter.

 

The rescued Coutinho and Cabral were distraught as they had lost their plane so close to their final destination (and an incredibly long time flying!) Coutinho and Cabra after a heated negotiation a new air craft was loaned from the British with which they were able to complete their journey.

Gago Coutinho contributions to aviation were not limited just to mad cap distance flying, he also invented a sextant that incorporated two spirit levels which provided an artificial horizon. This adaptation of the traditional marine sextant allowed navigation without visual reference to the real horizon, particularly useful when flying through heavy fog or cloud.