VIRGINIUS BRITO DE LAMARE

Capitão-tenente aviador naval Virginius Brito de Lamare, quando fazia estágio na RAF em 1918 from Episódios e Narrativas da Aviação na Baixada Santista, by J.Muniz Jr., edição comemorativa da Semana da Asa de 1982, Gráfica de A Tribuna, Santos/SP.

 

HISTORICAL NOTES by Mauro Lins de Barros via email, June 14, 2003 Dear Ralph:      Since my last email, ages ago, I found more info on Orton William Hoover. It was sitting just there on my brother's bookshelf!      The source is "História da Construção Aeronáutica no Brasil" by Roberto Pereira de Andrade and Antônio Ermete Piochi, Aquarius Editora e Distribuidora de Livros Ltda., São Paulo, 1982. I am afraid it is not easily available, if at all.       At some point, Hoover moved to Santos, on the coast of the state of São Paulo, where he became the American Consul. He died in São Paulo on June 16, 1958.      He must have had many opportunities for meeting Alberto Santos-Dumont. Most probably, he was present on January 25, 1917 when Santos-Dumont visited the Naval Aviation School and flew with Ten. Virginius Britto de Lamare on a Curtiss F. In the centenary of 1922, there must have been plenty of opportunities. And finally, it is just possible that he had some contact at the time of the EAY. Santos-Dumont arrived in Brazil in the end of 1931 and died on June 23, 1932 in the middle of the revolution of São Paulo. By this time, however, Santos-Dumont was very ill and depressed. Sincerely yours, Mauro Lins de Barros -----------------------------------------------------      *Incidentally, my brother Henrique has just published a new book on Santos-Dumont called "Santos-Dumont e a invenção do vôo", published by Jorge Zahar Editor. I am glad to report that the reception has been excellent and sales are brisk.

 

ONLINE RESOURCES      If you search the net for "de Lamare +Aviação" using Google, (11-26-05), you will find about 131 links. As time permits, you will want to visit some of the many relevant links. I have selected two of them as starting points.

HISTÓRIAS E LENDAS DE SANTOS - PIONEIROS DO AR Raids aéreos e outros acontecimentos J.Muniz Jr. (*)      This is one of a series of articles in which de Lamare is mentioned, if only briefly. This particular one also includes a photograph of him, (a copy of which you see at the top of this page), when he was a student with the RAF in 1918. If you read Portuguese, you can enjoy the entire article, a fascinating revue of the early aviation activities in the city of Santos, Brazil, by clicking on the title above.      If time is available, and if you are sufficiently interested, I recommend that you copy the URL of the page, paste it into the Babelfish program, and read the entire article. If time is limited, you can read two paragraphs which I have selected to translate.      "Since naval aviator Virginius Brito de Lamare landed in waters of the estuary, leading the flight between Rio de Janeiro to Santos, October 17, 1919, innumerable other aviators of the Navy, the Army, or civilians, had passed through our city, where they had been received with shows of affection and praise, as much as on the part of the civil and military authorities, as also by the general population."      "In October of 1920, after having taken off from the former federal capital, (Rio), piloting a hydroplane Macchi M-9, making a flight between Rio De Janeiro and Buenos Aires, the captain-lieutenant naval aviator Virginius Brito de Lamare, accompanied by sergeant major Antonio Joaquin Da Silva Júnior, landed in our city, later continuing that same day toward the South of the Country."

 

Curtiss Model F Airboat      This page, on the Reservaer website, offers an interesting story of the plane which was the first to be obtained by the Brazilian government as a trainer for its new airforce. Lt. Schorcht is mentioned as piloting the first flight of the Brazilian president in a military airplane. You will find three photographs of the F boat and one showing Santos Dumont and Lt. De Lamare leaving the boat after their flight. If you can read Portuguese, you can enjoy this article by clicking on the title above.      If you only read English, you can take advantage of the following translated version.      "Curtiss F - Airboat for instruction, biplane, crew of 2 members, powered by OX-2 engine of 90 HP, a maximum speed of 69 mph, reaches altitude of 2,300 feet in 10 minutes, service ceiling of 4.500 feet, range of 5h30m. In 1916, three were acquired, becoming the first Brazilian military airplanes. These airboats remained in service until 1923.       On January 25, 1917, while visiting the School of Naval Aviation, Santos-Dumont, boarded one of the airboats and flew over Guanabara Bay, thus becoming the first air passenger in Brazil. The airplane was piloted by Lieutenant Virginius Brito de Lamare. On April 2 of that year, President Wenceslau Braz arrived at the School on board a Curtiss F, piloted by Lieutenant August Antonio Schorcht, to preside over the graduation ceremonies of the advanced course. That flight was considered to be the first of a president in a military airplane of Brazil."      I was especially interested in this website insamuch as my father-in-law, Walter E. Lees, often flew this airboat in the early days.

 

The date of his death is unknown   Editor's Note: If you have any more information on this Early Flier, please contact me. E-mail to Ralph Cooper   Back