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The Spanish aviators were greeted by excited crowds in Havana.
11 June 1933: Spanish aviators fly non-stop to Cuba
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11 June 1933: Spanish aviators fly non-stop to Cuba

The 40-hour flight was a heroic achievement which showcased the excellence of the Spanish aviation industry, but it ended with a tragic mystery

Debbie Bartlett

Friday, 11 June 2021, 11:12

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Eighty-eight years ago today, two very tired but euphoric aviators landed at Camagüey aerodrome in Cuba. It was 3.55pm, and they had flown their plane non-stop for 40 hours, since leaving Seville. Incredibly, they had travelled over 7,000 kilometres in one go, crossing the Central Atlantic as they did so.

The story of this amazing feat began the October before, when Mariano Berberán, the director of the Cuatro Vientos Observers School at an aerodrome near Madrid, asked the government to support an attempt at a non-stop transatlantic flight, by providing the material and human resources which would be needed. He insisted that the plane would have to be completely Spanish-built, and suggested the highly experienced Joaquín Collar as the pilot, himself as co-pilot and Modesto Madariaga, who had already participated in two important flights, as mechanic. Berberán was already internationally renowned as a navigator.

The government approved the proposal, which had three main aims: to establish a link between Spain and the people of America, study a new route over the Atlantic and showcase the ability and skill of Spanish aviators and the perfection which the aeronautics industry in Spain had achieved.

The Construcciones Aeronáuticas company was charged with building a Breguet XIX aircraft, modified to enable it to travel the huge distance to Cuba. This was the greatest achievement yet for the Spanish aviation industry. The plane was made completely from metal, cost 80,000 pesetas, and was named Cuatro Vientos. It was finished on 15 April, 1933.

The plane set off in the early hours of 10 June, carrying 5,300 litres of gasoline and benzol. Everything went well, although Berberán had to fly the craft for five hours when Collar felt unwell. After landing, they stayed in Cuba for a week and were then due to fly on to Mexico. The Cuatro Vientos took off at 5.50 am on 20 June...but it never completed the journey. Despite intensive searches, it and the heroes inside disappeared. Nobody ever learned what happened to them.

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