Geografia dos transportes no Brasil : circulação superior

Abstract

Engineer MOACIR SILVA, in continuation of his"Geography of Transportation in Brazil", now submits the tenth chapter, entitled "Higher.Circulation", wherein he studies the history and describes the means of aerial commercial transportation existing in Brazil.

            At the outset he speaks of the influence of geography upon aerial navegation, which manifest itself through meteorological and climatic conditions, and through the topographic situation, in addition to human, economic and commercial impositions.

            Taking into consideration only commercial aviation, whose first Regulations were approved in July 1925, he relates, year by year, up to the present, its development, and informs about the companies that exploit it, their itinerary and mileage, and date of commencement of operations. This development is ever increasing, always supported and incited by the Government, and was rewarded by the creation of the Ministry of Aeronautics, on January 20th, 1941.

            He goes on to. classify and distribute, by States, the different commercial routes, national (totalling 16) and international (3); then describes and locates the airports in the coast and interior lines, and enhances the great work of the Military Airmail Service, operated both by the Army and Navy, now grouped under the name of Força Aerea Brasileira, or FAB (Brazilian Air Force), whose planes cross the sky of Brazil in nearly every direction, in weekly flights, establishing connections between the interior and the capitals.

            Next he presents, again by States, a table of airports constructed from 1935 to 1939, and reports that there are 512 of them in 1940, while improvements and further studies are actively continuing. He furnishes technical details of the SANTOS DUMONT and BARTOLOMEU DE GUSMAO airports, both situated in the Federal District. Two interesting maps show the routes now operated and those under study.

            There are four foreign companies flying in the national territory, namely: Air France, Pan- American Airways, Inc., Deutsche Lufthansa A. G. and the LATI, and five national ones: Panair do Brasil and Sindicato Condor, with Head Offices in Rio de Janeiro, VARIG in Pôrto Alegre, Aeroloide Iguassú in Curitiba and V ASP in São Paulo.

            The airports of Brazil come under the following classification: Two large ones; 8 special; 18 special B; 50 first class: 70 second class and 590 third class, besides 200 emergency landing fields.

            He ends up by submitting a table of Brazil's 'commercial air traffic, covering the years 1927 to 1939, wherein are found discriminations by companies, lines exploited, aircraft in service, pilots, number of flights, extension in kilometres, number of flight hours, passengers, luggage, mail and freight. From 643 passengers, 210 kilos cargo and 6.535 kilometres of lines exploited in 1937, the figures for commercial aviation attained, in 1939, 70.734 passengers, 446.138 kilos cargo and 68.923 kilometres of routes, a positive indication of the encouraging development of commercial air navigation in Brazil.